COUNTY NEWS

Motorists traveling on DP Road next week will notice an increase in construction activity as geotechnical testing near the roadway begins for property that will become housing for seniors known as “The Bluffs,” the second housing project moving forward from Bethel Development, Inc. Workers core-drilling various locations in order to extract soil samples on the property located on the southwestern edge of DP Road will be visible to the public. The sampling is a standard pre-construction activity for soils testing and analysis prior to building homes.

As a precautionary safety measure, Los Alamos County has worked with the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration over the last month and they will provide Radiological Control Technicians available nearby with the ability to conduct radiological surveys. DOE/NNSA will be prepared to support geotechnical testing efforts with their own geologists on site and sample technicians to run radiological surveys. These additional steps are being taken for the safety of workers and the public after a radiological incident that occurred mid-February on a separate property located further east on DP Road for a lift station sewer infrastructure being installed to serve Canyon Walk Apartments.

In addition, workers will have heavy equipment in the northwestern edge of County property near the entrance of DP Rd, where crews will be clearing and grubbing materials and vegetation for lay-down yards and project staging for The Bluffs. Pedestrians using the Canyon Rim Trail are asked to use caution in this area.

Work on Canyon Walk Apartments’ sewer infrastructure and lift station is expected to resume in two weeks and further information will be provided to businesses on DP Road and the community. Electric crews from the Department of Public Utilities will be in the area working on infrastructure for that housing project in the next week.