A final decision is expected to be announced next month regarding the big construction of a highway in southern New Mexico that will connect the cities of Santa Teresa and Sunland Park.
What is being called the Border Highway Connector has long been promoted by state, regional, and local officials who see the route as an effective way of moving trucks between the busy Santa Teresa Port of Entry and, ultimately, Interstate 10.
What is expected to be a nearly $80 million project, built between New Mexico State Roads 136 and 273, has been the subject of a series of public input meetings exploring the benefits of the new highway.
Those benefits, according to New Mexico Department of Transportation officials, include providing a more direct access route to U.S./Mexico border crossings, and reducing ongoing traffic volumes on existing nearby routes.
Designed as a four-lane highway running some 7.5 miles, the Border Highway Connector, according to the El Paso Times, is now being seen as a preferred route by the New Mexico DOT, noting that it has “received the highest rating among a final list of six route choices.”
At least 5.5 miles of the new route will be comprised of vast portions of desert land. The New Mexico DOT has said that it may end up purchasing some of that land.
A final official decision on where the Border Highway Connector will be built is expected to be announced in July. Work on what is expected to be a two-year project will most likely begin in early 2026.
By Garry Boulard
Image Credit: Courtesy of Unsplash
