10/27/03-Gov. Bill Richardson called the Legislature into a special session Monday, Oct. 27 to tackle a number of issues, including a road-improvement package.
The GRIP program – Gov. Richardson’s Investment Partnership – is a $1.4 billion effort designed to create more than 8,000 jobs.
More important to trucking is what it will do for the state’s roads. The program will include:

• A new interchange at Coors Boulevard and I-40 in Albuquerque.
• Widening U.S. 64 to four lanes from Raton to Clayton.
• Reconstructing and widening U.S. 491, formerly U.S. 666.
• Widening I-25 from four to six lanes from Tramway to Bernalillo.

While the initiative has wide support in the business community, the governor has not yet specified how the state will pay for the work.