Laboratory, county, NNSA reach agreement on traffic control enforcement

The Laboratory, Los Alamos County and the National Nuclear Security Administration's Los Alamos Site Office, this week reached an agreement that allows county police officers to resume enforcement of state and local traffic laws on NNSA-owned roadways in and around the Laboratory. The Memorandum of Agreement was ratified by the Los Alamos County Council on Tuesday.

Enforcement was halted in November 1999, largely because some traffic control devices and roadway configurations did not meet the standards under the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices. NNSA and the Laboratory have worked to correct any nonconformance issues so that Los Alamos County police officers can now resume enforcement on Lab roadways.

Beginning Tuesday, officers were enforcing all state laws and county ordinances related to traffic on the following NNSA-owned roadways:

• Diamond Drive from the north end of the Omega Bridge to the intersection of Diamond Drive and Pajarito Road.
• Pajarito Road from Diamond Drive to NM 4.
• East Jemez Road (the truck route) from Diamond Drive to the Los Alamos County line.
• West Jemez Road (NM 501) from Diamond Drive to NM 4.
• West Road from Diamond Drive to the intersection with West Jemez Road.

Under the Memorandum of Agreement, NNSA will continue to maintain traffic control devices on the Laboratory's roadways in compliance with Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices standards. The greatest benefit of the MOA is that it will provide a mechanism for a continuing, cooperative relationship between the Laboratory, NNSA and Los Alamos County for maintenance of appropriate traffic control devices and police enforcement, which will improve traffic safety.

For more information, contact Charlie Trask of Utilities and Infrastructure (FWO-UI) at 7-7756.

-- Kevin N. Roark

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