How are crews working to mitigate dust near a dangerous stretch of I-10?

HIDALGO COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – A stretch of highway near the Arizona-New Mexico line that’s known for dangerous dust storms could soon see some improvements when it comes to keeping that dust under control. “This started in 2014 when there was a seven-fatality crash event that happened down there,” said Trent Botkin, the Natural Resources Manager in the Environmental Bureau for the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT).

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There are frequent, sometimes deadly dust storms in southwest New Mexico that NMDOT and other agencies are now trying to stop. The dust comes from the Lordsburg Playa, a dried lakebed along I-10 less than ten miles east of the Arizona border.

The Bureau of Land Management and State Land Office owns most of that land, which is leased to cattle ranchers. However, grazing and other activities on the land have harmed nearby vegetation. “The impacts within the watershed by ranching, utilities, off-road vehicle use, and other use were actually making the situation much worse,” said Botkin.

Since 1965, at least 40 people have been killed on I-10 due to dust-related crashes. Additionally, since 2012, dust has closed the interstate more than 40 times. “Which disrupts international trade and transport and also puts a lot of damage on our smaller roads which are not designed to carry interstate traffic,” said Botkin.

To try to help, the state has been adding fencing and restricting grazing to some of the playa along with reshaping some of the soil. Using a heavy steel roller, crews have also spent years replanting native seeds across hundreds of acres and they said the project is working.

“It’s been used in Arizona also in other areas of southern New Mexico and other parts throughout the world. So far, we’ve seen very positive regeneration,” said Botkin.

Since 2016, NMDOT has spent more than $3.5 million on part of the project.

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