A common Placitas situation
Several homes share a road off NM-165. Nobody owns it outright, the county doesn't maintain it, and after every monsoon somebody's out with a shovel or paying for a load of gravel. Eventually the neighbors decide to fix it properly. Here's how we help.
How we approach a shared road
- Walk it together. With one or more owners, we walk the whole road and mark problem spots — washouts, crossings, steep pitches, soft areas.
- Plan the shape. Crown, ditches, turnouts and crossings. This is where most of the long-term value is.
- Pick surfaces by section. Asphalt on steep pitches and curves, chip seal on moderate stretches, millings where budget is tight.
- Price it so it can be shared. One total, broken down by section or by lot.
- Phase if needed. Drainage and the worst sections first; the rest next season.
Keep it in shape
After paving, a little maintenance each year — crack sealing, clearing culverts, resetting rock — keeps the road from sliding back. Groups that want a formal plan can use our road maintenance plans.
Getting neighbors to agree is often the hardest part. A written proposal with a clear per-lot breakdown makes that conversation easier — we're glad to provide one.
Questions & answers
How do neighbors usually split the cost?
Common approaches are equal shares, shares by road frontage, or shares by how much of the road each owner uses. We'll break the price out however your group needs.
What if not everyone wants to pay?
That's between the owners and any road agreement you have. Some groups pave the shared portion and individual owners pay for their own spurs.
Do you need a permit to pave a private road?
Often not for surface work, but crossings in mapped flood areas or connections to a county road may need review. We'll check.