New Mexico US 550 begins at a junction with
Interstate 25/
US 85 and
NM 165 in the town of
Bernalillo, just north of
Albuquerque in
Sandoval County. It soon junctions
NM 313 at Camino del Pueblo. US 550 then crosses the
Rio Grande and shortly after serves as the northern terminus of
NM 528 at a
continuous flow intersection, the first one to open in the state. US 550 then enters
Rio Rancho and follows along the southern edge of the
Santa Ana Pueblo before serving as the northern terminus of
NM 347. It soon leaves Rio Rancho, and the speed limit raises to 70 mph, continuing as a divided highway through the Santa Ana Pueblo. US 550 enters the
Zia Pueblo shortly before mile marker 14, with a road to enter the Pueblo about 4.5 miles later. It soon turns northbound leaving the Zia Pueblo and enters the Village of
San Ysidro. It then turns due west to navigate around the west of the
Sierra Nacimiento mountain range, passing through scenic red rock formations and mountain passes. US 550 soon re-enters the Zia Pueblo before it enters the
Jemez Pueblo at an intersection with the old route of NM 279. US 550 then continues north through rural areas before entering
Cuba. In Cuba, US 550 serves as the terminus for three state highways,
NM 96,
NM 126, and
NM 197. US 550 then turns west, entering a small portion of the
Santa Fe National Forest before reaching the
continental divide at the border of the
Jicarilla Apache Nation Reservation. US 550 then leaves the Jicarilla Apache Nation Reservation and soon enters
Rio Arriba County, before shortly leaving it about 8.5 miles later, entering
San Juan County. The road then turns northwest, cutting through areas of the
Navajo Nation. US 550 soon enters
Bloomfield, signed as Bloomfield Boulevard, and soon junctions
US 64, joining it eastbound for a very short 0.25 mile concurrency before leaving north at First Street. Between Bloomfield and
Aztec, US 550 replaced a former routing of
NM 544, which was decommissioned in 2000 when US 550 was extended south. Entering Aztec as Main Street, US 550 passes through downtown before meeting
NM 516 at Aztec Boulevard, which it terminates. US 550 then turns northeast, continuing along the
Animas River towards Colorado. For its entirety in New Mexico, US 550 is a four-lane divided highway with speed limits of 70 mph, excluding sections through towns. US 550 replaced
NM 44 between Bloomfield and Bernalillo after the road was widened to four lanes, a near $300 million project completed in 2001 as the result of high accident rates. Controversy still surrounds the highway, as narrow medians due to cost cutting with high speed limits result in a still high fatal crash rate, with 15 deaths occurring in 2015-2016, second only to
Interstate 40 during that time. The road is kept open year-round. Summer temperatures can range from highs between at the ends of the highway to in the mountain passes. The snow season starts in October, and snow will often close the road in winter. Chains may be required to drive. North of Durango, the highway passes by
Trimble Springs, hot springs that have been open for visitors since the late 19th century. The highway runs north along the
Animas River, under the Hermosa Cliffs. It enters the
San Juan National Forest and goes past
Haviland Lake and
Electra Lake. Drivers pass by
Engineer Mountain and
Twilight Peak before crossing Coal Bank Pass. Next is Molas Pass, which offers a panoramic view of Molas Lake, the Animas River Gorge, and
Snowdon Peak. Northbound travelers then pass through the town of Silverton, elevation , surrounded by peaks
Sultan Mountain,
Kendall Mountain, and
Storm Peak. U.S. 550 ends at the corner of Townsend Avenue and San Juan Avenue in
Montrose, Colorado at the junction of its parent route
U.S. Highway 50. == History ==