$30M Southeast Loop Road project in Carlsbad construction begins Construction and planning on a road project in south Carlsbad continued with hopes of completion in fall of 2022, said Community and Administration Services Director Wesley Hooper. Hooper said estimated cost of a 13 mile Southeast Loop Road connecting U.S. Highway 285 to U.S. Highway 62/180 was $30 million. Phase one of construction was ongoing, Hooper said, of the project which partnered the County with the State of New Mexico and the City of Carlsbad. “That phase was supposed to be complete by August. But with all the weather, it looks like mid-September at this point,” he said of the anticipated end date.