Great news that spaceport road work to begin

It is great news that the county has selected a contractor who will soon begin construction of the southern road to Spaceport America.

The project has been delayed for years by a lengthy BLM review, squabbling between Sierra and Doña Ana counties and funding shortages. Without it, visitors have to drive north all the way to Truth or Consequences, and then head back down southeast.

In past years, the Spaceport Authority had dipped into the road fund to pay for operations. Even now, the $13 million to $13.6 million that the Spaceport Authority says it has available is less than the $15.2 million originally projected for the cost of the road.

Interim County Manager Chuck McMahon said they would seek additional funding from the state to build the road as originally intended. But even if the state declines that request, they will still be able to complete the project with the money on hand, with a smaller base course for the roadway foundation.

The County Commission voted 4-1 to move ahead with the project. The lone “no” vote by County Commission member John Vasquez not to spend money already appropriated for this project makes no sense.

To be clear, no additional county money was approved with Tuesday’s vote. Vasquez voted against spending money that had already been appropriated by the state.

“I don't know what we're doing up there, other than sending up rockets like we've always been doing from White Sands air space," Vasquez admitted in explaining his no vote. If the commissioner honestly doesn’t understand the difference between WSMR and the spaceport, he needs to educate himself before the next vote comes up.

The southern road has always been a critical component for Las Cruces and Doña Ana County to be able to gain the full economic advantages of the spaceport. Delays in getting it built have coincided with delays in Virgin Galactic’s development of the spaceships it will use to blast passengers into sub-orbital space from the spaceport.

But that process is coming to a conclusion. Speaking earlier this month at the Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight, Virgin Galactic Vice President Mike Moses said they “hope to be in space by the end of this year,” though he added that they would launch until ready.

Once Virigin Galactic begins regular launches, wealthy space tourists will be coming to southern New Mexico to be among the first to have that experience. If there is a southern road in place, those wealthy tourists will most likely be staying in Las Cruces, eating in our restaurants and browsing in our shops. If the southern road is not in place, they will more likely be staying in Albuquerque, eating in their restaurants and browsing in their shops.

It really is that simple.