New Mexico awarded $71M for bridge replacement project

On Tuesday, the New Mexico Department of Transportation announced it had received a $71 million grant to replace the I-25 Nogal Canyon Bridge in Socorro County.

The funding, part of the Federal Highway Administration’s competitive Bridge Investment Program, will replace the two existing I-25 bridges over Nogal Canyon. Officials said the existing truss bridges have nonredundant steel tension members, and the superstructures have deteriorated over time as the bridges near the end of their service life. The replacement project will also see the reconstruction of the vertical geometry of the I-25 approaches to the new bridges and flattening of the grade into the Nogal Canyon.

“The New Mexico Department of Transportation is ecstatic to receive this funding to address the infrastructure needs in this portion of the state and make this the signature bridge of our interstate system,” said NMDOT Cabinet Secretary Ricky Serna. “This will ensure efficiency for all users on the interstate corridor and will strengthen the economic competitiveness of the region and the State.”

The $71,250,000 grant will add to the more than $34 million grant match by the NMDOT, and more than $36 million in additional federal funding, to pay for the more than $142 million total price tag.

Nogal Canyon Bridge sees nearly 3,000 trucks per day, and nearly 4.5 million vehicles annually.

“The grant funding will help the Department replace aging bridge structures, keeping the traveling public safe and ensures the movement of people and goods along the I-25 corridor, said David Quintana, Chief Engineer. “This project will be the first project that will utilize an alternative procurement with the use of Construction Manager General Contractor, CMGC. This method of project development brings in the contractor early in the design process to minimize risks during construction and speed up the overall delivery of the project, thereby reducing costs.”

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