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SPONSOR: |
Pinto |
DATE TYPED: |
02/07/02 |
HB |
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SHORT TITLE: |
Widen US Highway 666 |
SB |
SJM 71 |
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ANALYST: |
Valdes |
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APPROPRIATION
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Appropriation
Contained |
Estimated
Additional Impact |
Recurring or Non-Rec |
Fund Affected |
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FY02 |
FY03 |
FY02 |
FY03 |
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$80,000.0 |
Non-recurring |
State Road Fund |
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(Parenthesis
( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
State Highway and Transportation Department
LFC Files
SUMMARY
Synopsis
of Bill
Senate Joint Memorial
71 requests the State Highway Commission to designate widening of United States
Highway 666 (US666) to four lanes a top project priority.
Significant
Issues
US666 is one of the most dangerous highways in
the state. When comparing US666 to nine
other major highways in the state including US84/285 Santa Fe to Pojoaque and
US70 Ruidoso to Riverside, over a five-year period from 1996 through 2000,
US666 had the highest average number of traffic accidents annually which
amounted to 135. US666 also had the
highest average number of people killed (9) and injured (130) per year, when
compared to the other nine highways, over a five-year period.
US666 has been widened to four lanes from Gallup
to Sheep Springs. Widening the
remaining 60 miles between Sheep Springs and the Colorado border would cost
approximately $80 million.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The department is experiencing budget constraints with state road fund revenue projections flat and large declines expected in federal revenues, based on the proposed federal budget for fiscal year 2003 released by President Bush. Any funding proposed for new projects would require a diversion of an equivalent amount of funding from existing highway projects or new revenue sources would have to be identified.
OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
According to SHTD, the
Navajo Nation can petition Congress for a congressional apportionment or
propose a series of widening projects through the regional planning process as
possible alternative funding sources.
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