Acting Department of Transportation Secretary Tom Church said his department's funds are limited in the number of new roads it can build or fix. He apologized to the delegation for the errors made in the $20 million reconstruction of Canal Street that was completed in 2011.
"We are embarrassed the way we did things," Church said. "We can't afford to fix everything, but are responsible financially for some of it."
At issue are curbs that were not built according to Americans with Disabilities Act standards. Wheelchair-bounds residents cannot cross the road at the intersections.
The federal government, which provided a large portion of the funding for the reconstruction of Canal Street, has mandated that the omission of ADA curbs must be corrected and paid for by the state.
Carlsbad officials said following the meeting with Church they fear there will be more traffic congestion through the city when the state begins to correct the problem.
Carlsbad's delegation also pointed out the oil and gas industry in Eddy County provides millions of dollars to the state, but the county receives little in return.
Church said while the industry provides a lot of money in tax revenues, not all of it goes to the state.
The federal government receives a healthy portion of that money.He said the department's 2013 budget is $830 million, but it is not enough to meet the road needs of communities around the state.
He said because a large portion of the state's highway funding comes from the federal government, there is a lot of uncertainty over what the fiscal cliff will do to the state's federal funding. He said if the federal government does not fix its financial woes, the state could face a $10
From left, Keith Gardner, Gov. Susana Martinez s chief of staff, Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway, and J.R. Doporto, city councilor, discuss issues concerning Carlsbad and its economy. (Stella Davis/Current-Argus)
million to $15 million federal highway funding shortfall."For now, it's business as usual," Church said. "I can't commit to anything and give you false hope. I don't want to promise something we can't live with." The Carlsbad delegation, including county and city government leaders, local business people and Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce leaders, said they understood the department's position, but hoped when funds do become available, that Carlsbad and Eddy County would be on the list for road infrastructure improvements.
The Carlsbad delegation told Church that increased oil and gas activity in Eddy County has resulted in heavy truck traffic through the main streets of Carlsbad.
In particular, they said, Canal Street's rehabilitation project could be for naught if heavy truck traffic continues to come through the main thoroughfare. The truck traffic will cause accelerated road wear, they said.
Eddy County Commission Chairman Jack Volpato said the proposed Loop Road around the west side of the city would greatly reduce the traffic through downtown.
Volpato said although the county has put back $16 million for the Loop Road, it would help if the state were to partner with the county in some way. Church again reiterated that the money is tight, but at some point in the future, the state could consider taking the road and maintaining it. He commended the county for its vision and having put back the money for the project, the full amount estimated to build the road. Volpato said if the state would consider taking the Loop Road and putting it on the state's road inventory, the county would build the road to state standards.
However, Church was not ready to make a commitment.
Answering questions about the Dark Canyon Bridge on South Canal Street, Ralph Meeks, Highway Department engineer, said when work began on the bridge, there was a structural issue that needed to be addressed. He said the middle of the bridge had to be stabilized. He said while the public has not seen the work in progress, in reality work has been ongoing beneath the bridge.
He said once that is completed, the wavy roadway across the bridge will be smoothed out. That's the good news. The bad news is the bridge could continue to be partially closed off to traffic for several more weeks.
City Councilor Dick Doss voiced concern that the George Shoup Relief Route, which comes off U.S. Highway 285 and heads east to link with U.S Highway 62-180, will be closed for longer than expected.
He said the city was first told that the closure would be for only four months, but now the department has said the closure will be for six months. Doss said the re-routed traffic will be coming through town and causing even more traffic congestion.
"It's going to be a fiasco," Doss said.
Meeks explained that there was more paperwork and other issues that had not been anticipated.
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