NMDOT Pavement Evaluation in the News.
The New Mexico State Highway System affects the life of every New Mexican, everyday,” points out Robert S. Young, New Mexico Department of Transportation pavement preservation engineer.
While the responsibility of assuring the safety of the traveling public on highways in the state lies with NMDOT, civil engineering faculty and students at New Mexico State University make a big contribution toward that end. They inspect more than 7,500 miles of highway every year.
Trained by experienced NMDOT staff and faculty, 12 students spend the summer conducting visual examinations of a portion of every mile of pavement of state roads and highways in southern New Mexico. Their peers from the University of New Mexico inspect the highways in the north.
NMDOT first used NMSU students to evaluate highways in the 1980s, but went back to performing inspections with their own staff. In 2006, they resurrected the program on a one-year trial basis and have subsequently renewed for four years.