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NM 599 Overpass

Completed Overpass Bridge over NM 599

Owner/Engineer: NMDOT
Location of Project: Santa Fe County, NM
Final Contract Amount: $7,080,995
Completion Date: July 2013
Project Awards Received:

  •  2013 NMDOT District Five Pavement Smoothness Quality Award
  •  2013 American Concrete Institute New Mexico Chapter Excellence in Concrete Award

This project involved construction of an overpass bridge over NM 599 on the west side of Santa Fe. Roundabouts were constructed on each side of NM 599 which allowed reduced bridge width on the overpass and also eliminated potentially hazardous stop conditions. The intersection also accommodates increasing pedestrian and bicycle traffic from the surrounding area.

The bridge incorporated original site-specific artwork by two local area artists:  Leanna Aragon from the Tesuque Pueblo and Leo Romero a 5th generation Agua Fria Village native.  Each artist was assigned one side of the bridge and was asked to create themes that expressed their community’s experience of living in this place.

Aragon’s work includes avanyu, the water serpent sacred to Tewa peoples, and the turkey pindi that was raised in the area. Romero’s work references the carretas (carts) which brought firewood from the nearby Caja del Rio and the springs (ojitos) that supplied travelers with refreshment in the early days of the Camino Real.

The artwork was produced by fabricating large precast concrete facing panels, providing a durable “canvas” that allows the design to stand the test of time. The Reinforced Earth Co. collaborated with the artists to incorporate the artwork into the design plans of the retaining walls. The company’s precast division then precisely transferred the artwork onto the facing panels to achieve the desired 3-D relief and surface textures. Finishing colors were added on the job site.