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MPO technical committee recommends adding two I‑25 safety projects to the TIP
Summary
The Doña Ana County MPO technical committee recommended amending the federal fiscal 2024–2029 Transportation Improvement Program to add NMDOT I‑25 roadside barrier improvements (LC00590) and an Engler interchange construction project (LC00380/LC00382) to position the projects for available funds.
The Doña Ana County MPO technical committee voted to recommend a set of Transportation Improvement Program amendments that would add two NMDOT projects on I‑25 to the MPO’s FY2024–2029 TIP.
Dominic Loy of MPO staff introduced two proposed amendments. The first, shown in staff materials as LC00590, is a new FY2025 NMDOT project described as roadside barrier improvements for I‑25 between milepost 6 and milepost 14.2. Staff reported a project total of $2,550,000 and said the work affects safety performance measures.
A second amendment covers an I‑25 Engler interchange construction project that staff listed as LC00380 in the packet and that NMDOT district staff later referenced as LC00382. NMDOT district staff said the scope includes guardrail replacement, lighting and an expanded scope on Angler (Engler) Road beneath the interstate; Andreas Linn described the project as “a child project at our ongoing study” of the corridor and said the change will improve regional access.
NMDOT district staff also noted an Interchange Access Change Request (IACR) is under federal review in Washington, D.C.; adding the project to the TIP would allow the agency to obligate funds quickly if redistributed federal construction money becomes available. As Andreas Linn explained, adding the project to the TIP creates “a place to hold” the project so money can be placed against it when funds are released.
BPAC recommended approval at its prior meeting, and MPO staff requested the technical committee forward the amendments to the MPO governing board. The motion to recommend the TIP amendments was made from the floor, moved by Mike Bartholomew and seconded by Andreas Linn; the committee approved the recommendation by voice vote.
Why it matters: The amendments position two interstate safety and interchange projects to receive available state or redistributed federal construction dollars sooner by placing them into the MPO’s TIP. One item is time‑sensitive because FY2025 funds must be obligated before August 2025, NMDOT staff said.
Next steps: MPO staff will forward the recommended TIP amendments to the MPO governing board for action; NMDOT will continue necessary federal reviews for the interchange access change request.
