By David Otoski

The New Mexico legislature seems sure to make good on road construction funding in the upcoming session in January. The legislature in 2025 allocated only $65 million for road construction and maintenance for the entire state, well below the average of around $300 million. But in this session, legislators and the governor have said they intend to help by passing a $1.5 billion bond bill to pay for roads for years to come.

That's for state roads. The other thing that the legislature and Department of Transportation need to identify are funding sources for local roads for counties and cities. These are the projects that went unfunded last session, which is causing delays this year for road construction and maintenance. The legislature needs to recognize that the bond bill is for funding over many years. A special appropriation is needed in 2026 to make up for last year and fund the badly needed road projects at the local level.

We all know the experience. You are driving on a road, perhaps a road you travel all the time, and your car or truck is bouncing around due to the bad road conditions; or perhaps you have to swerve several times to avoid potholes and pavement breaks. You might get used to it. But it needs to be fixed. Roads left unrepaired lead to an unsafe traffic nightmare.

The State has more than enough money to fund the most standard and vital responsibilities of government – to build, fix and maintain our roads. Since much of our state budget comes from the gas tax and oil and gas revenues, that money can and should be used for roads – that much is clear. We have had record-breaking budgets year after year due to this revenue; now is the time to maintain our responsibility and fund our road projects in a reliable funding program.

The State also needs a special appropriation of revenue for local road construction projects and maintenance that are not eligible for funding from the bonding bill.

We are proposing a $500 million special appropriation to go along with the bonding bill for the upcoming session. This money would go to both maintenance and local municipalities for needed road projects. For the taxpayers, it will mean real improvement for their roads. A recent study in the TRIP Report, which analyzes road conditions across the country, estimates New Mexico needs $5.6 billion in new road projects to maintain adequate (not even superior!) roads. The bond bill and the special appropriation would go a long way towards getting us back on track with what the taxpayers of this state deserve. Check it out at FixNMroads.com, where you can also sign the petition to support the road package.

Not to mention the jobs we have and will lose if we continue to underfund our road projects, as many as tens of thousands statewide. Yes, the road companies and workers are still here in the state, but after another year of low funding they will be forced to go to other states, such as Texas, Oklahoma and Arizona, which have made huge commitments to road funding.

I know that the legislature will do the right thing when it passes the bond bill in the upcoming session, but we're asking that legislators and the governor don't forget about the local municipalities as well with a special appropriation.

David Otoski is the President of Mountain States Constructors, Inc., and serves on the Board of Directors of the Asphalt Pavement Association of New Mexico (APANM).