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

SPONSOR Youngberg

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

3/15/2007

HM 105

SHORT TITLE

Additional Albuquerque Rio Grande Crossings

SB

ANALYST Moser

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$750 to $1,000

Nonrecurring

State Road Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

NM Department of Transportation

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

This Memorial requests the Department of Transportation conduct a needs analysis and

feasibility study to determine potential for additional motor vehicle river crossings over the Rio

Grande in the Albuquerque Metropolitan Area.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

In order to complete a river crossing feasibility study for the entire Albuquerque Metropolitan

Planning Area, engineering factors, environmental considerations, traffic impacts, neighborhood

concerns, and economic and aesthetic issues would need to be addressed in enough detail to

allow for project identification and prioritization of funding.

A study of this magnitude is estimated to cost between $750,000 and $1,000,000. Even if this

funding were available immediately, it would be difficult to complete the study by November,

2007.

No funding source is identified in the Memorial. The only source available would be the State

Road Fund.

House Memorial 105 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The Mid Region Council of Governments (“MRCOG") is in the process of updating the

Albuquerque Metropolitan Planning Area (“AMPA") Long Range Transportation Plan (the

“Plan"). The Plan forecasts transportation needs of the AMPA for the next 20 years. Some

analysis on river crossing needs and feasibility has already been completed in the Plan update.

In addition, the MRCOG Board directed MRCOG staff to investigate the possibility of

conducting a study to determine the best potential for traffic management on the existing river

crossings. This would involve a detailed corridor study of the river crossings with the most

potential for reducing traffic congestion by using traffic management techniques. Examples of

these techniques are reversible lanes or dedicated truck lanes among other options. The cost

estimate for this study is also $750,000 to $1,000,000. To date, no funding has been identified to

conduct this study. However if the study is funded, some analysis of new river crossings will be

included.

MRCOG is currently conducting a corridor study of US 550, which is the next river crossing

north of the Alameda Street bridge in Albuquerque. Feasibility of additional crossings to address

congestion on US 550 should be included in this study that is already underway.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

NMDOT states that MRCOG is the federally designated agency responsible for transportation

planning in the AMPA. Therefore, the Department of Transportation is not the appropriate entity

to perform the requested study because of the federally required local planning process.

GM/mt