City of Las Cruces

The City of Las Cruces will develop a recreational trail to link the community of Tortugas and Doña Ana County with key local destinations, including the university campus and Las Cruces High School. This initiative, guided by the Las Cruces Active Transportation Plan and the City’s Parks & Recreation Master Plan, seeks to enhance safe, convenient, and accessible transportation and recreation for residents and visitors in collaboration with the Elephant Butte Irrigation District (EBID) and New Mexico State University (NMSU).

The proposed bike park, encompassing 80 acres within the city, aims to foster an all-inclusive, family-friendly environment that caters to cyclists of all types, including adaptive riders. The park will offer various amenities such as a National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) course and trails, dirt jumps, and more, all incorporating adaptive-friendly design elements. It will feature universally accessible signage, ADA-compliant restrooms, and secure storage for adaptive bicycles, among other measures that ensure inclusivity and safety. The broader community park known as the East Mesa Recreation Complex it resides within, will also provide amenities such as playgrounds, a skate park, and sports fields. Photovoltaic solar panels will potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions by powering park lighting, promoting sustainability.