Commentary: Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representatives Steve Pearce, Ben Ray Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham announced more than $11.5 million to rebuild infrastructure damaged by severe storms and flooding, including areas impacted by Hurricane Odile in September 2014. The new funding will help repair and rebuild highways and roads across the state, which suffered serious damage from the hurricane and other recent severe weather.
“Just over a year ago, flooding from Hurricane Odile swept through communities across New Mexico, from Loving to Santa Fe, causing more than $10 million in damages," Udall said. "This new funding will help New Mexico make significant progress toward fully restoring roads and bridges damaged in the floods and make other urgent repairs to transportation infrastructure on federal lands, ensuring our communities can get back on track.”
“Extreme flooding and weather conditions from Hurricane Odile and other natural disasters damaged roads across New Mexico and Indian Country,” Heinrich said. “This assistance will support restoration efforts so families can drive safely on bridges and highways. I will continue working with my colleagues to provide affected communities in New Mexico the support they need to rebuild and recover.”
“With this funding, not only will our communities be able to repair and improve the infrastructure damaged during Hurricane Odile, but it also ensures the federal government honors its commitment to providing assistance to communities impacted by disasters,” Pearce said. “I thank my colleagues in the delegation for joining together to ensure that New Mexican communities received the assistance they deserved.”
“The damage caused by Hurricane Odile left many communities in New Mexico in need of critical repairs to roads and bridges,” Luján said. “Natural disasters such as this one damaged our communities while also putting a strain on their budgets. I am pleased that the Department of Transportation is providing these important funds to help them repair and rebuild.”
“Our infrastructure is important, especially to rural communities in New Mexico,” Lujan Grisham said. “It is imperative that these communities have access to the resources to rebuild these roads, bridges and highways.”
The New Mexico congressional delegation supported the State of New Mexico’s request for disaster recovery assistance following Hurricane Odile. A disaster declaration made federal recovery assistance available to Colfax, Eddy, Lincoln, Lea, Otero, Santa Fe, San Miguel and Sierra counties.
This new funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Emergency Relief program within the Federal Highway Administration and the Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads program through the Highway Trust Fund. Funding includes:
- $8,559,801 for the New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department to repair roads damaged by September 2014 flooding.
- $1,125,944 for National Park Service roads in Sandoval County.
- $671,035 for Bureau of Indian Affairs roads in Sandoval County and Archuleta County, Colorado.
- $604,689 for Bureau of Indian Affairs roads in Sandoval County.
- $427,990 for Forest Service roads in San Miguel and Catron counties.
- $186,338 for Bureau of Land Management roads in Luna County.
- $6,584 for Bureau of Land Management roads in Sandoval and Socorro counties.