U.S. Route 54 in New Mexico
# U.S. Route 54 in New Mexico

U.S. Route 54 (US 54) is a part of the U.S. Highway System that travels from Griggsville, Illinois, to El Paso, Texas. In the U.S. state of New Mexico, US 54 extends from the Texas state line by Chaparral, New Mexico, and ends at the Texas state line by Nara Visa, New Mexico. The highway runs for 356.176 miles (573.210 km) in New Mexico. Nationally an east–west route but is signed as a north–south route through the state.

## Route description

US 54 enters New Mexico in Chaparral as part of the El Paso, Texas metro area network. It also serves as a military highway to connect Fort Bliss in El Paso to Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico, (via US 70). The speed limit is 75 mph on the divided highway section upon entering the state to approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of Alamogordo, with a 35 mph zone in Orogrande. Upon entering Alamogordo, US 54 becomes concurrent with US 70. US 54/US 70 then intersects the beginning of US 82 at the north end of Alamogordo (near La Luz). The limit is 60 mph from Alamogordo to Tularosa and 55 mph north of Tularosa, where the concurrency with US 70 ends, and the highway reverts to being two lanes wide and not divided. After leaving Tularosa the speed limit is 65 mph again. The highway runs north through the central portion of the state, passing through Carrizozo and intersecting US 380. The route then turns northeast before passing through Vaughn. Upon entering Vaughn, the route is briefly concurrent with US 60 and US 285. In Vaughn, US 285 splits off to the south. Exiting Vaughn, US 60 splits off to the southeast, and the route continues northeast to Santa Rosa where it becomes concurrent with Interstate 40. The I-40 concurrency lasts for 59 miles (95 km) to Tucumcari. The highway then exits the state back into Texas at Nara Visa.

## Major intersections

| County | Location | mi | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| New Mexico–Texas line | New Mexico–Texas line | 0.000– 0.04 | 0.000– 0.064 | | US 54 west – El Paso | Continuation into El Paso, Texas |
| New Mexico–Texas line | New Mexico–Texas line | 0.000– 0.04 | 0.000– 0.064 | | Bus. US 54 south (Edge of Texas Street) | |
| Otero | ​ | 40.620 | 65.372 | | NM 506 east | Western terminus of NM 506 |
| Otero | Alamogordo | 64.445– 64.68 | 103.714– 104.09 | | US 70 west – Las Cruces, Holloman A.F.B., White Sands | Interchange; southern end of US 70 concurrency; northbound access via at-grade connector road |
| Otero | La Luz | 71.770 | 115.503 | | US 82 east | Western terminus of US 82 |
| Otero | La Luz | 78.661 | 126.593 | | NM 545 east | Western terminus of NM 545 |
| Otero | Tularosa | 79.328 | 127.666 | | US 70 east – Ruidoso, Roswell | Northern end of US 70 concurrency |
| Lincoln | Carrizozo | 123.866 | 199.343 | | US 380 – San Antonio, Capitan | |
| Lincoln | ​ | 127.070 | 204.499 | | NM 349 east | Western terminus of NM 349 |
| Lincoln | ​ | 135.870 | 218.662 | | NM 461 east | Western terminus of NM 461 |
| Lincoln | ​ | 143.466 | 230.886 | | NM 55 north | Southern terminus of NM 55 |
| Lincoln | ​ | 145.760 | 234.578 | | NM 462 east | Western terminus of NM 462 |
| Lincoln | Corona | 169.696 | 273.099 | | NM 247 east | Western terminus of NM 247 |
| Lincoln | Corona | 170.770 | 274.828 | | NM 42 north | Southern terminus of NM 42 |
| Torrance | Duran | 189.570 | 305.083 | | NM 3 north | Southern terminus of NM 3 |
| Guadalupe | Vaughn | 201.382 | 324.093 | | US 60 west / US 285 north | Western end of US 60/US 285 concurrency |
| Guadalupe | Vaughn | 205.165 | 330.181 | | US 285 south | Eastern end of US 285 concurrency |
| Guadalupe | Vaughn | 205.864 | 331.306 | | US 60 east | Eastern end of US 60 concurrency |
| Guadalupe | ​ | 225.124 | 362.302 | | NM 219 north | Southern terminus of NM 219 |
| Guadalupe | Santa Rosa | 242.751 | 390.670 | | I-40 BL / Historic US 66 west to US 84 – Albuquerque, Clines Corners, Las Vegas | Southern end of I-40 Bus./Historic US 66 concurrency |
| Guadalupe | Santa Rosa | 243.091 | 391.217 | | NM 91 south – Softball complex, National Guard armory | Northern terminus of NM 91 |
| Guadalupe | Santa Rosa | 243.99 | 392.66 | | I-40 (US 84) – Albuquerque, Tucumcari | I-40 exit 275 |
| Guadalupe | Santa Rosa | 246.62 | 396.90 | | I-40 BL / Historic US 66 end / I-40 west / US 84 – Albuquerque, Ft. Sumner | Northern end of I-40 Bus./Historic US 66 concurrency; western end of I-40 concurrency; eastern terminus of I-40 Bus./Historic US 66; I-40 exit 277 |
| Guadalupe | ​ | 254.39 | 409.40 | 284 | Frontier Museum | Exit numbers follow I-40 |
| Guadalupe | Cuervo | 261.04 | 420.10 | 291 | Cuervo | |
| Guadalupe | Newkirk | 269.70 | 434.04 | 300 | NM 129 north – Newkirk | Southern terminus of NM 129 |
| Quay | Montoya | 281.15 | 452.47 | 311 | Montoya | |
| Quay | Palomas | 291.56 | 469.22 | 321 | Palomas | |
| Quay | Tucumcari | 298.86 | 480.97 | 329 | I-40 BL / Historic US 66 east | Western terminus of I-40 Bus./Historic US 66 |
| Quay | Tucumcari | 300.73 | 483.98 | 331 | Camino del Coronado | |
| Quay | Tucumcari | 301.88 | 485.83 | 332 | NM 209 to NM 104 (1st Street) | |
| Quay | Tucumcari | 303.232 | 488.005 | | I-40 east – Amarillo | Eastern end of I-40 concurrency, I-40 exit 333 |
| Quay | Tucumcari | 304.322 | 489.759 | | Historic US 66 (I-40 BL) to NM 209 / NM 104 | |
| Quay | Tucumcari | 304.909 | 490.703 | | NM 237 / Bus. Loop US 54 west (Main Street) | Eastern terminus of NM 237/Bus. Loop US 54 |
| Quay | ​ | 325.542 | 523.909 | | NM 552 west | Eastern terminus of NM 552 |
| Quay | ​ | 325.556 | 523.932 | | NM 469 south | Northern terminus of NM 469 |
| Quay | Logan | 327.317 | 526.766 | | NM 540 west | Eastern terminus of NM 540 |
| Quay | Logan | 327.655 | 527.310 | | NM 39 north | Southern terminus of NM 39 |
| Quay | Nara Visa | 351.734 | 566.061 | | NM 402 north | Southern terminus of NM 402 |
| Quay | ​ | 356.176 | 573.210 | | US 54 east – Dalhart | Continuation into Texas |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus |||||||
