{"id":2614,"date":"2007-12-07T16:53:00","date_gmt":"2007-12-07T22:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2007\/12\/road-funding-shortage-could-indicate-bigger-problems\/"},"modified":"2007-12-07T16:53:00","modified_gmt":"2007-12-07T22:53:00","slug":"road-funding-shortage-could-indicate-bigger-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2007\/12\/road-funding-shortage-could-indicate-bigger-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Road-funding shortage could indicate bigger problems"},"content":{"rendered":"

The state has increased spending at a quick pace during Gov. Bill Richardson\u2019s<\/a> administration, and many protesting lawmakers warned that it was only a matter of time before New Mexicans started tangibly feeling the effects.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

It\u2019s happening. As reported today by the Albuquerque Journal<\/a>, the state has indefinitely postponed $500 million worth of high-priority road projects, including, to save $55 million, 20 miles of improvements to Interstate 10 between Las Cruces<\/st1:city> and the Texas<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> state line and two I-10 interchange projects.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The reason? The state has no money to pay for the roadwork. Construction projects that were deemed necessary now have to be put on hold or cancelled.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

There are a number of factors contributing to the shortfall. One is the fact that construction costs have risen. Transportation Secretary Rhonda Faught said inflation and a lack of federal funds are also to blame. She disputes any assertion that the commuter rail which, when complete, will run from Belen to Santa Fe<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>, is to blame.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Some legislators are skeptical, and with good reason: The program that was to fund the roads and the commuter rail, called GRIP I, for Gov. Richardson\u2019s Investment Partnership, began as a $1.9 billion project but has risen to a projected $2.7 billion. Legislators were originally told the commuter rail would cost about a fourth of the $400 million that has been spent.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

There\u2019s more that must be spent on the Rail Runner<\/a>. Federal funding for its operation is going to run out in 2009, and the state is going to have to come up with an estimated $25 million per year. The governor has ruled out a tax increase, but hasn\u2019t provided any other ideas.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Though it\u2019s not as much of an issue at this point, I\u2019d be remiss if I didn\u2019t mention Spaceport America<\/a>. The state has already given a little more than $100 million to the project, and the Legislature won\u2019t likely give any more even if construction costs do rise. So, though some think that $100 million could have been spent elsewhere, it was budgeted separate from the road money and for a project that hasn\u2019t gone over budget \u2013 at least at this point.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

At least the spaceport is a project with the potential, if it\u2019s successful, to pay for itself and create economic development. The Rail Runner, which has cost the state four times as much as the spaceport, is a project the state hasn\u2019t yet figured out how to fully fund that will never pay for itself, so it\u2019s always going to be a drain, just like road maintenance, on the budget.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not that there\u2019s anything wrong with having a commuter rail. But even many train enthusiasts were surprised that the state would spend so much money on a commuter rail for a sometimes sparsely populated area like north-central New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>. In the West, commuter rails are most successful in places like central Utah<\/st1:state>, where the area between Salt Lake City<\/st1:city> and Provo<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> is densely populated.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The commuter rail, however, may only be a symptom of a greater problem. The state has spent at a quick pace during Richardson<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>\u2019s tenure. Oil and gas prices have made a great deal of money available. The state has rightly tried to invest in the future by attempting to spur economic growth in the renewable energy and commercial space industries. But the state made massive investments in those projects without sacrificing other projects and while investing a huge amount of money in the questionable rail project.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Perhaps the state\u2019s spending has moved, in the last five years, at a pace that was conducive to building a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 for a presidential candidate instead of at a speed that was wise for the economic health of the state. We did, after all, replace Governor \u201cNo\u201d with Governor \u201cGo.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\n

Perhaps it\u2019s time to return to a middle ground, a balance between no spending and too much spending, so the state can find a way to fund its critical road projects and keep its economic health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The state has increased spending at a quick pace during Gov. Bill Richardson\u2019s administration, and many protesting lawmakers warned that it was only a matter of time before New Mexicans started tangibly feeling the effects. It\u2019s happening. As reported today by the Albuquerque Journal, the state has indefinitely postponed $500 million worth of high-priority road […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2614"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2614\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}