On Friday morning, Nov. 6, Belen Consolidated Schools buses picked up east-side students by crossing the Rio Grande on N.M. 346 in Bosque. Superintendent Lawrence Sanchez told the Valencia County News-Bulletin that the detour added about 10 to 15 minutes. The usual route had been closed the evening before. Shortly after 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, NMDOT shut N.M. 309, better known as East River Road, at its bridge over the river. Photos showed erosion on the north side, a rusted and collapsed culvert, and exposed utility lines.
East of the river in Valencia County, a single culvert failure can add a long detour to a commute overnight. For an east-side Los Lunas address, the commute depends on how many working river crossings the home can reach and how much traffic is already using each one. The new crossing under construction sends its traffic onto N.M. 47 at Hyde Lane. Valencia County expects that intersection to back up, and its proposed fix would move traffic another 3 miles east to Manzano Expressway.
Ten Miles of River, One Road Across
N.M. 6, which is Main Street in Los Lunas, is the only east-west road that links I-25 across the river to N.M. 47 for more than 10 miles both north and south. That is how project engineers described it at a May 2024 public hearing, as reported by the News-Bulletin. The same report said the state highway "lacks adequate traffic capacity and improvements to the road have been exhausted."
After the Belen closure, NMDOT District 3 spokeswoman Kimberly Gallegos pointed drivers to three alternate crossings:
- N.M. 6/Main Street in Los Lunas, north of Belen
- N.M. 346 in Bosque, south of the Belen bridge
- N.M. 60 in Bernardo, also south
N.M. 47 itself stayed fully open. The closure did cut off direct access to Belen from the east side of the river. For anyone east of the river heading north toward I-25 and Albuquerque, the Belen bridge has dropped out and Main Street is the remaining crossing. KOB reported that the bridge would stay closed "until further notice." KRQE said NMDOT expected the closure to last "for the foreseeable future." NMDOT posts live status on nmroads.com.
The Same Failure, Three Years Apart
The Belen closure follows a pattern Los Lunas has already seen. Both bridges carry NMDOT roads over Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District ditches and drains, and in both cases a pipe under the road failed. "(NMDOT) has a facility that goes over ours," MRGCD chief engineer and CEO Jason Casuga told the News-Bulletin, calling the Belen incident very similar to the 2023 Main Street event.
| N.M. 6, Los Lunas | N.M. 309, Belen | |
|---|---|---|
| Closed | Late Saturday, May 13, 2023 | Shortly after 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026 |
| What failed | Erosion under the east side, driven by high water in an MRGCD riverside drain | An eroded pipe under the road where N.M. 309 crosses MRGCD's San Juan Feeder |
| First days | One lane in each direction open by May 15 | Closed to vehicles and pedestrians while NMDOT engineers assess the damage |
| The repair | A 72-inch reinforced concrete culvert replaced a roughly 70-year-old, 54-inch corrugated metal pipe | NMDOT engineers planned to send a camera down to judge severity |
| Duration | Nearly six months of repairs | Open-ended as of Nov. 6 |
The 2023 repair took dewatering, drying and a camera inspection before the new culvert went in. The News-Bulletin's November 2023 wrap-up reported that the Village of Los Lunas paid $32,000 for contractor help with utility adjustments and NMDOT covered the rest. In 2023, when Main Street was down to one lane each way, the Belen bridge was still open. In November 2026, Main Street is the crossing taking the extra traffic.
Los Lunas Boulevard Adds a Second Crossing, With One Lane Each Way at First
Los Lunas has spent about two decades planning a second crossing. The idea dates to 2001. Construction on the I-25 Interchange and Los Lunas Boulevard corridor began in August 2025, KOAT reported. In November 2025, the News-Bulletin reported a projected completion of April 2029, based on 940 working days.
Following the planned road from west to east:
- A standard diamond interchange at I-25, with no access to areas west of the interstate.
- A rebuilt N.M. 314 intersection in front of the Valencia County Courthouse. There, Los Lunas Boulevard replaces that stretch of Morris Road, which will be rerouted to a new intersection. Work there began July 15, 2026, and Public Works Director Michael Jaramillo estimated five to six months.
- A river bridge about 2,500 feet long, spanning levee to levee. It touches down at Edeal Road, where the 2024 plans show a four-way stop.
- A high-T intersection at N.M. 47 with a signal and a dedicated northbound lane that bypasses it. Per the Village FAQ, the connection is at Hyde Lane, south of Sun Valley Road and east of Edeal Dairy.
According to the Village's groundbreaking announcement, the river bridge itself is being built four lanes wide. Phase One's roadway from I-25 to N.M. 47 carries one lane in each direction. Phase Two, which is not yet funded, would add a second lane each way. KOAT put Phase One at an estimated $159.1 million in July 2026. Once the boulevard is complete, the Village expects Main Street congestion to fall by about 40%.
For drivers east of the river, that adds a second crossing north of Belen. Until Phase Two is funded, the road leading to and from it has one lane in each direction.
The Next Backup Forms at Hyde Lane
Valencia County staff have already identified where the boulevard's traffic will pile up next.
"We saw what the project was going to do, and it was ultimately going to terminate at N.M. 47. And then what?"
County grant manager Jeremias Silva said this to the News-Bulletin in January 2026. He added that county staff expected the new N.M. 47 intersection to "quickly become a new pinch point for traffic backup." Residents of Edeal Road and Otero Road raised the same question at an April community meeting on the project.
The county's response is the Valencia County Eastside Highway Extension, a feasibility study by Molzen Corbin to carry the boulevard about 3 miles east to Manzano Expressway. From the expressway, drivers could head north to Meadow Lake, east to El Cerro Mission and Monterey Park, or south to Rio Communities. Molzen Corbin drew seven alternative alignments. Most of them use Orona Road, and one also uses Omar Road. Depending on the route, an alignment crosses between 63 and 115 parcels and between 14 and 24 homes or structures, along with six or seven canals and irrigation ditches. The county has posted maps of all seven alternates.
Silva gave a preliminary cost range of $70 million to $80 million, with $10 million to $15 million of that for right-of-way acquisition. The study runs until the end of 2027. "The end goal of this project is a decade out," he said.
West of the River, the Connector Roads Are Already Funded
West of the river, the Village has found money for the roads that feed the new interchange. Its October 2026 newsletter says a portion of tax revenue from construction at Meta's Los Lunas data center will go directly to new public roads under a special agreement. The list includes:
- Huning Ranch East Loop Extension, a four-lane road of about three-quarters of a mile from Berman Way to the new interchange
- Huning Ranch West Loop Extension, just under a mile, connecting Huning Ranch West Loop at Lonestar Street to the East Loop
- Main Street at Sun Ranch Village Road, a rebuilt intersection with a signal and new medians serving the new Valencia County Hospital
- Los Lunas West Loop, early planning and design for a future 6.5-mile bypass connecting the interchange to Main Street
The Village's stated goal is to open these roads at the same time as the interchange. Mayor Charles Griego said in the Village newsletter that "for years, traffic and roadway infrastructure have been the number one issue facing our community." The west side has a funding source and a list of projects tied to the interchange opening. The east side's next step is a study that wraps up at the end of 2027.
Comparing East-Side Addresses With Bridges in Mind
For a buyer weighing homes along N.M. 47 or on the roads east of it, these questions follow directly from the public record:
- Which crossing serves the address today? Main Street is currently the only crossing north of Belen, and it carries the traffic the Belen closure displaced.
- How close is it to Hyde Lane? Homes near the boulevard's N.M. 47 landing are closest to the second crossing once it opens. They are also nearest the intersection the county expects to back up.
- Does a parcel sit on or near one of the seven extension alignments? The county's maps are public, and the study runs through 2027.
- Is construction on the route right now? Work on N.M. 47 between just north of Autumn Breeze Lane and Wolfe Road was estimated in August 2026 at five to six months, with traffic shifted to one side while crews demolish and rebuild the other.
The Village posts corridor updates on its project page.
East-Side Commute FAQ
When does the Belen river bridge reopen? When NMDOT closed N.M. 309 on Nov. 5, it said the bridge would stay closed until engineers determine how severe the damage is. Current status is on nmroads.com.
When does Los Lunas Boulevard open? The most recent published projection is April 2029, based on 940 working days. In August 2026, Jaramillo said the project was on target.
Will the boulevard be four lanes? The river bridge is being built with four lanes. In Phase One, the roadway from I-25 to N.M. 47 has one lane in each direction. Phase Two, which would add a second lane each way, is not yet funded.
Is the eastward extension to Manzano Expressway approved? No. Seven alternatives are under study through the end of 2027, and the county describes the finished project as about a decade out.
If you're comparing addresses on either side of the Rio Grande, The LUX Real Estate Group can help you map where each property sits relative to Main Street, Hyde Lane and the extension study corridors before you write an offer. When it's time to sell on the east side, start by requesting your free home valuation.
