New report emphasizes need for increased investment in SENM road projects
Traffic travels along U.S. 285 in Artesia. A recent report from a nonprofit traffic organization said millions of dollars are needed for NMDOT projects in the region. @CCurrentArgus @ArgusMichae @NMDOT pic.twitter.com/1UTL7Mb2bw
— Michae Smith Current Argus (@ArgusMichae) February 21, 2023
More money was needed for a highway construction project in southeast New Mexico as safety was the top concern, according to a Washington D.C. transportation research group.
An estimated $335 million was needed to reconstruct nearly 60 miles of roadway along New Mexico State Road 128 and New Mexico State Road 31 from Eddy County to the Texas state line, read the study conducted by the National Transportation Research Project (TRIP).
According to the study, reconstruction with four driving lanes, alternating passing lanes, bridge replacements and intersection improvements were needed.
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The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) proposed a design-build project for N.M. 31 which extends 22 miles from a junction from U.S. Highway 285 and U.S. Highway 62/180 in Eddy County, noted an NMDOT website dedicated to the project.
The N.M. 128 project would extend 60 miles from N.M. 31 through the Lea County community of Jal to the state line with Texas, according to NMDOT.
Rocky Moretti, TRIP director of policy and research, said southeast New Mexico as a whole would need $945 million for various road projects.
Some southeast New Mexico legislators are working on a bill that would provide some funds for the 31 and 128 project, according to the New Mexico Legislature’s website.
State Rep. Candy Spence Ezell (R-58), State Rep. Cathrynn Brown (R-55), State Rep. Greg Nibert (R-59), State Rep. Jimmy Mason (R-66) and State Rep. Jim Townsend (R-54) introduced House Bill (HB) 223 titled Projects on Certain Highways, during late January in the 2023 New Mexico Legislature.
The bill sets up a $650 million appropriation through NMDOT’s Appropriation Contingency Fund for spending during a nearly two-year period for acquiring rights of way, planning, design and construction of projects along N.M. 128 and 31 and on U.S. Highway 380 near Roswell.
A report prepared by the New Mexico Legislature’s Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) states existing pavement in several locations along the corridors in Chaves, Eddy and Lea counties were showing signs of distress and deterioration.
The report cites once pavement conditions fall below fair, deterioration increases rapidly and pavement surfaces could fail if action is not taken.
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“Approximately 35 percent of the 84-mile U.S. 380 corridor and 30 percent of the New Mexico 31 and New Mexico 128 corridors have low pavement conditions that require reconstruction or major rehabilitation,” according to LFC.
The bill received a do pass recommendation from a New Mexico House Committee. It awaits a hearing in the House Appropriations and Finance Committee as of Feb. 21 a hearing had not been scheduled, per the New Mexico Legislature’s website.
New Mexico 128 and 31 was not the only project in southeast New Mexico needing money, Moretti said.
Nearly $55 million was needed for pavement rehabilitation along nearly 70 miles of U.S. 62/180.
“Those are the type of needs in the rural parts of the state and certainly both of those projects have significant benefits in terms of safety and the overall condition of the system,” he said.
Other aspects of TRIP report
The report found 34 percent of local and state-maintained roads in New Mexico are in poor condition and another 22 percent are in mediocre condition, costing the state’s drivers a total of $1.3 billion each year in extra vehicle operating costs, including accelerated vehicle depreciation, additional repair costs, and increased fuel consumption and tire wear, according to a TRIP news release.
“New Mexico roads and bridges that are deteriorated, congested, or lack some desirable safety features cost the state’s motorists a total of $3 billion annually – as much as $2,888 per driver in some areas - due to higher vehicle operating costs, traffic crashes and congestion-related delays,” the release stated.
The report also noted that the efficiency and condition of New Mexico's transportation system was critical to the health of the state's economy.
"Annually, $125 billion in goods are shipped to and from New Mexico, relying heavily on the state’s network of roads and bridges. The value of freight shipped to and from sites in New Mexico, in inflation-adjusted dollars, is expected to increase 59 percent by 2045," the report read.
Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: National traffic report says millions of dollars needed for roads
