New Mexico

[Rothman]

Oh, man, oh man.... did I mention that NMDOT needs to get their shit together? They had a lane of I 40 closed With no construction workers and nothing going on at five p m. That was heading westbound on I 40 near tucumcari. It caused about a five mile back up. Fortunately, I was heading eastbound. But that is ridiculous. New mexico really just doesn't give a fuck.

There are various legit reasons for a work zone to be empty...

Yeah, alright. I just don't buy that in the middle of a rural desert they couldn't find a way to prevent a 5+ mile backup for a simple repave.

Well, give them a call, then.

[Plutonic Panda]

Oh, man, oh man.... did I mention that NMDOT needs to get their shit together? They had a lane of I 40 closed With no construction workers and nothing going on at five p m. That was heading westbound on I 40 near tucumcari. It caused about a five mile back up. Fortunately, I was heading eastbound. But that is ridiculous. New mexico really just doesn't give a fuck.

There are various legit reasons for a work zone to be empty...

Yeah, alright. I just don't buy that in the middle of a rural desert they couldn't find a way to prevent a 5+ mile backup for a simple repave.

Well, give them a call, then.

Oh yessir I have already written them a very strongly worded message.

[Scott5114]

Oh, man, oh man.... did I mention that NMDOT needs to get their shit together? They had a lane of I 40 closed With no construction workers and nothing going on at five p m. That was heading westbound on I 40 near tucumcari. It caused about a five mile back up. Fortunately, I was heading eastbound. But that is ridiculous. New mexico really just doesn't give a fuck.

There are various legit reasons for a work zone to be empty...

This and NMDOT needing to get their shit together can both be true.

[Max Rockatansky]

Arizona does the same thing during long resurfacing projects on I-40.  They'll close a lane over a fairly lengthy section and just leave it that way until finished.  Typically the posted construction limit tended to be 45 MPH in both states. 

All the same, it probably is more worth your time to keep in mind they New Mexico isn't really what many of us consider "top shelf" in terms of maintenance and practices.  Seems to me like a waste of time for an out of state resident to draft a complaint letter than will just ended up a figurative black hole.  I'm sure the average NMDOT worker absolutely loves hearing what Californians think of their agency.

[Plutonic Panda]

I'll tell you this. I'm always on high alert when going through. New Mexico cause. Sometimes you can save time by going. D*** near a 100 Miles out of the way versus taking the interstate. Because of some stupid thing, they do that causes insane traffic backups. It probably happens in other states, but I don't notice it as often.

[Max Rockatansky]

I used to work in the state for several years.  If you are just blasting through on I-40 you are missing out on some really good scenery along the US Routes.

[thenetwork]

NMDOT'S Philosphy on Road Work:

1) Work when you feel like it.
2) If you don't want to do work today, don't worry -- it will be there tomorrow.
3) The nicer you build it initially, the longer you let it go bad over time until you touch it again.
4) Preventive Maintenance...what's that???

[kwellada]

I used to work in the state for several years.  If you are just blasting through on I-40 you are missing out on some really good scenery along the US Routes.

Unless my intention is to take photos of the various remnants of US 66 things, I fully agree that the non freeway routes in NM are far more interesting. But then again, there's very few interstates that I would prefer over a 2 lane highway

[Max Rockatansky]

I used to work in the state for several years.  If you are just blasting through on I-40 you are missing out on some really good scenery along the US Routes.

Unless my intention is to take photos of the various remnants of US 66 things, I fully agree that the non freeway routes in NM are far more interesting. But then again, there's very few interstates that I would prefer over a 2 lane highway

In particular for me I used to use US 70, 82, 60 and 380 frequently on work trips.  Even an expressway like US 70 near Ruidoso has a lot to offer in terms of things to catch the eye.

[Bobby5280]

I always liked driving on US-82 through the mountains near Cloudcroft and down to Alamogordo. When I was a kid we would drive through there at least a couple times a year on road trips between Yuma and Artesia. Just West of Cloudcroft US-82 winds around a canyon-like setup in the mountains and even go through a tunnel at one point. Looking to the West in the distance White Sands spreads out in the horizon. Really great view.

[triplemultiplex]

That drop from Cloudcroft is a doosy.  Even after being in the state for a month going up and down mountains elsewhere in New Mexico, coming down US 82 at Cloudcroft still hurt my ears with the pressure difference between the summit and the valley.