45th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2001

REQUESTING THE STATE HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT TO PERFORM CERTAIN TASKS INVOLVED IN CONVERTING COUNTY ROAD B44A IN SAN MIGUEL COUNTY FROM A COUNTY TO A STATE ROAD FOR MAINTENANCE PURPOSES.

WHEREAS, San Miguel county road B44A is located two miles east of the village of Pecos, where it intersects New Mexico state highway 223 and is approximately seven miles in length; and

WHEREAS, county road B44A is located in a highly traveled area and poses a hazard to children riding on school buses to Pecos schools, local residents, emergency medical and fire services, law enforcement officials, woodcutters, campers traveling to Barillas Peak and other United States forest service lands, worshipers attending the historic Santo Nino mission for its monthly celebrations and other visitors to this scenic area; and

WHEREAS, the condition of the road affects over one hundred fifty people who use county road B44A every day, traversing the mountains to Pecos and beyond to go to and from work and to procure groceries or other goods from town each day; and

WHEREAS, the resources and equipment to maintain and upgrade county road B44A are not available to maintain the road commensurate with the amount of traffic on the road; and

WHEREAS, from October to May many stretches of county road B44A are snow packed and icy, in some places for more than one mile in sections of the road that have no shoulders, but have sheer drops with short sections of guardrails and where there is no space to pass, and stopping is many times impossible on the ice; and

WHEREAS, as Christmas approaches, traffic on county road B44A increases due to transport of Christmas trees for sale or personal use, and many vehicles end up in ditches or drop over the side of the road; and

WHEREAS, the surface of county road B44A turns to ruts and washboard in summer rains that destroy the alignment of residents' vehicles, and when it is dry, visibility is diminished from dust that can almost fully obscure vision of the driver of vehicles, including school buses; and

WHEREAS, many accidents and two deaths have occurred in the past years due to conditions on county road B44A;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the state highway and transportation department make San Miguel county road B44A a state road and provide improvements and maintenance to that road as needed for the health and safety of travelers on the road, including school children whose buses use that roadway; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the state highway commission and the secretary of highway and transportation.