A long-planned and much-discussed road extension project in Aztec is expected to bring with it the benefits of increased economic development for this city of nearly 7,000 people in northwestern New Mexico.
Work could begin sometime early this summer on the extension of North Main Avenue, which currently ends just to the north of its intersection with West Aztec Boulevard.
The extension project, which two years ago received some $2.5 million in funding approved by the New Mexico State Legislature, will see the construction of a walking path connecting to a larger trail system that connects to the Aztec Ruins National Monument just over a mile to the north.
As planned, the project will also see the construction of a public plaza.
North Main Avenue was designated nearly 40 years ago by the State of New Mexico as a Historic District.
The street is lined with a series of attractive 19th and early 20th century two-story brick buildings which have, through the years, proven to be a tourist attraction.
The trail extension heading northward will make more accessible the Aztec Ruins, which, consisting of Pueblo Indian structures built more than a thousand years ago, is also a magnet for tourists.
The North Main Avenue extension project is currently the subject of a flood plan study, which is expected to be completed soon.
By Garry Boulard
