The Year 2040: It sounds so far away. Why even think about it? But, when the goal is making sure our transportation system meets our future needs, the time to start planning is now.
The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) has begun a comprehensive and collaborative process to develop a 2040 Statewide Long-Range Multimodal Transportation Plan (SLRP). The plan will provide a vision for how New Mexico’s transportation system can support the well-being of our residents and visitors now and in the future.
The plan will be developed over the next 18 months and will answer four basic questions:
- Where are we now? What is the existing condition of the transportation system?
- Where do we want to go? What is the vision for the future of the system?
- How are we going to get there? What investments will help us achieve the vision?
- What will it take? What resources – staff and financial – are required?
We value your input. Federal transportation law requires public involvement to be a hallmark of our plan development process. To achieve this goal, NMDOT will build much of the plan’s content from the ground up. Our goal is to reach out to a wide range of individuals, groups, businesses, and other government agencies to generate ideas and better understand our state’s transportation issues and challenges. We are using several different approaches to gather input, including:
- Statewide working groups comprised of experts in particular areas like safety, public health, freight movement, visitors/tourism, and others
- Regional groups comprised of members from local and regional communities
- Interactive website and social media
- Bilingual statewide survey
- Public meetings and information stations at public events.
While our view is set at the horizon – where we’ll be in 2040 – we know that the reality of transportation for you is how you are affected today. Please join us as we begin to examine the existing and future needs of transportation in New Mexico.