New Mexico Current News and Events

WASHINGTON — There are currently 23 American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA)-financed highway construction projects underway or completed in New Mexico involving $160.2 million in funds, according to data released today by the Washington, D.C.-based American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The projects underway or completed have supported or are supporting 4,457 jobs in New Mexico that would otherwise not exist, says ARTBA Vice President of Economics & Research Dr. Bill Buechner.

ARRA, signed into law on February 17, 2009, provided $48 billion for transportation improvements over two years, including $27.5 billion for highway, bridge and related construction projects nationwide. The law is having significant impacts on the transportation construction industry in all 50 states.

ARRA provided $252.6 million to New Mexico for highway, bridge and related improvements. This one-time bonus added more than 81 percent to New Mexico’s regular federal highway funds under the current federal surface transportation law — Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) — bringing the state’s total federal highway funding in 2009 to a record $562.8 million.

According to Buechner, a Harvard-trained economist, another 67 projects have been identified and are slated to be under construction shortly.

The following shows the number of ARRA-financed highway projects and amount obligated in each New Mexico congressional district.

   Congressional District Number of projects    Amount Obligated
   ---------------------- ------------------    ----------------
              1                              10          $33,340,343
             ---                            ---          -----------
              2                              42          $69,326,633
             ---                            ---          -----------
              3                              38         $146,608,216
             ---                            ---         ------------

A full report can be obtained by contacting ARTBA’s Jeff Solsby at jsolsby@artba.org or 202-289-4434.

For 108 years, ARTBA has represented the U.S. transportation design and construction industry before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, news media and general public.

The NTIA is on a roll! Today, the agency announced that it is awarding $11.2 million to ENMR Telephone Cooperative, Inc. (which does business as ENMR-Plateau) to improve broadband access and speeds in eastern New Mexico and west Texas via a 1,600-mile ring of fiber. Among other benefits, the project plans to expand distance learning opportunities for students at schools and libraries in rural areas and enable connectivity to a telehealth network being constructed across New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado.

“This critical investment will expand high-speed Internet service access to New Mexico schools and hospitals, and eventually homes and businesses, helping to make them full participants in today’s 21st century information economy,” Locke said. “Having access to the Internet’s economic, health and educational benefits will help to improve the quality of life in these communities.”

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), funded by the Recovery Act, provides grants to support the deployment of broadband infrastructure, enhance and expand public computer centers, and encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service.

“This $11.2 million grant to ENMR Telephone Cooperative will make it possible to build miles of new fiber-optic lines, which will benefit businesses, schools, libraries, public safety entities, and help advance the telehealth network being developed across New Mexico,” said Senator Jeff Bingaman. “This grant is good news for eastern New Mexico, as well as for our entire state.”

“Over the last 10 years, America has gone from being a world leader in Internet penetration to now lagging in that effort, and as a state, New Mexico sadly falls towards the bottom of that list,” said Senator Tom Udall, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee. “I am proud this Recovery award will help develop the needed broadband infrastructure in New Mexico that will help enable teleheath services, distance learning programs and attract future businesses and jobs to our state.”

“This is great news for eastern New Mexico,” said former New Mexico governor Toney Anaya, executive director of the New Mexico Office of Recovery and Reinvestment. “The Recovery Act continues to invest in New Mexico’s communities, employing thousands, rebuilding our infrastructure, and supporting the state budget.”

New Mexico Representatives Martin Heinrich, Ben Ray Luján and Harry Teague also praised today’s award.

“The world of information technology is vast, and vital to education and job opportunities in New Mexico,” said Heinrich. “By connecting New Mexicans with improved access to the Internet, we open the door to endless possibilities for learning and inspiring entrepreneurship and economic growth, which are key components of the Recovery Act.”

“As we become increasingly dependent on Internet technology for our everyday activities, we must ensure that all communities have access. Extending broadband throughout New Mexico will help our businesses grow, our children learn, and our communities stay informed,” said Luján. “It is encouraging that the Recovery Act is making this important investment in broadband technology.”

“For many communities in my district, access to broadband is a luxury – and often times that means they have to miss out on critical educational and economic opportunities,” said Teague. “These Recovery funds will help give rural communities in New Mexico the same opportunities that their more urban counterparts currently enjoy by providing the resources needed to build local economies and job opportunities across the region.”

NTIA received more than 1,800 applications proposing projects totaling nearly $19 billion during the first BTOP funding round and is currently awarding grants on a rolling basis. NTIA is currently accepting BTOP applications through March 15, 2010 for a second round of funding.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided a total of $7.2 billion to NTIA and the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) to fund projects that will expand access to and adoption of broadband services. Of that funding, NTIA will utilize $4.7 billion for grants to deploy broadband infrastructure in the United States, expand public computer center capacity, and encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service. NTIA will announce all grant awards by September 30, 2010.

Originally posted @ muniwireless.com

UPHAM, NM – The first batch of concrete was poured Thursday, February 11, marking the start of the final concrete finish phase of the runway construction at Spaceport America, the world’s first purposebuilt commercial spaceport. The runway project, which began in August 2009, is expected to be completed this summer, according to the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA). The multi-layered runway is made up of 24 inches of prepared subgrade with the top six inches being a soil-cement mix foundation, followed by four inches of asphalt, and finally a 14-inch finish layer of concrete. Measuring 10,000 feet long by 200 feet wide, the runway is designed to support nearly every aircraft in the world, as well as the day-to-day space tourism and payload launch operations like those for Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo. The large concrete runway will accommodate returning launch vehicles, fly-back rocket boosters and other space launch and training vehicles.

Steve Landeene, Spaceport America’s Executive Director commented, “The beginning of the concrete application to the runway marks a significant milestone in the realization of Spaceport America and commercial space in New Mexico. The airfield lies strategically within the White Sands Missile Range restricted airspace call-up area, which provides a unique opportunity for customers to fly in either the national airspace system or full restricted zone, depending on the mission requirements.” David Montoya Construction, Inc., of Alameda, NM, is building the airfield at Spaceport America. With 25 years of construction experience in New Mexico, David Montoya Construction, Inc., has provided similar services for Albuquerque International Airport and Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo. Along with the runway project, work is proceeding on the 110,000-square foot Terminal Hangar Facility (THF) at Spaceport America. The current construction project employs over 467 workers and is expected to reach 600-800 by this spring. The NMSA has been working closely with leading aerospace firms such as Virgin Galactic, Lockheed Martin, Moog-FTS, and UP Aerospace to develop commercial spaceflight at the new facility.

PHOTO COURTESY JUDD BRADLEY