TOADLENA/TWO GREY HILLS, N.M. – Beneath the Chooshgai Mountains, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, Council Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty, and community members gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of road improvements to Navajo Route N5001.
The September 12 groundbreaking marks the start of a $14.6 million project to reconstruct approximately 2.78 miles of roadway, connecting residents at the base of the mountains to U.S. Highway 491 in Newcomb, N.M.
“Today is not just a groundbreaking, but the fulfillment of years of community advocacy,” said President Nygren. “This project represents hard work and persistence that will improve safety for our elders and children while connecting our people to economic opportunities.”
Construction will be carried out by the Navajo Engineering and Construction Authority (NECA), with design and engineering by Wilson & Company.
According to NDOT Principal Engineer Darryl Bradley, the project will replace washed-out bridges and deteriorated surfaces, making travel safer and more reliable.
Funding comes from a partnership between the Federal Highway Administration, which is covering 98% of the cost, and the Navajo Nation General Fund, which is contributing the remaining 2%.
Council Delegate Crotty, who sponsored legislation allocating $341,178 from the General Fund, emphasized the project’s importance to more than 70 families who rely on N5001.
“We have some of the most isolated elders living in this community,” Crotty said. “As a Navajo Nation government, it is our responsibility to provide resources that connect families from Highway 491 all the way up into the mountains.”
Crotty added that she looks forward to continuing long-term planning for road improvements throughout her legislative district.
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