State ‘only got about half’ of money needed to fix roads

A quarter of New Mexico’s roads are in bad condition according to a new report from a Washington D.C. nonprofit. And ripped up pavement and bumpy roads aren’t just an inconvenience, they’re also costly to car owners in the state. On average, bad roads, traffic congestion and poor traffic safety conditions cost Albuquerque drivers more […]

A quarter of New Mexico’s roads are in bad condition according to a new report from a Washington D.C. nonprofit. And ripped up pavement and bumpy roads aren’t just an inconvenience, they’re also costly to car owners in the state.

On average, bad roads, traffic congestion and poor traffic safety conditions cost Albuquerque drivers more than $1,800 each year, according to the report by the transportation policy research group TRIP.

Released last week, TRIP’s “New Mexico Transportation By the Numbers” report is based on publicly available data from sources like the American Automobile Association, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute and the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration.

Albuquerque’s roads are the worst for any city in the state, according to the report, with 34 percent of them in poor condition. TRIP defines a “poor” road as one with “rutting, cracks and potholes” that in many cases is “too deteriorated” to repair and “must be constructed.”

The current state budget didn’t provide enough money to repair all of New Mexico’s roads and highways that needed fixing, the TRIP report says.

“They only got about half the money they need to improve the poor roads,” Carolyn Bonifas Kelly, a spokeswoman for TRIP, said in an interview.

That won’t change in the coming fiscal year, judging by the budget requests from the New Mexico Department of Transportation.

The state estimated that New Mexico needed $657 million for the current fiscal year for highway construction. NMDOT’s current budget, however, includes just $350 million for that purpose, leaving a gap of $307 million. Similarly, the state agency estimated it needed more than $290 million for road maintenance but ended up receiving $158 million, leaving a near $134 million funding gap.

Yet the agency’s total request to state lawmakers for money for the coming budget year of $862 million, which begins in June, is slightly less than the NMDOT budget for current year of $867 million. Other parts of the budget get spend on highway operations, project design and overhead.

The agency’s tendency not to seek out the full amount of money needed for road repairs may be because NMDOT bases its budget requests from available state revenue estimates each year.

Emilee Cantrell, a spokeswoman for NMDOT, did not return phone calls or emails from NM Political Report seeking comment for this story throughout the week.

New Mexico is also, of course, beset with big budget difficulties. This month, the state Legislature passed solvency bills that cut $46 million from school cash reserves, among other sources, to close a projected $80 million deficit for the current fiscal year. A projected budget deficit for the next fiscal year, which begins this July, could be as high as between $200 and $250 million.

New Mexico’s inability to fix its poor road conditions means drivers get hit with more repair bills. Using data from the American Automobile Association (AAA), TRIP puts the average yearly vehicle operating costs for an Albuquerque driver from driving on rough roads at $703.

On top of that, congestion from Albuquerque roads, which TRIP defines as “lost time and wasted fuel,” costs drivers another $886 each year.

Traffic congestion also costs Albuquerque drivers 36 hours of their time every year.

The third cost is related to safety, which TRIP calculates using numbers from the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration. Poor safety conditions in Albuquerque cost drivers another $233 each year, according to the TRIP report.

These safety costs don’t just apply to someone whose insurance rates spiked after an accident. In cities where drivers get into more accidents, insurance companies charge higher premiums to all drivers, Kelly noted.

It’s not clear how costly road conditions in New Mexico or Albuquerque compare on average to other metro areas in other states. For 40 years, TRIP has provided lawmakers and decision-makers with information. But it doesn’t advocate for particular policies or propose specific solutions, Kelly said. Nor does it perform surveys in every state.

But Albuquerque’s drivers fare similarly to those in Texas’ metro hubs of Austin, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston and San Antonio. The average yearly cost to drivers because of road conditions, congestion and safety issues in each of those cities range between $1,600 and $1,900 per driver, according to another TRIP report.

We're ad free

That means that we rely on support from readers like you. Help us keep reporting on the most important New Mexico Stories by donating today.

Related

Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List, a nonprofit that supports women candidates and reproductive rights, endorsed seven incumbents facing general election opponents in New Mexico legislative elections. All…
Equality New Mexico endorses 15 legislative candidates

Equality New Mexico endorses 15 legislative candidates

A New Mexico-based LGBTQ rights organization endorsed 15 candidates for state House and Senate seats for the 2024 elections.  Marshall Martinez, executive director of…
Lujan Grisham pocket vetoes two bills

Lujan Grisham pocket vetoes two bills

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham pocket vetoed two bills the legislature passed this legislative session: one changing the Cybersecurity Act and the other concerning law…
BLM announces final methane waste rule

BLM announces final methane waste rule

The federal Bureau of Land Management announced its final methane waste rule on Wednesday. These new regulations clamp down on the practice of venting…
What consumers, farmers should know about the flu impacting dairy cows

What consumers, farmers should know about the flu impacting dairy cows

Migrating birds appear to have caused a virus in dairy cattle that is causing reduced milk production. So far, the disease, which initially started…
Republicans seek to limit national monument designations

Republicans seek to limit national monument designations

Republican-backed legislation in the U.S. Congress would make it harder for the government to designate new national monuments. The proposed Congressional Oversight of the…
Amid new graduation requirements, what do high schoolers want to learn?

Amid new graduation requirements, what do high schoolers want to learn?

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican The main things that bring Brayan Chavez to school every day: Seeing, talking to and engaging with…
Special ed teachers hope lawmakers OK pay raises, admin changes

Special ed teachers hope lawmakers OK pay raises, admin changes

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican Brittany Behenna Griffith has a laundry list of adjectives to describe the ideal special education teacher:…
Lawmakers must find consensus on competing education spending plans

Lawmakers must find consensus on competing education spending plans

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican A challenging task awaits New Mexico lawmakers in the next 30 days: Reconciling three very different…
Health workers fear it’s profits before protection as CDC revisits airborne transmission

Health workers fear it’s profits before protection as CDC revisits airborne transmission

Amy Maxmen, KFF Health News Four years after hospitals in New York City overflowed with covid-19 patients, emergency physician Sonya Stokes remains shaken by…
Lujan Grisham, Biden admin announce $10 million in federal funds for tribes, pueblos

Lujan Grisham, Biden admin announce $10 million in federal funds for tribes, pueblos

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Friday $10 million in funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act was awarded to six tribal nations and…
Proposal to curb executive powers moves to House Judiciary

Proposal to curb executive powers moves to House Judiciary

The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee discussed a potential constitutional amendment that seeks to limit the governor’s executive powers. The committee approved…
Senators introduce legislation to aid abortion providers

Senators introduce legislation to aid abortion providers

Sen. Martin Heinrih and other Senate colleagues introduced abortion rights legislation into the U.S. Senate on Thursday. The Abortion Care Capacity Enhancement and Support…
U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case about the regulations around mifepristone, one of a two-step regime for abortion medication, on Tuesday. FDA v.…
At stake in mifepristone case: Abortion, FDA’s authority, and return to 1873 obscenity law

At stake in mifepristone case: Abortion, FDA’s authority, and return to 1873 obscenity law

Lawyers from the conservative Christian group that won the case to overturn Roe v. Wade are returning to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday in pursuit…
Senators introduce legislation to aid abortion providers

Senators introduce legislation to aid abortion providers

Sen. Martin Heinrih and other Senate colleagues introduced abortion rights legislation into the U.S. Senate on Thursday. The Abortion Care Capacity Enhancement and Support…
New Mexico Medicaid to cover cost of over-the-counter oral contraception

New Mexico Medicaid to cover cost of over-the-counter oral contraception

New Mexico Medicaid announced on Wednesday that it will cover the cost of Opill, the first oral contraception approved for over-the-counter use. It is…
U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case about the regulations around mifepristone, one of a two-step regime for abortion medication, on Tuesday. FDA v.…
San Juan County, Navajo Nation settle redistricting case

San Juan County, Navajo Nation settle redistricting case

The Navajo Nation and San Juan County reached an agreement Monday about commission districts after the tribe alleged that its members were not adequately…
MIT ranks NM elections most well-run in the U.S.

MIT ranks NM elections most well-run in the U.S.

New Mexico’s 2022 election was ranked most well-run in the country by Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Election Data and Science Lab’s Elections Performance Index.…
Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List, a nonprofit that supports women candidates and reproductive rights, endorsed seven incumbents facing general election opponents in New Mexico legislative elections. All…
Ex-GOP candidate allegedly hired people to kill witnesses in shootings of homes of Democratix politicians

Ex-GOP candidate allegedly hired people to kill witnesses in shootings of homes of Democratix politicians

Republican failed state house candidate Solomon Peña is facing more federal charges, this time on a murder-for-hire scheme.  Peña allegedly tried to hire two…
BLM announces final methane waste rule

BLM announces final methane waste rule

The federal Bureau of Land Management announced its final methane waste rule on Wednesday. These new regulations clamp down on the practice of venting…
U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case about the regulations around mifepristone, one of a two-step regime for abortion medication, on Tuesday. FDA v.…

GET INVOLVED

© 2023 New Mexico Political Report