Editing New Mexico (section)

===Road===

{{See also|Speed limits in the United States by jurisdiction#New Mexico|List of New Mexico highways}}
[[File:National-atlas-new-mexico.png|thumb|left]]

Personal automobiles remain the primary means of transportation for most New Mexicans, especially in rural areas.<ref name="abqjournal.com" /> The state had 59,927 route miles of highway {{as of|lc=y|2000}}, of which 7,037 receive federal aid.<ref>U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Table 1-2: New Mexico Public Road Length, Miles by Ownership 2000 [http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/new_mexico/html/table_01_02.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017024457/http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/new_mexico/html/table_01_02.html|date=October 17, 2008}}</ref> In that same year there were {{convert|1003|mi|km}} of freeways, of which a thousand were the route miles of Interstate Highways [[Interstate 10 in New Mexico|10]], [[Interstate 25 in New Mexico|25]] and [[Interstate 40 in New Mexico|40]].<ref>U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Table 1-1: New Mexico Public Road Length, by Functional System [http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/new_mexico/html/table_01_01.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017023538/http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/new_mexico/html/table_01_01.html|date=October 17, 2008}}</ref> The former number has increased with the upgrading of roads near [[Pojoaque, New Mexico|Pojoaque]], [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]] and [[Las Cruces, New Mexico|Las Cruces]] to freeways. Notable bridges include the [[Rio Grande Gorge Bridge]] near [[Taos, New Mexico|Taos]]. Larger cities in New Mexico typically have some form of public transportation by road; [[ABQ RIDE]] is the largest such system in the state.<ref>{{cite web|title=ABQ RIDE{{snd}}City of Albuquerque|url=http://www.cabq.gov/transit/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100317142408/http://www.cabq.gov/transit/index.html|archive-date=March 17, 2010|access-date=April 12, 2010|publisher=City of Albuquerque|url-status=dead}}</ref> Rural and intercity public transportation by road is provided by [[Americanos USA, LLC]], [[Greyhound Lines]] and several government operators.

New Mexico is plagued by poor road conditions, with roughly a third of its roadways suffering from "inadequate state and local funding".<ref name="By">{{Cite web|last=By|first=Robert Nott|title=Report: New Mexico motorists paying price for poor roads|url=https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/report-new-mexico-motorists-paying-price-for-poor-roads/article_615359ca-7d5c-11ec-bb2f-07ef0d6b82d9.html|access-date=2022-01-26|website=Santa Fe New Mexican|date=January 25, 2022|language=en|archive-date=January 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126152418/https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/report-new-mexico-motorists-paying-price-for-poor-roads/article_615359ca-7d5c-11ec-bb2f-07ef0d6b82d9.html|url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|2001}}, 703 highway bridges, or one percent, were declared "structurally deficient" or "structurally obsolete".<ref>[http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/new_mexico/html/table_02_01.html U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Table 1-5: Highway Bridge Condition: 2001]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623111327/http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/new_mexico/html/table_02_01.html|date=June 23, 2012}}.</ref> Data from 2019 found 207 bridges and more than 3,822 miles of highway in less than subpar condition, resulting in greater commute times and higher costs in vehicles maintenance.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 4, 2021|title=White House Releases Updated State Fact Sheets Highlighting the Impact of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Nationwide|url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/08/04/white-house-releases-state-fact-sheets-highlighting-the-impact-of-the-infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act-nationwide/|access-date=2022-01-26|website=The White House|language=en-US|archive-date=January 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126152418/https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/08/04/white-house-releases-state-fact-sheets-highlighting-the-impact-of-the-infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act-nationwide/|url-status=live}}</ref>

New Mexico has historically had a problem with drunk driving, though this has lessened: According to the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', the state once had the nation's highest alcohol-related crash rates but ranked 25th in this regard by July 2009.<ref>{{cite web |work=Los Angeles Times |title=New Mexico turns a corner on drunk driving |date=July 7, 2009 |first=Kate |last=Linthicum |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jul-07-na-new-mexico-dwi7-story.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=January 13, 2025}}</ref> The highway traffic fatality rate was 1.9 per million miles traveled in 2000, the 13th highest rate among U.S. states.<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Table 2-1: Highway Traffic Fatalities and Fatality Rates: 2000|url=http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/new_mexico/html/table_02_01.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623111327/http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/new_mexico/html/table_02_01.html|archive-date=June 23, 2012|access-date=June 10, 2012|publisher=Bts.gov|url-status=dead}}</ref> A 2022 report cited poor road as a major factor in New Mexico's continually high traffic fatalities; between 2015 and 2019, close 1,900 people were killed in automotive crashes in the state.<ref name="By"/>