New Mexico State Road 502

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State Road 502
Maintained by NMDOT
Length:	18.3 mi[1] (29.5 km)
east end:	US 285 at Pojoaque
west end:	Los Alamos
State Roads in New Mexico < NM 501 NM 503 >

New Mexico State Road 502 is a state highway in New Mexico, United States of America. It is notable as the main access route to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Bandelier National Monument, Valles Caldera National Preserve, Jemez Mountains, and town of Los Alamos.

[edit] Route description

New Mexico 502 starts at a complex interchange at U.S. Highway 285 (and US 84) in Pojoaque. It passes out of Pojoaque and past San Ildefonso Pueblo to a modern bridge across the Rio Grande beside the historic Otowi Bridge, then to a junction with New Mexico State Road 30 which goes north to Santa Clara Pueblo and Española. NM 502 itself continues west through the spectacular canyon/mesa country of the Pajarito Plateau, to a junction with New Mexico State Road 4 and on to the town of Los Alamos, where it ends. The total length is about 18 miles. NM 502 is continuous with New Mexico State Road 501, which continues from Los Alamos west to another junction with NM 4 in the foothills of the Jemez Mountains.

The route is paved for its entire length, in contrast to some other state highways in northern New Mexico. It is 4-lane road from Pojoaque to the junction with NM 30, then adds a fifth lane west-bound to accommodate the heavy commuter traffic going from Pojoaque, Española, etc., to LANL in the morning, and back in the evening. The road narrows to two lanes beyond the junction with NM 4, where much of the LANL traffic leaves NM 502. NM 502 is a designated "safety corridor" for most of its length, with speed limits restricted to 55 miles per hour maximum, and lower through the towns and on the steep curves near the intersection with NM 4.

[edit] References