NMDOT Seeks Public Comment on Transportation Plan

The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) invites the public to review and comment on its draft long range plan — now called the “New Mexico Transportation Plan” (NMTP).  The draft is available for download from the project web site, www.newmexicotransportationplan.com.

The NMTP is a performance-based and strategic framework that will guide decision-making by NMDOT and its metropolitan and regional transportation planning partners beginning at the start of the next federal fiscal year.  The plan meets the requirements of federal law (23 USC 135) for each state to develop a long range plan that is based on wide and diverse stakeholder input; addresses multiple modes of transportation; is statewide in scope; and has a 20-year minimum horizon.   

The NMTP establishes a 2040 vision for transportation in New Mexico and documents the state’s transportation challenges and opportunities.  It identifies a core set of goals and strategies to move NMDOT forward into the future. It also defines a set of agency-level actions and performance measures to hold NMDOT accountable for tracking progress toward achieving the state’s transportation vision.

Recognizing that it is not realistic to solve every problem given funding limitations, the plan sets forth a “Preservation First” strategy to maintain the state’s existing assets and establishes a tiered system to allocate resources to the infrastructure that is most critical for the movement of people and goods.  The plan also takes a new risk-management approach to programming safety funds with an emphasis on protecting vulnerable system users.

Federal transportation law requires public involvement to be a hallmark of the statewide transportation plan development process. To achieve this goal, NMDOT built much of the plan’s content from the ground up, incorporating input from 1,900 participants and almost 250 partner agencies, organizations, and tribes.  Now we want to hear from you.  There are a number of ways to provide input:

• Submit comments electronically through the project web site: www.newmexicotransportationplan.com.
• Submit comments via email: [email protected].
• Attend an upcoming presentation at the regularly scheduled metropolitan and regional planning organization meetings shown in the attached list.
• Participate in upcoming public meetings to be held in Las Cruces (June 3, 2015), Albuquerque (June 4, 2015), and Santa Fe (June 8, 2015). 

The public comment period will remain open through June 26.  The NMDOT encourages all New Mexico residents and visitors to participate in these events.  Or, visit the project website to obtain more information and to submit comments on the draft New Mexico Transportation Plan.