STUDY HIGHWAY 491 PROBLEMS

Senate Memorial 30 requests the New Mexico Department of Transportation and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Bureau to study safety and maintenance issues on U.S. Highway 491. The study must analyze road conditions, traffic patterns (including commercial trucks, school buses, and pedestrians), accident data, environmental hazards like sandstorms, and enforcement practices. It requires specific data collection on mile-by-mile road conditions, traffic counts, accident locations, and enforcement stops, with recommendations due by November 2026. The study directly affects drivers, school children traveling along the route, pedestrians, and the Navajo Nation, which shares jurisdiction over the highway corridor. This procedural request does not enact new laws but seeks data to inform future safety improvements.