ESPAÑOLA

E ntering the winding, narrow stretch of McCurdy Road in Española one afternoon in October, New Mexico Transportation Secretary Ricky Serna eased off the gas pedal and pulled onto a dirt driveway to let another car squeeze past.

Even at 2 p.m. on a weekday, the corridor filled with cars, which at times dodged potholes and cracked pavement. The adobe walls of buildings along the road felt within arm’s reach to the right and cars zoomed by on the left. Water pools “like a river” in the road when it rains, Serna said, because there’s not a sufficient drainage system. Some residents have had to replace their side mirrors several times due to the tight fit, he added.

“It’s one of those projects that, locally, everybody’s going to say, ‘You guys got to do something,’ ” Serna said. “

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