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NM poised to receive millions for roads

Hundreds of millions of dollars will soon pour into New Mexico for road and bridge improvement projects as part of the first round of spending authorized in a massive infrastructure bill signed into law last month by President Joe Biden.

And that is just a fraction of the money that will trickle into New Mexico and other states from the $1.2 trillion spending bill over the coming years.

The Democratic members of the state’s congressional delegation announced Thursday that New Mexico over the next five years will receive $2.8 billion for road and bridge projects. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also called the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will funnel a total $3.7 billion to the state, when including money for airport, broadband and water projects.

The state will receive about $486.5 million for bridges and roads in the 2022 fiscal year, according to the Federal Highway Administration’s website.

Martin Chávez, a former Albuquerque mayor and ex-state senator, was tapped by the governor last month to serve as New Mexico’s infrastructure adviser, a role in which he will help determine spending priorities from the money authorized in the infrastructure package.

Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., said too many New Mexicans lack access to broadband and even safe drinking water.

“These investments that are being made through this bill will help to address those fundamental human rights needs,” Stansbury said in Albuquerque on Thursday. “This bill is vital for bringing critical infrastructure dollars to New Mexico, especially to our rural and tribal communities.”

New Mexico’s delegation voted along party lines on the bill. Stansbury, along with fellow Democrats Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández and Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, all voted in favor of the bill.

Rep. Yvette Herrell, R-N.M., who voted no, said the bill “offered little substance.”

But the bill did receive some bipartisan support as there were 19 Republicans in the Senate and 13 in the House who voted for it.

“I am not going to vote for a bill that is full of pet projects, Washington waste, and frivolous spending simply to appease the entrenched insiders,” Herrell previously said.

But New Mexico Democrats said the law marks a critical investment in the state’s infrastructure.

“Transportation infrastructure is what connects us all and is fundamental to a thriving economy,” Heinrich said.

By: Ryan Boetel
Source: Albuquerque Journal
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