Infrastructure grant coming to Navajo communities
The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded San Juan County $59,800,000 in
grant money for U.S. Highway 64 improvements.
The grant was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to deliver funds to make sure New
Mexicans have safe, reliable roads and infrastructure,” U.S. Representative
Teresa Leger Fernández said in a press release. “I’m glad the Department of
Transportation listened to the New Mexico Congressional Delegation when we
asked for the necessary funds to repair Route 64 — a route the Shiprock
community relies on every day and had been in dire need for repairs.”
The entire New Mexico congressional delegation, all Democrats, voted for the
law.
The project aims to widen and improve 21 miles of the U.S. Highway 64 corridor
that runs through Navajo communities, including Shiprock and Hogback.
Improvements include 12-foot lanes in each direction, rumble strips, paved
shoulders of up to eight feet and better bus pull-outs.
The New Mexico Department of Transportation is expected to install safety
elements around Navajo chapter houses such as pedestrian crossing, turn lanes
and improved lighting.
Additionally, the state is expected to replace four bridges, and install fiber
optic and cabling installation and about 50 corrugated metal culverts on the
corridor.
“This major federal investment will help us make vital safety improvements on
the roads and bridges that thousands of Shiprock residents rely on to access
health care, education, and economic opportunities,” U.S. Senator Martin
Heinrich said in the press release. “These roads are badly in need of repair.
Thanks to the historic investments that President Biden and the New Mexico
Congressional Delegation delivered through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,
we are finally getting this done.”
This is the second year of the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program which
invests $2 billion through 2026 to improve rural infrastructure such as tunnels,
bridges, highways and flexible transit services to Tribal and rural areas. The
program can do so through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, according to a
press release about the program.
San Juan County was one of 18 grantees announced Tuesday.For more information about the Program visit the U.S. Department of Transportation website.
Rudy Arredondo
President/Founder
Latino Farmers & Ranchers International, Inc.
Mobile: (301) 366-8200
Email: latinofarmers@gmail.com
Website: www.LFRIINC.org
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