State Road 120 (NM 120) is a 119.031-mile-long (191.562 km) state road in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The route traverses four counties: Colfax, Mora, Harding, and Union, and is the longest state road in New Mexico. The highway's only grade-separated interchange is with Interstate 25 (I-25) in Wagon Mound.
 State Road 120 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 NM 120 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by NMDOT | ||||
| Length | 119.031 mi[1] (191.562 km) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  NM 434 in Black Lake | |||
| East end |   US 56 / US 412 toward Clayton | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | New Mexico | |||
| Counties | Colfax, Mora, Harding, Union | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route description
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Starting as paved road in the far southwestern corner of Colfax County in the community of Black Lake at the intersection with Route 434, New Mexico State Road 120 changes into an unpaved road just before mile marker 3. It travels east around the northern edge of Ocate Mesa and then heads southeast down Manueles Canyon on the northeastern side of Ocate Mesa.[2] Due east of the top of Ocate Mesa it enters Mora County and heads south-southeast.[2] Passing the south end of Ocate Mesa, the road heads southeast and at mile marker 12 the surface becomes paved again. In winter, this unpaved section is prone to heavy ice, snowpack, and mud.[3]
After mile marker 12, the road continues southeastward passing the unpaved Los Le Febres turnoff on the right (to the west).[2] At this point Manueles Creek on the left side of the road is joined by Wheaton Creek to form Ocate Creek, and the road follows Ocate Creek southeast[2] with the Maxwell Land Grant on the left (NE) and the Mora Land Grant on the right (SW). The road then enters the community of Ocate where it intersects with Route 442. Leaving Ocate again alongside Ocate Creek, the road heads east twisting through the foothills of Los Naranjos Peak to the south in the Ocate Creek water gap into the community of Naranjos.[2] From Naranjos the road leaves the Ocate Creek bed and heads almost straight southeast, passing numerous ranch roads, for 19 miles (31 km) to the town of Wagon Mound.[2] Ten miles (16 km) out of Naranjos, the road passes the 7,000 feet (2,100 m) in elevation, La Chata Crater, on the left (NE).[4] Just before the town the road turns east and still on the west side of Wagon Mound, it has its only interchange at its intersection with I-25 (exit 387). The road then crosses the intercontinental railroad tracks of the BNSF Railway.[4] Within Wagon Mound the road heads east and is called Park Avenue. Leaving Wagon Mound, the road again passes numerous ranch roads heading east, past Los Mesas del Conjelon on the right (south),[4] for about 12 miles (19 km) and then heading southeast another 12 miles (19 km) to its intersection with the Canadian River at mile post 64. The bridge over the river is 4,150 feet (1,260 m) long.[5]
Crossing the Canadian River bridge the road enters Harding County and then heads north-northeast about 8 miles (13 km) into the town of Roy.[4] The road comes into Roy as the Wagon Mound Highway, then zags up to Second Street and then up to Third Street where it intersects with Route 39. Then heading three blocks east as Third Street, the road turns due north as Floersheim Street and leaves Roy as the Yates Highway. Running along section lines the road heads north and east intermittently, passing numerous ranch roads and going through part of the Kiowa National Grassland which is predominately north of the road,[6] for 27 miles (43 km) to the community of Yates. Four miles (6.4 km) later heading due north the road passes into Union County.[4] After 12 miles (19 km) in Union County headed mostly north, but still on section lines, the road terminates at its intersection with U.S. Route 56 and U.S. Route 412 8 miles (13 km) east of Gladstone.[4] A dirt road continues north at that point for a couple of miles into the Don Carlos Hills.[4]
Major intersections
edit| County | Location | mi[7] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colfax | Black Lake | 0.000 | 0.000 | NM 434 – Mora, Eagle Nest | Western terminus |
| Mora | Ocate | 17.110 | 27.536 |   NM 442 south – Buena Vista | Northern terminus of NM 442 |
| Wagon Mound | 40.275 | 64.816 |  I-25 (US 85) – Santa Fe, Denver | I-10 Exit 387 | |
| 40.385 | 64.993 | Frontage Road 2151 (FR 2151) | |||
| 40.464 | 65.120 |  NM 271 south (Railroad Avenue) – Alamito | Northern terminus of NM 271 | ||
| Harding | Roy | 73.937 | 118.990 |  NM 39 (Richelieu Street) – Logan, Abbott | |
| Union | | 119.031 | 191.562 | US 56 / US 412 – Springer, Clayton | Eastern terminus |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
See also
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References
edit- ^ "Posted Route–Legal Description" (PDF). New Mexico Department of Transportation. March 16, 2010. pp. 29–30. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f Raton, N. Mex.; Colo., NJ 13-11, 1:250,000 topographic map", 1954, revised 1976 United States Geological Survey
- ^ New Mexico Department of Transportation road conditions report 31 December 2006 New Mexico Department of Transportation road conditions report 20 January 2007 The site http://nmroads.com/ changes frequently.
- ^ a b c d e f g Burdett, William H. (1998) The Roads of New Mexico Shearer Publishing, Fredericksburg, Texas, pages 36–37, ISBN 0-940672-52-9
- ^ "NM 120 – Bridge Replacement Project Canadian River" New Mexico State Transportation Department
- ^ DeLorme Mapping Company (2000) New Mexico Atlas & Gazetteer (second edition) DeLorme, Yarmouth, Maine, page 26, ISBN 0-89933-317-6
- ^ "TIMS Road Segments by Posted Route/Point with AADT Info; NM, NMX-Routes" (PDF). New Mexico Department of Transportation. April 3, 2013. pp. 27–28. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
External links
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Geographic data related to New Mexico State Road 120 at OpenStreetMap