State looks to improve roads with Obama stimulus funds

THE STATE HAS NEARLY 630-MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF HIGHWAY PROJECTS IT HOPES CAN BE FUNDED B...  More »

THE STATE HAS NEARLY 630-MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF HIGHWAY PROJECTS IT HOPES CAN BE FUNDED BY THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION'S PROPOSED STIMULUS PACKAGE. TWO OF THE PROJECTS ON THE LIST ARE RIGHT HERE IN THE ALBUQUERQUE METRO. 70 MILLION DOLLARS WOULD GO TOWARD WIDENING I-25 BETWEEN TRAMWAY AND BERNALILLO. 34-MILLION DOLLARS WOULD GO TOWARD PUTTING IN AN INTERCHANGE ON ALBUQUERQUE'S WESTSIDE AT PASEO DEL VOLCAN AND CENTRAL. BUT THE BIGGEST PROJECT IS HIGHWAY 491 -- FORMERLY HIGHWAY 6-6-6 -- THE DEVIL'S HIGHWAY. THE STATE'S BEEN TRYING TO IMPROVE THE STRETCH OF HIGHWAY FROM TOHATCHI TO SHIPROCK -- BUT RAN OUT OF MONEY. THE HIGHWAY IS NOTORIOUS FOR ITS TWISTS AND TURNS THAT HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO A NUMBER OF DEADLY WRECKS. ABOUT 175 MILLION OF THE STATE'S CASH REQUEST WOULD GO TO IMPROVING HIGHWAY 491.  « Less