The truth about the two DOT’s and the Rotary Run

There is a lot of misinformation out there about the role of the NMDOT, CODOT and this planned rotary event. There have been allegations of “corruption”, that the two states are “closing an Interstate highway so a private entity can make a profit” and so on.
First of all, the C&TS is not a private entity— it is publicly owned by the two states. Secondly, the road is not being closed — that was never seriously considered. The truth is that the railroad responsibly approached the DOT’s of the two states, informed them of their plans, and asked how they could stage this event and still maintain a safe and open highway. The plan put forth by the railroad for traffic control was thought acceptable by the two states. But it will not be cheap for the railroad. There will be additional costs for approved traffic control and the attendant costs for having law enforcement officers present— all likely to run into the tens of thousands of dollars and all to be paid for by the railroad.
How do I know all this?—- because I work for NMDOT and was part of the group working out acceptable arrangements with the railroad for this event. I also happen to be a long-time supporter of the railroad going back to the earliest volunteer days.
The main interests here of the two DOT’s has been traffic safety and the safety of the traveling public. Allowing hundreds of vehicles to park and jockey for position on an icy, snow covered inclined highway, with pedestrians darting in and out of traffic and across lanes of traffic would be a recipe for disaster. If we were to allow this event to proceed without addressing the potential traffic issues would be extremely foolhardy at best. Any deaths or injuries would likely result in serious liability to both of the states and the railroad. It might also result in a public relations black-eye for the railroad, something that might forever hinder future events on the railroad.
Even if the C&TS decided that they were going to open the event to all and place no restrictions on traffic, the two states would not allow that. In our view that would create an unacceptably dangerous situation for persons following the snowplow and using the highway.
In our minds, the proposals put forth by the railroad are both responsible and constitute the best efforts to address concerns of traffic safety in planning this event.
Finally, does all this constitute public “corruption”?— I hardly think so.
Bill M.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/21/2019 11:42AM by Bill M..