Roads Public Safety

In the past 12 years Rio Rancho has rebuilt or refurbished more than 46 major roads including the water, wastewater and other infrastructure underneath them. 

This has been accomplished through road bonds which have helped leverage additional State and Federal funds.

Unser Blvd from Cherry Road to Paseo del Volcan is scheduled to be expanded to 4 lanes in 2026. RFP for contractors is on schedule. At this time the roads being reconstructed are Jackie Road, Deborah Rd and Lima Rd. If the Road Bond passes in March, Baltic Rd, Springer Rd, Ridgecrest Rd and Honduras Rd are planned to be reconstructed including water, wastewater and other infrastructure.

At this time the current City Governing Body has repaired or refurbished almost 50% of neighborhood streets and has budgeted funds to continue the process. Lima, Baltic, Springer, Ridgecrest and Honduras are collector streets in neighborhoods which will make further progress on completion of neighborhood streets.

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/rio-rancho-continues-to-work-on-road-improvement/

In addition, during this time the City has made significant investments in Public Safety equipment and grown personnel by more than 20% which has made Rio Rancho the safest city in the state. Rio Rancho’s Fire/Emergency Management ranks in the top 4% nationally. 

1.      Police and Fire/Rescue Departments’ personnel have grown by more than 20% over the last 10 years.

2.      Through voter support in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024, approximately $15 million has been invested into public safety departments. Rio Rancho now has some of the best equipped departments in the state.

3.      Rio Rancho had its insurance services office, or ISO, rating lowered from 4 to 2. This rating places the City in the top four percent of fire departments across the country. The ISO analyzes the fire department’s ability to respond to and mitigate a structure fire.

4.      Rio Rancho continues to have low crime and be the safest community in New Mexico with a population above 10,000.

5.      Reopened Fire Station #6 in the Mariposa area with new equipment, vehicles and personnel based on growth and updated resource deployment plans.

6.      In 2026, a brand-new Fire Station will be constructed near Westside and Cabezon Boulevards.