Tribe: U.S. 491 project is now a ‘go’

By Karen Francis
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — Navajo Nation Dept. of Transportation manager Tom Platero said that he has received assurance from the New Mexico DOT that the U.S. 491 expansion project has not been stalled.

“As far as I know, it’s ready to go,” Platero said. “The Navajo Nation has devoted a lot of resources to ensure this project moves forward.”

The Associated Press had reported that state Transportation Secretary Rhonda Faught told the Legislative Finance Committee that 29 projects, including the U.S. 491 expansion to Shiprock, had been put on hold because of a shortage of funds due to construction inflation.

After the news report came out about the delay of the projects, Platero said he was told by Vice President Ben Shelly to look into the matter and he contacted NMDOT. He said he received assurances from the state that the funding for the project was ready.

On Dec. 12, Faught sent Shelly a letter stating that “all $100 million of the GRIP (Gov. Richardson’s Investment Partnership) funds are now approved for the US 491 Project with the condition that the issues stated in my November 9, 2007 letter are met by January 15, 2008.”

The conditions that are stated in the Nov. 9 letter include that the Nation will provide adequate safeguards to ensure its $8 million contribution, information substantiating the value of the $2 million in-kind contribution and language that the Nation would not use the reimbursement of sales tax assessment as evidence that NMDOT had consented to the nation’s taxing authority. The final condition is that the Nation accepts NMDOT’s final revisions to the terms and conditions.

Faught stated that the first condition was satisfied and the information requested in the second condition had been submitted by John Rutherford from the Navajo Department of Justice. She further stated that the language requested in the third condition had not yet been provided and that she understood that the Nation’s Resources Committee would consider the revisions mentioned in the fourth condition at a Dec. 18 meeting to which she planned to send representatives.

She explained that if the conditions are not met by Jan. 15, the State Transportation Committee would reallocate the $100 million currently designated to the U.S. 491 project to other GRIP projects.

The Independent made repeated attempts to obtain comment from NMDOT but received no reply as of 9 a.m. today.