Construction is nearing the final phases on the first New Mexico Rail Runner Express train station in the median of Interstate 25.

Workers with Kiewit New Mexico contractors used cranes to install three pre-fabricated reinforced concrete beams Tuesday night that will be the base for a pedestrian bridge over the northbound lanes of the interstate. The 86-ton beams manufactured in Albuquerque are 109 feet long and the first of six large beams that will make up the bridge, according to Robert Bency, a project engineer with the state Department of Transportation.

Traffic was diverted from the area overnight and was scheduled for another detour Wednesday night when workers expected to place three shorter beams.

A loading platform between the highway's lanes also is under way, along with a parking lot that will hold up to 200 vehicles on state-owned land near the intersection of the interstate and N.M. 599. Fences along the median will be erected to keep train passengers from using the interstate itself as a drop-off area.

"Everything is on schedule," said Bency, who is in charge of quality control inspections.

Officials now say the station will be in service between mid-July and early August.

Santa Fe already has two functioning train stations, at the Department of Transportation headquarters off Cerrillos and Cordova roads and in the Santa Fe Railyard. The station at N.M. 599 is aimed at serving commuters and Santa Fe's south side.

Bus connections with the train station are planned by both Santa Fe Trails and the intracity shuttles provided by the North Central Regional Transit District. Direct service shuttles also will be provided by the Transportation Department to fill gaps in the other services.

Two other train stations are planned for the area, but since both are on private land proposed for development, the timelines under which they may open are uncertain. A platform has already been built for a station near Zia Road. An interstate-median station similar to the one at N.M. 599 would be built by developers of Las Soleras on the southern edge of the city limits.

Commuter trains began traveling between Santa Fe and Albuquerque late last year. For more information about schedules and fares, visit www.nmrailrunner.com or call 1-866-795-RAIL.

Contact Julie Ann Grimm at 986-3017 or jgrimm@sfnewmexican.com.