NM Delegation Announces $1 Million for Construction of Bike and Pedestrian Routes at Laguna Pueblo

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representatives Steve Pearce, Ben Ray Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that the Pueblo of Laguna will receive a $1 million grant to help complete a network of bike and pedestrian routes. The grant, awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation's TIGER VII Discretionary Grant Program, will fund construction of the Pueblo's Bike and Pedestrian Priority Route Construction Project, which will connect its six distinct villages and provide links to adjacent communities in Cibola County. The lawmakers supported the Pueblo's application for funding in April. Connecting centers of employment, education and services will support long-term job growth and promote economic development.

"This funding will create new transportation options to connect communities and make it easier for members of Laguna Pueblo to get to jobs, school and important services. Enabling people to get to work and businesses will help boost economic development in the region," the lawmakers said. "The Pueblo's bike and pedestrian project is a model for transportation planning and development, and we were proud to support its application for funding from the TIGER program. We will continue to fight for investments in New Mexico's transportation infrastructure to help boost long-term job growth and strengthen our economy."

A Pueblo of Laguna Community Biking and Walking Advisory Group with representatives from each of the six villages planned projects to improve bike and pedestrian routes to reconnect the six Pueblo communities, connect the villages to the subdivisions, promote housing redevelopment in the villages and revitalize the Pueblo's economic centers. This TIGER grant funding will support the continued construction of projects to promote alternative transportation access, safety, health and fitness, and the revitalization of the Pueblo's villages.