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| New Roads and New Jobs for New Mexico |
July 24, 2003 |
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Dear Friends,
Summer is the time for appropriations bills and this year is no exception. In fact, if this week goes well, we may have 12 of the 13 Federal spending bills passed in the House before the end of July. I think that`s a new indoor record.
Heather speaks at a press conference at the Double Eagle II Airport to announce federal funding to reconstruct the Pase del Volcan interchange leading from I-40 to the facility.
Each year, while we work to get the annual federal government budget done, we try to make sure that the budget reflects priorities in New Mexico. That means focusing on jobs and the economy.
New Mexico makes tremendous contributions to our national defense. With another round of base realignment and closure expected in 2005, keeping our bases in good condition is important. Each year, we have worked to take care of the base`s top military construction priorities. Sometimes, these projects aren`t very glamorous: refurbishing ramps and runways, building a new visiting officers building, security improvements and power supplies. But these nuts and bolts things help to keep Kirtland in good condition.
And when it comes time to decide what to keep and what to close, we want the Pentagon to know that Kirtland is a national base with a vital mission far beyond the Air Force, that the community supports Kirtland, and that Kirtland has been maintained well. The people who drive through gates every day and the businesses that supply the base do important work. We want that work to stay in New Mexico.
Infrastructure in our community is also important to attract good jobs to our state. New Mexico has made tremendous progress in the last decade improving our roads. There is a better web of four lane highways criss-crossing the state, the Big I is rebuilt, and the roads are in better shape than they were. But there is still much to do.
Much of the money for these big road projects comes through the federal gas tax and the federal transportation bill. We have been working with the state and the city to make sure the funding formulas do not disadvantage New Mexico. We also are working to prioritize projects that will help grow and keep jobs - like the road to the Double Eagle Airport, the I-40 and Coors interchange on the west side, the widening of Isleta boulevard and the interchange from I-40 to Louisiana that leads to Albuquerque`s retail hub.
We`ll keep working on these and other projects that will keep the economy growing in New Mexico.
Wish you were here,
New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department
Louisiana Interchange Reconstruction, proposed layout. Note that this map is preliminary
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