Problems at U.S. 54 crossroad proving tricky

A closer examination of the much-discussed U.S. 54 and Airport Road intersection northeast of Tucumcari reveals it to be multifaceted problem because of usual and unexpected traffic volume, design quirks and other factors.

Quay County Commissioner Sue Dowell repeatedly has brought up constituents’ concerns about U.S. 54. The commission during its regular meeting Friday may consider passing a resolution asking state or federal authorities to make safety improvements on the highway.

A Quay County Sun reporter watched the intersection from 2 to 6 p.m. Wednesday. A total of 111 vehicles during that time entered or exited U.S. 54 via the south intersection of Airport Road, aka Quay Road Ai.

By contrast, 19 vehicles exited or entered from the north side of the intersection with Quay Road Ai.

Dowell said Airport Road wasn’t always that busy. She said two to three years ago, drivers’ online navigation systems began to guide them onto the road as a shortcut to Interstate 40. Since then, traffic numbers on the road have swelled and subsequently increased the accident risk on U.S. 54.

Those navigation systems also have led to an increase of large trucks on the road. Because of those heavy vehicles, Dowell said Airport Road is starting to see more ruts and deteriorating shoulders, despite the county resurfacing it less than two years ago.

“That road is not meant to carry a semi,” she said.

She said weight-limit signs were installed on an Airport Road curve near I-40, but there is no place where semi drivers can turn around if they’re already on it.

Local motorists certainly use Airport Road. But plenty of evidence surfaced that non-locals drive on it, as well. During the four-hour period Wednesday, two large trucks, two large RVs towing cars and three U-Haul vehicles used the road.

The U.S. 54-Airport Road intersection presents other complications, as well.

The highway’s shoulders are narrow and include a drop-off of several inches, making it more difficult for motorists to safely pull off the roadway to avoid an accident.

“The drop-off is too much,” Dowell said. “If someone tries to get out of the way, they’re liable to wreck in the bar ditch.”

A drop-off also exists from the highway to Airport Road, forcing motorists to slow more than normal to make the turn. This raises the risk of rear-end collisions.

During the four-hour period Wednesday, four long freight trains passed on the tracks parallel to U.S. 54. That adds to the possibility of Airport Road traffic backing up onto U.S. 54 waiting for the train to pass.

The railroad crossing contains no automatic gates or lighted signals. Dowell said the state highway department told her no gates would be installed because Airport Road is not a school-bus route.

U.S. 54 often becomes busy with semi tractor-trailers, as it remains a vital link to El Paso, Texas; Wichita, Kansas; and the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles. The highway also becomes busier during the summer with RVs and boat-towing pickups heading to Ute Lake. The New Mexico Department of Transportation estimates U.S. 54 carries 3,000 to 8,000 vehicles a day from Tucumcari to Nara Visa.

Former county road superintendent Harry Heckendorn, who lives north of the intersection, said the intersection wouldn’t be an easy fix.

He noted Quay Road Ai isn’t contiguous while crossing U.S. 54. The road jogs to the south after crossing the railroad tracks so it’s perpendicular to the highway. As a result, the north intersection of Quay Road Ai sits several dozen feet to the northeast.

“They don’t line up exactly right,” he said.

Heckendorn said that would necessitate double center turn lanes at the intersection or outer passing lanes on both sides of the highway. A single turn lane by itself wouldn’t work, he said.

Heckendorn said the intersection long has been troublesome. He said a few northbound non-residents would drive too fast over the tracks and lose control. Satellite images of the intersection still show tire tracks from vehicles that ended up in a nearby ditch. A few motorists have barreled across the tracks, crossed out of control onto the highway and crashed into a nearby pasture. He said the county adding a stop sign just before the tracks has largely alleviated that problem.

Dowell posted on Facebook a recent Quay County Sun story where commissioners discussed problems with U.S. 54. It had drawn more than 70 comments, including stories from locals who’d experienced crashes or close calls. She said she would collect those comments for this week’s commission meeting.

One comment came from Tucumcari resident Jana Rogers, who said large trucks hit her and her father’s vehicles on U.S. 54, including once at Airport Road. She posted a photo of her family’s smashed-in car after a rear-end collision.

“Both times the accidents were caused by semi trucks going too fast and hitting us from behind when trying to make a turn off the highway,” she wrote.

Logan Police Chief Rodney Paris weighed in: “The intersection that you are speaking of is very dangerous, although to fix the problems on 54 you must look at the entire road from Tucumcari to the state line. There have been similar accidents at Mine Canyon (Road). Due to the congestion, we continue to have issues; a fix should be looked at on a large scale and not one intersection at a time.”

A New Mexico State Police public information officer reported officers investigated 17 accidents on U.S. 54 between Tucumcari and Logan from July 1 to March 15.

Dowell agreed U.S. 54 in the eastern part of the state needs an overhaul. But she said she would advocate safety improvements at one intersection for now.

“Sometimes, with getting money out of the state of New Mexico, you have to take baby steps,” she said.

During the time a reporter counted vehicles near the Airport Road intersection, a local heading north on the road stopped his pickup and asked whether help was needed.

When told about the project, he said: “I wish they would put a turn lane there. It’s dangerous.”