Despite lack of funds, interchange plans continue for NMSU center

Aug. 21--LAS CRUCES -- There isn't any money budgeted to build an interchange that would connect Interstate 10 to the Arrowhead Research Center at New Mexico State University.

But that isn't stopping the New Mexico Department of Transportation from coming up with conceptual designs that could

be refined and then implemented, if and when money becomes available. Frank Guzman, District 1 engineer for the transportation department, told the New Mexico State Transportation Commission, at its monthly meeting Thursday at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Museum, that those projected designs are being incorporated into plans for reconstructing the interchange where I-10 and I-25 merge.

"The design plan for the interchange has been expanded for future interchanges," Guzman said. "We're working with New Mexico State University, who has indicated its willingness to work with us."

Guzman added that NMSU officials believe the potential improvements would ease traffic circulation within the university's main campus. Currently, the only access to and from NMSU to either I-10 or I-25 is via University Avenue.

However, an I-10 corridor study conducted about 1 1/2 years ago proposed that an interchange be built to link Arrowhead to I-10. Accounting for inflation, transportation department officials now estimate

the cost of an interchange at that location could be $15 million to $20 million.

But buoyed by American Recovery and Reinvestment (ARRA) funding that will be used to widen I-10 from the I-25 interchange south to the Texas state line, transportation department officials said they are hopeful more federal stimulus funding could become available that would at least offset some of the cost of building a new interchange. A year ago, Transportation Department officials considered the I-10 widening project dead because there weren't any funds available to pay for it.

"It just makes sense to incorporate those changes into the design of the (I-10 and I-25) interchange now," said Filiberto Castorena, assistant District 1 engineer for construction.

But Castorena acknowledged that another infusion of federal stimulus funding, or some other unexpected source, would be needed to build the proposed Arrowhead interchange. But because of the work needed to conduct the I-10 corridor study, that led to the project getting ARRA funding primarily because it was "shovel ready."

Castorena said the transportation department now has the philosophy that it's better to be ready. Rep. James L. Oberstar, D-Minn., chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said New Mexico was among the top third of all states in receiving ARRA funding because it had projects that could be constructed quickly.

"I foresee your state continuing that practice," Oberstar said. "Regardless of what happens, that will be a very good thing for your state because that continued practice should make it easier for New Mexico to become eligible in future for federal road funds."

Steve Ramirez can be reached at sramirez@lcsun-news.com; (575) 541-5452.

Road work

-- There is approximately $177 million in road projects under way in District 1 of the New Mexico Department of Transportation.

-- The district stretches north to Socorro, south to the Texas state line, east to Alamogordo and west to Lordsburg.

-- A major future project will be to reconstruct the interchange where Interstate 10 and Interstate 25 merge, at the southern border of the Las Cruces city limits.

-- That project will cost about $13.

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