In the coming months, the New Mexico State Transportation Commission will be tasked with issuing up to $1.5 million in bonds designed to fund a variety or road projects across the state.
That funding is the result of legislation passed in the New Mexico House of Representatives approving that amount and responding to a proposal sent last month to lawmakers by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
On January 30th, the house of representatives passed the bill in a 44 – 23 vote, and in the senate with a 31 – 9 vote on January 23rd.
“This major investment in New Mexico’s transportation infrastructure is long overdue,” the Governor remarked in a statement after the House vote was finalized.
The bonds will directly fund what is called the State Transportation Improvement Program, which is a plan listing regionally significant road work projects.
According to a press release issued by the New Mexico Department of Transportation, the new funding will “help address the state’s $7.5 billion transportation funding shortfall.” That shortfall has resulted in more than half of New Mexico’s roads needing maintenance work.
One of the sponsors of the legislation, Democrat Senator Bobby Gonzales, said in a statement that the bonded funding is designed to “create a stable and predictable funding source and reduce ongoing dependency on one-time appropriations.”
An analysis released last year through a measurement used by the Federal Highway Administration, known as the International Roughness Index, listed New Mexico as having the fifth worst road conditions in the country.
The bill will go into effect on July 1st, 2026, once it’s signed by Governor Grisham.
February 3, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
In the coming months, the New Mexico State Transportation Commission will be tasked with issuing up to $1.5 million in bonds designed to fund a variety or road projects across the state.
On January 30th, the house of representatives passed the bill in a 44 – 23 vote, and in the senate with a 31 – 9 vote on January 23rd.
That funding is the result of legislation passed in the New Mexico House of Representatives approving that amount and responding to a proposal sent last month to lawmakers by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
“This major investment in New Mexico’s transportation infrastructure is long overdue,” the Governor remarked in a statement after the House vote was finalized.
The bonds will directly fund what is called the State Transportation Improvement Program, which is a plan listing regionally significant road work projects.
According to a press release issued by the New Mexico Department of Transportation, the new funding will “help address the state’s $7.5 billion transportation funding shortfall.” That shortfall has resulted in more than half of New Mexico’s roads needing maintenance work.
One of the sponsors of the legislation, Democrat Senator Bobby Gonzales, said in a statement that the bonded funding is designed to “create a stable and predictable funding source and reduce ongoing dependency on one-time appropriations.”
An analysis released last year through a measurement used by the Federal Highway Administration, known as the International Roughness Index, listed New Mexico as having the fifth worst road conditions in the country.
The bill will go into effect on July 1st, 2026, once it’s signed by Governor Grisham.
February 3, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
