Stopped cold
Winter delays widening of U.S. 491

Vehicles drive through short passing lanes Dec. 18 in Sheep Springs. The stretch of highway on U.S. 491 from Shiprock to Tohatchi is expected to resume expansion from two lanes to four at the beginning of next year. Diego James Robles/For The Inedpendent

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Dalina Castellanos
For The Independent

SHEEP SPRINGS — Winter has arrived, and it’s bringing colder weather, shorter days and a three-week halt to the highway widening project on U.S. 491. Though the yellow John Deere bulldozers will sit untouched during the winter suspension, traffic continues on the two-lane road from Shiprock to Tohatchi and beyond.

On July 31, N.M. Gov. Bill Richardson helped break ground on the second project funded through the Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The $18.3 million project includes constructing two additional lanes along U.S. 491 from Newcomb to Little Water.

To read more subscribe to the Gallup Independent by calling (505) 863-6811 or purchase the paper at the newsstand.