Mesilla Valley MPO staff presented proposed updates to the region’s long-range Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP 02/1950), describing changes to project listings, cost projections and supporting maps ahead of governing-board adoption.

Dominic Loya, MPO staff, said the plan extends the MPO’s prior plan through 1950 (titled Metro Metropolitan Transportation Plan 02/1950) and reflects shifts in project timing and feasibility. "A study was done for the Las Cruces Innovation Industrial Park, and the recommendation was not to advance a rail line due to cost and the lack of infrastructure," Loya said, explaining why the rail project was removed from the draft plan.

Staff also adjusted future maintenance-cost projections because of material-cost volatility and supply-chain impacts since 2020; Loya said projects already obligated in the TIP remain listed with current funding but that other project cost estimates are starting points only. The Active Mobility Plan maps were updated to reflect current conditions and proposed future active-transportation corridors; the functional classification map showed a few downgrades from collector to local streets but no changes to minor or principal arterial designations.

MPO planner Ms. Fruvigy explained a data problem staff found in the federal crash database that affected vehicle-miles-traveled and crash-rate calculations. "They actually duplicated a column, so it pushed everything down one column," Ms. Fruvigy said. She and staff worked with the federal database maintainers to correct the error, which restores confidence in the fatality and serious-injury rate calculations the agency uses for safety-performance targets.

Loya outlined regionally significant projects that remain in the plan, including the Angle (Arrowhead/Angle) interchange, University Avenue multimodal improvements, a US 70 median, I-10 rehabilitation and bridge replacements. He said the University Avenue multimodal project has launched and is expected to finish within about 18 months; other projects remain staged across the plan’s 25-year horizon.

Staff said they have held two public meetings and expect at least one more near the Village of Doña Ana within two weeks; maps are available in the meeting packet and written comments will be accepted before the MPO governing board considers adoption in June.

Why it matters: the MTP sets the region’s project priorities and maintains federal funding eligibility; corrections to federal data and updates to projected costs influence how the MPO assesses safety performance and sets priorities for constrained funding.

Staff asked members and the public to review the maps and provide comments before the plan returns to TAC for recommendation to the governing board.