Kyle Mestrein, speaking for MPO staff, briefed the committee on the Mesilla Valley MPO traffic-counts program, which covers roughly 516 roadway sections on a three-year rotation (about 172 sections per year). He described the programworkflow: deploy International Road Dynamics tube-and-box sensors for at least 48 hours, download raw 15-minute increment files, apply seasonal and daily factors, and produce AADT and classification breakdowns used for safety performance measures, traffic modeling and FHWA reporting.

Mestrein noted limitations: "bike are a little bit sketchy...most bike riders are not heavy enough to set the tubes off," and that classification is approximated from axle/tube timing and vehicle air displacement. Committee members asked whether SUVs and electric vehicles affect classification; staff said SUVs often fall into class 3 and axle-spacing/timing is the principal metric. MPO staff confirmed they currently use about 15 portable boxes and that "our current boxes that we're currently utilizing are 12 years old," said Andrew Ray, meaning the program will need an equipment replacement evaluation and potential procurement in federal fiscal 2026.

Staff said they will research newer boxes and non-motorized counting options (including cameras and AI-assisted processing), but cautioned that commercial video processing can be expensive. The MPO also noted that some NMDOT permanent counters are used for calibration but that several permanent counters have experienced maintenance issues and outages. Funding for replacements is not yet finalized; staff said they hope to cover costs with existing MPO allocations if feasible but may need additional funding requests depending on procurement outcomes.

Members emphasized that accurate bicycle and pedestrian counts are important for safety planning, but that current tube-based methods undercount non-motorized users and that improved in-house processing or lower-cost camera/AI solutions may be needed to scale non-motorized data collection.