Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Cameron Meier at Quality Tube & Tire in Tucumcari prepares to install a new tire on a customer's car after its previous tire was irreparably damaged by a pothole on Interstate 40 west of town.
Over $38 million in road work on Interstate 40 in Quay County is on tap for this spring, with more projects in the planning stages.
For some drivers, those repairs won't come soon enough. Tucumcari shops have been busy all winter fixing more damaged tires because of I-40's potholes.
"I know it's really bad on the west side of town," Quality Lube & Tire co-owner Leif Gray said last week.
He said he began noticing four months ago an upswing in tire repairs due to the bad condition of I-40. His shop now handles two to six such repairs daily.
"Bent rims, blown-tire tires," he said. "It's definitely gotten worse."
Robert Moore Jr., owner of Tucumcari Automotive, said last week he began to notice more vehicle damage reports due to I-40 potholes during the past three months.
"In the past two weeks, it's gotten pretty serious," he said.
Moore said the worst stretch of I-40 is between mileposts 312 and 314, near Montoya.
He said his shop deals with three to five pothole-damaged vehicles daily.
In one case, Moore said one pothole bent the frame of a driver's car, making it a total loss by the insurance company.
Another motorist lost an engine because a pothole destroyed its oil pan, he said.
A stretch of eastbound I-40 near Montoya has deteriorated enough that state highway officials several weeks ago erected signs, warning motorists about rough roads ahead and recommending they reduce their speeds.
Travis Martinez, public information officer for the New Mexico Department of Transportation's District 4 that includes Quay County, said his agency has received more concerns about potholes on I-40 and has been using cold asphalt patches as temporary fixes until construction projects can begin in the spring.
Martinez said NMDOT will begin at last three I-40 projects this spring:
- Between mileposts 322 and 327 (Palomas), a mill and overlay project at a cost of $13.85 million;
- Between mileposts 344 and 350, with a mill and overlay project that includes bridge and guardrail maintenance at a cost of $21.1 million.
- Between mileposts 358 and 373 near San Jon, a mill and overlay project with a cost of about $4 million.
Martinez said the agency is looking for additional funding for these I-40 projects, set to begin this year:
- Between mileposts 312 and 317, a mill and inlay project estimated at $ 1.5 million.
- Between mileposts 255 and 263, a mill and inlay project estimated at $2.1 million.
Martinez also said District 4 also is working on designs for four more I-40 projects:
- Between mileposts 269 and 276;
- Between mileposts 327 and 339;
- Between mileposts 286 and 291;
- Between mileposts 308 and 318 near Montoya.
Potholes typically occur when moisture seeps into cracks of the pavement, then freezes. Low temperatures during winter also impede road crews from using aggregate material for patching.
Chase Waters, owner of Del's Restaurant in Tucumcari, said he has heard complaints from customers about the condition of the highway.
He said at least one person openly talked about taking an alternative route due to the interstate's poor condition.
"If one if one person is asking and talking about it, I'm sure there are people that are taking alternate routes, and it is hurting our our town and business," he said.
Waters said New Mexico needs "to take pride in the roads again."
"As a kid, I remember it was like a fight between Texas and New Mexico of who had better roads. And I feel like New Mexico threw their hands up and surrendered," he said.