Work could begin late next year on the upgrading of two state highways in southern New Mexico that are heavily used by trucks servicing the region’s large oil and gas industries.
It is expected that it will cost up to $80 million for the phase one work improving New Mexico State Road 128, which runs from east to west; and New Mexico State Road 31, which primarily runs north to south.
The work in Eddy County will see pavement improvements, the building of additional shoulders and lanes, sight distance/vertical alignment improvements, and drainage improvements.
Both roads cut through a certain amount of State Land Office and Bureau of Land Management property, with engineering and environmental impact studies for the projects expected to be completed by early next spring.
A separate project that will see an upgrading and installation of a new signal system at the intersection of State Road 31 and U.S. Route 285 is also expected to see work begin sometime next year.
Contributing to the heavy use of both state roads 128 and 31 has been an increase in Eddy County’s population from around 51,000 two decades ago to more than 58,000 today, with much of that increase coming from oil and gas exploration employment.
By Garry Boulard