New Mexico State Road 28 (NM 28) is a paved, two-lane
state highway in
Doña Ana County
Don (; ; pt, Dom, links=no ; all from Latin ', roughly 'Lord'), abbreviated as D., is an honorific prefix primarily used in Spain and Hispanic America, and with different connotations also in Italy, Portugal and its former colonies, and Croatia ...
, in the U.S. state of
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
. It travels south-to-north roughly paralleling the
Rio Grande.
The southern terminus of NM 28 is at the
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
state line west of
Canutillo where
Farm to Market Road 259
A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...
(FM 259; Canutillo La Union Avenue) ends. The northern terminus is in
Las Cruces where it intersects
NM 478. It also has an
interchange with
Interstate 10 (I-10) in Las Cruces, shortly before its terminus.
Route description
The highway begins west of
Canutillo at the New Mexico - Texas state line where Texas FM 259 highway ends. It continues west-northwest for approximately before turning mostly north following the Rio Grande on the west side. NM 28 passes through agricultural communities of the
Mesilla Valley
The Mesilla Valley is a geographic feature of Southern New Mexico and far West Texas. It was formed by repeated heavy spring floods of the Rio Grande.
Background
The fertile Mesilla Valley extends from Radium Springs, New Mexico, to the west s ...
such as
La Union,
Anthony
Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the '' Antonii'', a ''gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton, ...
,
Vado,
Chamberino and
La Mesa. The highway passes through a multitude of fields, dairy farms, vineyards, and pecan orchards. After the road crosses the Rio Grande over a bridge, built in 1989, and continues on to
Mesilla. After passing through downtown
Mesilla as Avenida de Mesilla, NM 28 turns northeast and at the highway crosses Interstate 10. NM 28 then continues northeast for another until its end at the junction with
NM 478.
History
NM 28 was originally created in 1905 by the Territorial Legislative Assembly, and in 1909 it was designated as State Road 28 by the Territorial Roads Commission. After New Mexico attained statehood in 1912, the newly created State Highway Commission redesignated NM 28 as an official state highway. Originally the north terminus of the highway was at intersection with Route 1 in Mesquite. In mid-1930s the highway was extended all the way to
Las Cruces. Between mid-1940s and mid-1960s NM 28 was lengthened all the way to
US 80/
US 85 in
Doña Ana and
Radium Springs. By late 1960s the highway's northern terminus was shifted back to
Las Cruces.
New Mexico governor
Bill Richardson
William Blaine Richardson III (born November 15, 1947) is an American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. He was also the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Energy Secretary ...
originally requested the State Transportation Commission to consider renaming NM 28 as the Lou Henson Highway. Reynold E. Romero, General Counsel for the Department of Transportation, appeared before the State Transportation Commission on February 17, 2005, and requested Commission approval of Resolution 2005-02, dedicating State Highway 28 from
Las Cruces to
Sunland Park as the Lou Henson Highway. The State Transportation Commission approved the resolution to name the southern New Mexico highway after
Lou Henson
Louis Ray Henson (January 10, 1932 – July 25, 2020) was an American college basketball coach. He retired as the all-time leader in victories at the University of Illinois with 423 victories and New Mexico State with 289 victories. Overall, Henso ...
, a retired New Mexico State University basketball coach. Governor
Bill Richardson
William Blaine Richardson III (born November 15, 1947) is an American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. He was also the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Energy Secretary ...
dedicated the historic highway on March 30, 2005, as the Lou Henson Highway, in recognition of the coach.
Major intersections
See also
*
*
References
External links
*{{osmrelation, 1482818, New Mexico State Road 28
28
Transportation in Doña Ana County, New Mexico