HOUSE MEMORIAL 20

55th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2021

INTRODUCED BY

Willie D. Madrid

A MEMORIAL

URGING THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, THE UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION AND THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO INCLUDE MANDATES AND INCENTIVES FOR THE USE OF EMERGING ROADWAY TECHNOLOGIES THAT PROMOTE THE USE OF COST-EFFECTIVE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY ROADWAY CONSTRUCTION IN THE NEXT FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE BILL.

     WHEREAS, the American society of civil engineers stated in its 2017 report card that the United States received a grade of D+ regarding the current state of its infrastructure and that more than four trillion five hundred billion dollars ($4,500,000,000,000) would be needed to restore the nation's infrastructure to a state of good repair; and

     WHEREAS, the federal highway administration has determined in Towards Sustainable Pavement Systems, Chapter 3. Materials Considerations that critical areas of pavement construction that can have a significant effect on the overall sustainability of a paving project include the following:

          A. fuel consumption during material transport from the site, between the plant and the site and the construction operations themselves;

          B. exhaust and particulate emissions;

          C. traffic delays, congestion and noise emissions generated during construction;

          D. constructed characteristics of the pavement surface, which impact surface friction and therefore safety, noise and possibly fuel efficiency during the use phase; and

          E. pavement performance and overall life as a result of construction quality; and

     WHEREAS, the American society of civil engineers report card states that thirty percent of New Mexico's roads are in poor condition, and each driver in the state spends nearly six hundred dollars ($600) annually in car repairs; and

     WHEREAS, use of technology that lowers the cost per lane mile of roadway construction would assist with New Mexico infrastructure maintenance and improvements in partnership with state and local governments and other institutions and could also result in expanded hiring of construction workers, including those who may have lost their jobs during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico is currently considering pilot projects and supporting legislation that promote or require the use of emerging road construction technologies designed to lower the cost per lane mile and environmental impact of road construction as defined by the federal highway administration; and

     WHEREAS, these technologies include increasing the use of upgraded recycling technologies such as the use of high-yield asphalt products to recycle reclaimed asphalt pavement and perform full-depth reclamation of existing roadways, as well as promoting the use of roadway construction that uses less heat-reliant and material transport technologies;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the president of the United States, the United States secretary of transportation and the United States congress be urged to include mandates and incentives for the use of emerging roadway technologies that promote the use of cost-effective and environmentally friendly roadway construction in the next federal infrastructure bill or any other bill that relates to highway improvements; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the New Mexico congressional delegation be requested to support the purposes of this memorial and convey the New Mexico house of representatives' position to house and senate leaders in congress; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the president of the United States, the United States secretary of transportation and the New Mexico congressional delegation.

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