TWO GREY HILLS, N.M. – After more than 60 years of advocacy, residents in the Toadlena and Two Grey Hills communities are finally seeing long-awaited progress on the N5001 Navajo Route roadway.
On Wednesday, May 14, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren signed a $14.6 million contract with the Navajo Engineering and Construction Authority (NECA) to begin construction on a 2.78-mile stretch of the road, which connects residents from the base of the Chooshgai Mountains to U.S. Highway 491 in Newcomb, N.M.
More than 70 families rely on this critical route for daily travel.
“Thanks to improvements in our payment processes, government efficiency has increased by reducing project payment times from 120 days to just 36 days—helping us finish projects faster and control costs,” said President Nygren.
The Navajo Department of Transportation reports that the Navajo Nation oversees approximately 14,000 miles of inventoried roads.
The improvements to N5001 Navajo Route will help reduce this inventory by upgrading washed-out bridges and deteriorated surfaces, making travel safer and more reliable, according to NDOT Principal Engineer Darryl Bradley.
Construction is scheduled to begin in June, with design and engineering by Wilson & Company.
The project is funded through a partnership between the Federal Highway Administration, which is covering 98% of the cost, and the Navajo Nation General Fund, which is providing the remaining 2%.
Council Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty, who sponsored the legislation to allocate $341,178 in General Funds, said the road improvements to N5001will have impacts to the families of the region, which features master weavers who weave the Two Grey Hills-style design.
“Stabilizing this road is building up that rural infrastructure, and now we need to continue because we want it to connect to Newcomb,” Crotty said. “In case of an emergency, that road can be used as a safety alternative and enhance school buses going to the road.”