$8M plan to raise rails at Gorge Bridge still a go as Cabinet secretary steps down

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Department of Transportation says it remains steadfast in fulfilling a historic commitment by its former Cabinet secretary to build higher railings at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, the site of numerous suicides over the years.

"The resignation of Cabinet Secretary (Ricky) Serna does not delay or alter the plan to raise the rails at the Gorge Bridge," Kristine Bustos-Mihelcic, NMDOT communications director, told the Journal in response to an inquiry about the future of the project following Serna's resignation, which took effect Friday. "The project is currently in the design phase, and funding is allocated in our operational budget. This remains a priority for NMDOT."

The department's announcement that the multimillion-dollar renovation will move forward was coupled with confirmation that the new railings and related renovations will cost $8 million, in alignment with details Serna revealed at a rally at the bridge in December.

Before the 30-day legislative session wrapped up Thursday, lawmakers included $5 million for the project in House Bill 2, the General Appropriation Act, and NMDOT subsequently identified an additional $3 million in its fiscal year 2027 budget to complete construction as planned.

"The project is ongoing and making progress," Bustos-Mihelcic said. "Staff is working toward completing the design by July 2026. Once design is complete, the project will be let, a contractor will be awarded, and then construction can begin."

Serna announced on Dec. 12 that the state would respond to years of advocacy for higher railings at the bridge at the Community Rally for Accountability, one of two gatherings held last year near the 60-year-old structure following a string of seven suicides there in 2025, including three in September alone.

In response to last year's spike in suicides, which included the death of a local teenager in September, NMDOT closed the bridge to foot traffic until the higher railings could be installed.

"A higher rail can interrupt a moment," Serna told a crowd of local residents, politicians and sheriff's deputies, who had recovered the body of the seventh person to die at the bridge the day before. "A conversation can interrupt a spiral. Compassion can interrupt despair, and a connection can truly save a life."

Serna said NMDOT commissioned an engineering study last fall that called for higher, curved railings and the replacement of the bridge's current sidewalks with "lightweight concrete" to help support the new railings' added weight.

The project is listed as part of the department's Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.

The initiative adds the Gorge Bridge to a growing list of high bridges across the U.S. that have undertaken renovations in recent years to mitigate the risk of suicide, which remains a significant concern across New Mexico compared to many other states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

John Miller is the Albuquerque Journal’s northern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at jmiller@abqjournal.com.