NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – If you’ve ever wondered how your tax dollars are being used to improve New Mexico’s roads, the state Department of Transportation has a new tool for both residents and legislators. There’s a new website designed to provide clarity on where legislative funding from 2024 is being used to improve New Mexico’s roads.
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“And so, it tells you where we’ve spent money and tells you where you can expect to slow down in the coming months as we start to ramp up on major construction,” said Ricky Serna, Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Transportation.
NMDOT received $190 million in state funds to use on roadway maintenance the state also issued $320 million in severance tax bonds for the 2025 fiscal year to support nine major construction projects. “DOT, and I say this often, spends about $100 million a month operating as a state agency on construction and maintenance projects. And it takes a lot of bandwidth and expertise to spend that kind of money,” said Serna.
So, what’s the end goal? NMDOT said they want to encourage lawmakers to invest year after year. The website shows the dollar amount for each project as well as a chart breaking down state, federal, and severance tax bond funding. It also displays their shortfalls. “In other instances where we have major construction projects listed in legislation; we take the funding that’s provided to us. We align that funding with our estimates for what those projects are going to cost. And then if there’s a difference, we call it a funding gap,” said Serna.
Right now, the department said they have funding for six of the nine corridors set to see major construction. To fill the gap, Serna said they will leverage other resources like state road funds and federal dollars.
To see all road projects affecting your commute, Serna directed residents and legislators to NMDOT’s active projects tab. “And that’ll give you a more comprehensive overview by pin drop of where all of our active construction projects are across the state. And if you want to get a broader sense outside of just the special appropriations, you can see what we’ve got cooking everywhere else,” said Serna.
Click here to check out the new page or click here to see all the active projects NMDOT has.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
