Doña Ana County and the Village of Hatch are requesting residents’ input into the Placitas Arroyo Drainage Master Plan and a response to the options presented for Canal Road Bridge after April 5th public meeting in Hatch.
The Village of Hatch and Doña Ana County held the second in a series of public meetings about the drainage master plan to obtain input from residents.
At the April 5 meeting, Chris Naidu and Masoume Jaberi from Smith Engineering Company presented information and recommendations on ways that flooding can be addressed in Hatch after months of analyzing data and studying the Placitas watershed.
Both long-term and short-term future planning hinges on what to do with the Canal Road Bridge. As part of the Drainage Master Plan, three options were presented about how to address the bridge crossing and its effects on conveyance, floodplain management, access, and relative cost.
The first option is to remove the bridge to create a low-water crossing. The downside to this option is extensive roadway improvements will need to be completed which is expected to have high cost associated to this option. Additionally, there are concerns of people driving through the low water crossing during rain events.
The second option discussed was a new bridge crossing, which would be very expensive. A new bridge would need to be construction at a higher elevation than the current box culvert structure in order to permit the amount of water and sediment to pass through. Additionally, the second option would require extensive road reconstruction on each side in order to meet the height and approach requirements of a new bridge. With a new bridge, FEMA Floodplain removal is entirely possible.
The third option was to abandon the Canal Road Bridge crossing, which would be cost effective and FEMA Floodplain removal is entirely possible. The cons of option three are longer travel time of around five minutes without a bridge assuming no unexpected delays such as roadway closures or accidents have occurred along the alternative route.
All the options presented will need to meet engineering standards and the requirements of state and federal agencies involved.
The work on the Placitas Arroyo Drainage Master Plan conducted by Smith Engineering Company will be completed in mid-June of 2018. Both the Flood Commission and Village of Hatch officials want to have as much public input from the residents concerning the drainage master plan and the options for Canal Road Bridge.
Residents are asked to email their input to John Gwynne, Doña Ana County Flood Commission Director, atjohngw@donaanacounty.org. Deadline to provide input is April 20, 2018.
Information from
Doña Ana County