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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Gonzales

DATE TYPED 02/24/05

HJM 55

SHORT TITLE

Taos Upper Ranchitos Road Responsibility

SB

ANALYST Moser

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

FY05

FY06

100.0

Non-recurring State Road Fund

30.0

Recurring State Road Fund

Duplicates: Senate Joint Memorial 48

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Transportation

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Joint Memorial 55 requests the Department of Transportation to take over and maintain

Upper Ranchitos Road in Taos County.

Significant Issues

The Department of Transportation would incur higher maintenance costs, increased lane miles to

maintain, and additional planning and budgeting for maintenance and improvements in taking

over and assuming maintenance responsibility for Upper Ranchitos Road in Taos County.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

The department of transportation indicates that maintaining an additional ten (10) lane miles util-

izing the same number of FTE positions would be problematic. Furthermore, the higher number

House Joint Memorial 55 -- Page 2

of lane miles per FTE would have to be maintained based on the same amount of funding cur-

rently available.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

Upper Ranchitos Road is a narrow local road through residential and farmland properties. If re-

quired to assume maintenance responsibilities for Upper Ranchitos Road, the Department of

Transportation would require extensive resources to upgrade the roadway to state standards in-

cluding, but not limited to, right-of-way impacts, roadway widening and drainage improvements,

as well as annual recurring maintenance costs. Preliminary estimates to upgrade Upper Ranchi-

tos Road to state standards approach one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000). Annual recurring

maintenance costs are estimated at approximately thirty thousand dollars ($30,000).

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

In assuming maintenance responsibility of Upper Ranchitos Road, the Department of Transporta-

tion would have to plan and budget maintenance operations for an additional ten (10) lane miles

based on a fixed annual budget.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

Upper Ranchitos Road is a narrow local road with limited right-of-way, horizontal alignment re-

strictions and roadway/private drainage issues. Extensive resources and funding would be re-

quired to address these issues to upgrade roadway to state standards.

GM/njw:sb