Construction begins on busiest I-25 interchange in Las Cruces

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- The New Mexico Department of Transportation will begin construction on one of the busiest interchanges in town on Thursday.

"I think it might slow down I-25 for a little bit," said Kaimyn Toledo, who relies on the intersection.

The state will build two massive roundabouts that will replace the entrance and exit ramps on I-25 off of University Avenue. The roundabouts will be located north and south of University Avenue on the west end of University.

"You know, roundabouts actually work better," said Ami Evans, a spokeswoman for the New Mexico Department of Transportation. "They are quicker than your standard traffic lights, so there is a continuous flow of traffic that will move around."

She told ABC-7 that the $33 million project will begin in January. Construction should last about a year-and-a-half.

"I've just never been a fan of roundabouts," said Carlos Herrera, an NMSU freshman who commutes regularly. "In the mornings, it's packed as it is. So I can only see with roundabouts, it's more accidents. More problems."

"I feel like roundabouts are not that great," said Denisse Najera, a commuter sophomore majoring in journalism. "A lot of Americans or people here in the United States do not know how to use roundabouts."

Here is the project's website.

"Construction is always a little bit of a headache, but it's going to be well worth it in the end," Evans said.