New Mexico DOT improves safety on highways and rail crossings
April 29, 2026
In this article, we describe our work with the New Mexico Department of Transportation, selected as ENR¡¯s Southwest Owner of the Year
An unprecedented boom in the oil and gas industry has fueled New Mexico¡¯s economy¡ªand the New Mexico Department?of Transportation¡¯s?(NMDOT)?budget.?The infusion has propelled major projects and programs not only for highways, but now for rail. With a reorganization and?additional?funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,?NMDOT is embarking on its own construction boom.
¡°In the past, we¡¯d been tied to resources that were available from federal aid,¡± says David?Quintana, acting secretary for?NMDOT.?¡°Those formula dollars were our ceiling. Often project scopes had to be adjusted to fit the available budget.¡±
When oil and gas revenue started soaring in the state in 2019, it added?US$1.3 billion for the agency on top of the federal program. Then came the IIJA.
The agency received $2.5 billion for highways and bridges, $366 million for public transit, around $38 million for electric vehicle charging,?and $90 million for airports.
¡°The public¡¯s safety is at the forefront of NMDOT¡¯s decision-making,¡± says?Gabby Contreras-Apodaca,?principal for transportation at ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½.?
