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Show 7. Replacement of Highways and Bridges The Problem Participation of Federal agencies in replacement or relocation of highways and bridges affected or inundated by water resources improvement. The Situation At least 18 water resources projects will affect highways and highway bridges in some degree. Thirteen of these are Corps of Engineers projects. These include one authorized dam, Chamita; one recommended dam, Chiflo; six proposed dams, Taos Bridge, Rinconado, Pecos, Santa Rosa, Two Rivers, and Carlsbad; one authorized floodway, Bluewater; and four proposed projects involving channel rec- tification or levee construction. Four other projects sponsored by the Bureau of Reclamation, include the authorized Wagon Wheel Gap Reservoir and the proposed Gerrard, Abiqui, and Willow Creek No. 4 Reservoirs. The remain- ing project is the authorized Falcon Reservoir. The three authorized reservoirs (Wagon Wheel Gap, Chamita, and Falcon) present the most seri- ous problem at this time. Falcon Reservoir will inundate sections of United States Highway No. 83, an important link in the Federal-aid primary high- way system in Texas. Chamita Reservoir will inundate United States Highways No. 84 and 285, which form a link of the Federal-aid primary high- way system, and it will bisect New Mexico State Route No. 96, a part of the Federal-aid secondary highway system. Wagon Wheel Gap Reservoir will inundate State Highway 149. In each of the authorized reservoirs the main highway facilities are located on the valley floor, usually the best loca- tion that can be found for highway purposes. In- undation of the valley floor will require relocation of the highways on hilly or mountainous terrain above the new water level, where serious limitations frequently are encountered because of topography, curvature, design speed, and cost of construction and maintenance. Relocation on the edges of a reservoir site increases roadway mileage and travel distances. As compared with total inundation of sections of highways by the authorized reservoirs, the author- ized floodway at Bluewater will have much less effect on highway facilities in that it will require only the alteration or reconstruction of a bridge on the interstate highway system (U. S. Highway 66) and of a few bridges on local roads in the area. The recommended reservoir at Chiflo will inundate a local road about 6 miles north of the Colorado-New Mexico State line. Local highway officials point to three different types of situations which confront them in water resources projects. These are: (1) Postponement, wherever possible, of high- way improvements in areas to be affected by projects. (2) Need, in certain instances, for improvement of a highway traversing an area to be inundated later by a reservoir to meet growing traffic demands, despite the fact that such reservoir is proposed, recommended, or actually authorized. (3) Over-all effect of reservoir projects on highways. In recent years, Colorado and Texas have been applying modern highway and bridge design stand- ards in the relocation of highways inundated by Corps of Engineers projects, according to plans approved before relocation is started. Federal project funds pay for their full share of the cost of such relocations. The International Boundary and Water Commission and the Texas State High- way Department are considering modern design standards in relocating United States Highway No. 83. Conclusions Modern design standards should be used in the replacement or relocation of highway facilities inundated by water resources development projects. The water resources project and the highway in- terests should bear their equitable shares of the cost. Federal and State highway and water resources agencies operating in this basin should give joint consideration to the effect of water resources proj- ects on long-range highway development as a means of determining whether a more equitable solution to this problem can be developed. Such considera- tion should give appropriate recognition to the time which elapses between the date a water resources project is proposed, recommended, or authorized, and the date of its construction. 343 |