Dust closes Interstate 40 again
50 mph winds force drivers onto frontage roads

By Tom Purdom
Staff Writer

MILAN — State police shut down Interstate 40 near here on Saturday for about seven hours because of blowing dust which was blowing across the heavily-traveled interstate.

Winds were clocked at more than 50 miles per hour Saturday, down from the 63 miles per hour gust registered Friday when the interstate was shut down, but the wind was still strong enough to kick up dust from a 300-acre field near the interstate and create a virtual brown-out on the highway.

New Mexico Department of Transportation District 6 spokesperson Rosie Sais said last year the dust began blowing when the winds picked up more than 25 miles per hour.

The area where the dust is bad is between Mile Marker 79 in Milan to Mile Marker 72 west of Milan. A 300-acre field south of the interstate is the source of the blowing dust. With no water available on the field, ground-holding vegetation does not grow on the 300 acres, and if the wind blows hard enough, dust storms whip up instantly.

Last year three people died in chain-reaction accidents on the interstate in dust storms in April. Since then, the New Mexico Department of Transportation installed permanent hunter-orange colored signs in both directions on the interstate signaling danger ahead.

The storms last year came as a complete surprise, but this year emergency personnel were ready.

State police and highway department workers diverted eastbound traffic from the interstate to New Mexico 122 at Bluewater at Mile Marker 71, let the traffic pass by the thick swirling clouds of dust while traveling to Milan and then diverted traffic once again back up on the Interstate at Mile Marker 79 in Milan.

Traffic traveling west got off the interstate at Mile Marker 79, took New Mexico 122 west to Bluewater and re-entered the interstate at Mile Marker 72.

When the state police shut down Interstate 40 on Friday the same route was taken, except this time eastbound traffic clogged the detour so much that traffic was taken off the interstate at Mile Marker 63, and finally at Mile Marker 53.

On Saturday the winds were blowing at daybreak and by 11 a.m. the winds were gaining in strength. "The winds got up to 50 miles per hour and stayed at 50 for six minutes," Sais said. "The state police said if it happened again they would close the highway."

At 12:30 p.m., state police ordered Interstate 40 closed down again. It was kept closed until the winds died down at dusk, about 7:30 p.m.

Monday morning winds were clocked in the area from between 35 miles per hour to 40 miles per hour, but the dust did not begin to blow and Interstate 40 remained open.

The state police reported no accidents Saturday in the dust storm before the highway was closed, but all available personnel were called out to duty.

On Monday a village of Milan water truck watered the sides of New Mexico 122 to keep the possibility of dust picking up there to a minimum. "We're watering it just in case the traffic gets diverted again," said Village Manager Carlos Montoya.

New Mexico Department of Transportation District Six Engineer Larry Maynard said at this time the department has no other option other than diverting traffic off the interstate when dust storms hit. He said the highway department is looking at other options and some of the options are being passed along to the legal department, but nothing has come far enough yet to be discussed.

Sais, meanwhile, said the highway department cannot get on the land creating the dust without permission from the landowner. "We're trying to contact him now," she said.

In addition, the possibility of the state buying the 300 acres is not a feasible alternative for the department, Maynard said.