The New Mexico portion of the massive Permian Basin is expected to see more road construction, now that state funding to the tune of $87 million has been secured for such projects.
Earlier this year, members of the New Mexico State Legislature approved that amount for road projects in the southeast part of the state.
That funding has since secured the signature of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
In a statement, Tracee Bentley, chief executive officer of the Permian Strategic Partnership, said the planned projects to be funded by state money “will allow for direct action to improve priority road projects in local communities, as well as expedite work already underway on state roadways.”
Some of that work is specific to east-to-west US Route 380 and New Mexico State Road 128, which runs in roughly the same direction.
Local officials are now hoping to secure additional funding for road projects in the region through federal Department of Transportation grants.
The Permian Basin, one of the largest oil and natural gas producing areas in the country, spans 250 miles from west central Texas to southeast New Mexico. It produces up to 30% of the nation’s oil and 15% of its natural gas.
According to a report issued late last year by the Texas Department of Transportation, the heavily-used roads of the basin saw an annual haul in excess of 1 million tons in 2018, a number that is expected to only increase in the decade ahead.
By Garry Boulard
