Complete incompetence in Santa Fe (roads edition) 61,000 New Mexico jobs at stake

We have reported and written an opinion piece and discussed the sorry state of New Mexico’s roads on our podcast, not to mention rest areas and other infrastructure frequently in recent months. But, rather than dealing with the issue in the special legislative session (as with the medical provider shortage) she wants to push that off to the 30 day session which is coming in January. That session is ALSO going to be even more packed than usual.

The latest from Albuquerque Journal is that the State could lose up to 61,000 jobs if the road funding issue is not resolved.  As we have noted, however, the Gov. and Democrat-controlled Legislature have simply not prioritized roads. Simply put, that has caused the crisis. The following is from today’s article:

“NMDOT usually gets anywhere from $200 million to $300 million for new road construction, though only $65 million was allocated this year.” Our roads have been deteriorating and construction costs have been rising for years (while New Mexico has run massive budget surpluses) how can the Legislature and Gov. allocate a tiny fraction of what has been allocated in the past to roads? Remember, MLG is funding abortion clinics, “free” child care, “free” college, “free pre-K,” and is holding a special session to pump money into welfare programs like food stamps and Medicaid for able bodied adults and illegal immigrants, but again, can’t find the time to address roads?

“The funding deficit puts 61,000 construction and maintenance jobs at risk statewide,” said Danny Marquez of Algodones-based construction firm CA2 Testing.