Las Cruces plans to connect multipurpose trail around city

After Las Cruces residents approved $2.7 million for trails in the city’s GO bond, city leaders began planning how to connect the multipurpose trail around Las Cruces.

“My goal with the trails is to increase connectivity throughout the city,” said Sonya Delgado, director of the Parks and Recreation Department. “To give individuals an opportunity to use different modes of transportation, to get wherever they need to be.”

Las Cruces is 77 square miles. Delgado said the existing multipurpose trail is three fourths complete and extends around the edges of the city.

She said the city will hire a project manager by the end of October, ideally.

“Once that happens, then we’ll start having public input to kind of clarify that idea and kind of put everything into perspective,” Delgado said.

The city is trying to determine how to extend the trail in areas where they don’t have jurisdiction, like New Mexico State University and Mesilla.

“It will have to stay on city property,” Delgado said. “We have to figure out how we’re going to connect it and stay on property.”

Delgado did not have a timeline for the completion of the project, yet.

“We’ll figure it out,” she told ABC-7. “It will just be a little tricky.”