Las Cruces bakery owner says he might close as road construction continues

UPDATE: Ortega told ABC-7 a customer purchased all of the pastries in his shop on Tuesday, paying $500 for $368 of food!

A month into the massive construction on Valley Drive in Las Cruces, the owner of a local bakery told ABC-7 the loss of revenue could force him to close his shop in the next several days.

“I might not be here another week,” said Ray Ortega, owner of La Fiesta Bakery.

New Mexico’s Department of Transportation embarked on a $22.9 million construction project in June to completely renovate the state-owned Valley Drive, which hadn’t seen an upgrade in decades. In this phase of the project, the entrance to multiple businesses are obstructed by a concrete barrier.

The state is working on placing an “impact attenuator” at the end of the barrier wall that would allow access into the businesses from Valley Drive.

“The department is doing to the best of their abilities to make sure that businesses are able to stay open during this road construction,” said Ami Evans, a spokeswoman for the New Mexico Department of Transportation.

“I’m trying to hang on here,” Ortega said. “It’s getting a little concerning to me.”

La Fiesta Bakery has been locally owned by Ortega and his wife, Gina, for twelve years.

“We have told our customers, ‘If we’re going to make it to the end of this month, it (will) be a miracle,'” Gina said.

This phase of the construction will last another five months, Ortega said. If you would like to support La Fiesta Bakery during this phase of construction, here is how to access their business:

Head west on Amador Avenue and pass Valley Drive Turn right on Archuleta Road Turn right on Hadley Avenue You can enter La Fiesta Bakery by driving to the back of the Save Mart on the corner of Valley Drive and Hadley Avenue