FHWA Administrator Mendez Joins Governor Martinez to Break Ground on I-10/I-25 Interchange Project |
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Topics: Victor Mendez, Interstate Highway System
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Federal Highway Administration
24 April 2012
FHWA 19-12
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Contact: Nancy Singer
Tel: 202-366-0660
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez today joined New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez to break ground on the I-10/I-25 interchange project, which will help improve safety and relieve congestion in the area.
"President Obama has called on us to invest in projects that strengthen our transportation infrastructure and create jobs," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "The work that begins today will relieve congestion, spur economic growth, and address a major cause of accidents on the interchange."
The project will address safety problems and structural deficiencies on the existing interchange, where twenty-seven percent of accidents each year are due to overturned vehicles on the sharp turning ramps, which do not meet current design standards.
The $53.8 million project, which includes $37.5 million in federal-aid funding, will reconfigure the I-10/I-25 interchange to better serve I-10, which was recently widened from four to six lanes. The project's centerpiece includes the addition of two new flyover ramps to improve safety for motorists. The load-limited I-10 Twin Bridges will be reconstructed to allow access for large trucks, essential to business and commerce.
"This project will not only create jobs now, it will also help move freight more efficiently through the area, which will help the economy grow over the coming years," Administrator Mendez said. "These are two key routes for international trade and commerce."
Approximately 40,000 trucks use the interchange each day. The heavily traveled interchange is in need of upgrades to meet the growing demands on the network. I-10 serves as a major corridor for traffic across the Southwest and Mexico, and I-25 serves as a major corridor for traffic from Southern New Mexico and El Paso, Texas, to Albuquerque and I-40.