NMDOT works with New Mexico State Police to cruise Interstate-10 and watch for dust storm conditions. The highway is closed (in cooperation with Arizona counterparts) if merited by weather and soil conditions. There are also permanent road signs warning of dust storm conditions.

From  January 2014 – June 2017,  Interstate-10 near the Lordsburg Playa has been closed 27 times due to blowing dust; 10 of those 27 closures were conducted in coordination with Arizona DOT due to blowing dust issues in Arizona.  For example, Interstate-10 was closed on June 21, 2017 after the National Weather Service had visual confirmation of the presence of dust storms. Traffic was diverted onto U.S. 70 on both New Mexico and Arizona side.

The NMDOT has deployed static and electronic message boards to alert the traveling public of dust hazards in real time. Static or fixed signs warn of dust storm risks and direct motorists to pull off highway during a dust storm.  Electronic message boards are illuminated with warnings when winds are high.

The NMDOT initially received a $500,000 grant to reduce windborne dust at the Lordsburg Playa and at a site on U.S. 180.  Working with national experts on mitigation as well as with the USDA NRCS, NMDOT implemented re-vegetation and other measures to reduce the amount of windborne dust.

Additionally, NMDOT received $175,000 in funds to monitor the restored sites and $250,000 for a germplasm (seed) development program to develop local varieties of restoration grasses and forbs adapted to this area. In 2021, NMDOT received an additional $1 million to expand and continue mitigation efforts as planned in Phase III.

Phase I entailed the restoration of 140 acres of degraded private and SLO land, north of Deming at milepost 151 on the west side of U.S. 180. Fencing was installed, grazing was restricted, and a combination of deep chiseling, plowing and drill seeding were done, in November 2016.

Crust formation and revival of native and seeded vegetation effectively stopped dust emissions from this site. Formerly, U.S. 180 in this area experienced frequent road closures and at least one fatality attributed to dust.

Phase II involves over 200 acres of land within the Lordsburg Playa at the southeast corner of the Road Forks exit at milepost 7 on Interstate-10 and N.M. 80. Through satellite imagery, we determined this was the source of the dust contributing to the April 2014 crash, which claimed 7 lives. Through a land transfer with the BLM, the NMDOT installed fencing to eliminate grazing, graded to re-establish hydrologic flow blocked by ranching activities, and imprinted and over-seeded approximately 13 acres of land along the western shoreline.

As of 2021, establishment of crust on soil surfaces and native and seeded vegetation has diminished dust emissions as indicated by instrumentation monitored by NMSU.

Road Forks Dust Mitigation Area Final Design

Phase III cumulatively involved 3,000 acres of fenced-off State Trust Land on the western shore line of the Playa just north of I-10. The treatments involved over 1,000 acres of keylining*, imprinting*, tackifier*, and seeding plus check dams and other erosion control measures. Monitoring of air quality and plant density is ongoing.

• Keylining – a technique of using a deep chisel plow to create a slice through a hardpan soil on contour to allow water infiltration
• Imprinting – a technique of using a large weighted roller  to make waffle patterns (typically 16” W x 16” W x 8” D) on tilled soil to create mini-watersheds for seed germination
• Tackifier – a mixture of water and a mucilaginous-forming dry powder applied aerially over seeded and mulched areas which dries to form a covering resistant to wind and water erosion

Key Phase 3 Metrics 2020-2024:

• > 1,200 acres imprinted and seeded
• > 1,500 erosion control structures added
• 3,000 acres fences for cattle exclusion for 3 years

Phase 3: Lordsburg Playa and Western Watershed

• 16+ square miles of playa floor
• 35+ square miles of watershed
• Eroding playa surface and western watershed
• Land managed primarily by Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and State Land Office (SLO)

Mitigation Phase IV addressed a 40 acre  dust ‘hotspot’ on the south side of and adjacent to I-10 at milepost 10 on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. NMDOT-funded contractors worked cooperatively with the land leasee and the BLM to install  500 ‘macro imprints’ (shallow depressions) across the acreage which was also ripped, seeded, and mulched. Dust emissions have been greatly reduced from the site.

Numerous crashes and recent loss of live have been attributed to dust emissions from a 2,000 acre watershed at I-10 milepost 13. NMDOT is working cooperatively with the BLM and State Trust Land to mitigate the dust through watershed restoration, possible drainage improvements on the interstate itself. Work is planned for the winter of 2026.