AASHTO Journal, 8 February 2013
More than one-fifth of New Mexico’s major roads are deteriorated and 16 percent of its bridges need to be repaired or replaced, the nonprofit transportation research organization TRIP concludes in a report released Tuesday calling for more investment in the state’s surface transportation infrastructure.
“Improving road and bridge conditions, improving traffic safety, and providing a transportation system that will support economic development in New Mexico will require a significant boost in state and federal funding for road, highway, and bridge improvements,” TRIP Executive Director Will Wilkins said in a statement.
TRIP found that 21 percent of New Mexico’s roads are in either poor or mediocre condition. In the Albuquerque metro area, that number jumps to 44 percent and the proportion for Santa Fe is 33 percent. As far as the state’s bridges are concerned, 8 percent of those structures are structurally deficient while another 8 percent have been found to be functionally obsolete.
TRIP also notes that increasing traffic congestion, especially in urban areas, poses significant challenges for travel in New Mexico. The average commuter in the Albuquerque metro area, for example, loses $658 annually in due to congestion-related delays and wasted fuel – a total of $288 million each year for all motorists in that region. The report also concludes that vehicle miles traveled in New Mexico grew 58 percent between 1990 and 2011 and is projected to increase an additional 40 percent by 2030.
In order to keep pace with the growing economy and needs of its citizens, additional funding is needed, the report finds. Yet the state has been grappling with doing more with less to make sure it keeps its transportation infrastructure as safe and functional as possible with limited dollars.
“The New Mexico Department of Transportation is dedicated to keeping our roads and other infrastructure safe and well maintained,” said NMDOT Deputy Secretary of Planning and Infrastructure Kathy Bender. “However, as the report points out, funding for these projects continue to be an issue. That said, we’re using our money very efficiently to best serve the traveling public.”
The 19-page report, “New Mexico Transportation by the Numbers: Meeting the State’s Need for Safe and Efficient Mobility,” is available at bit.ly/NMTRIP.