New Mexico State Road 501 Explained

State:NM
Type:SR
Route:501
Map Custom:yes
Map Notes:NM 501 highlighted in red
Maint:NMDOT
Length Mi:7.323
Length Round:3
Length Ref:[1]
Direction A:West
Terminus A: near Los Alamos
Direction B:East
Terminus B:Ridgeway Drive near Los Alamos
Counties:Los Alamos
Previous Type:NM
Previous Route:500
Next Type:NM
Next Route:502

State Road 501 (NM 501) is a 7.323adj=midNaNadj=mid state highway in New Mexico, United States of America. NM 501's western terminus is at NM 4 west of Los Alamos. It runs northeast into the town of Los Alamos, where it ends. It passes through the territory of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), which is closed to the public (the public may drive through on NM 501). Guard posts are at either end of the LANL section of the highway, and motorists passing into (but not out of) LANL territory must pause at the posts and be waved through. Under most conditions, no inspections, etc., are performed at the guard posts, but heightened security postures at LANL may lead to more intrusive checks.

NM 501 is part of the Jemez Mountain Trail National Scenic Byway.[2] Note that the cited reference erroneously describes this segment as highway 502, not 501, in conflict with reference 1. NM 502 is a related but distinct highway that runs east from Los Alamos to a junction with NM 4 and then to the town of Pojoaque. NM 501 and NM 502 together were formerly known as "Business Route 4," as together they formed a business route through Los Alamos, which was bypassed by NM 4.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: NMDOT Highway Log . December 26, 2007 . New Mexico Department of Transportation.
  2. Web site: Jemez Mountain Trail National Scenic Byway . December 25, 2007 . State of New Mexico, Tourism Department . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070823032121/http://nmtourism.org/place/loc/favorites/page/DB-place/category/158/place/640.html . August 23, 2007 .