Along with a major budget crunch, an education system in need of help and a slow economy, New Mexico's next governor will face the chore of fixing and maintaining the state's roads.

Given the condition of some rural roads, and a shortfall in the program meant to keep them in shape, some say transportation infrastructure should be atop the minds of candidates Susana Martinez and Diane Denish.

"The bottom line is, transportation infrastructure is not as sexy as education and health care," said Mike Gibson, executive director of the Associated Contractors of New Mexico, "but we are competing for those same dollars, and that's a very difficult task."

Both gubernatorial candidates say they would take money from other government spending, including the administration's budget and capital outlay spending, and put it toward roadwork.

Both also say they'd take another look at the Rail Runner commuter train, a costly centerpiece of outgoing Gov. Bill Richardson's efforts to improve transportation in the Rio Grande corridor.

Gibson said the state has between $16 billion and $17 billion in road construction needs. That means said the next governor needs to address how to fund that need, he said — and soon.

"The state is running the risk of falling behind," he said. Without a plan, he said, "you're going to start seeing major infrastructure problems" as highways, bridges and other works deteriorate.

According to the state Department of Transportation, some high-priority projects include work on the Interstate 25 and Paseo del Norte interchange in Albuquerque, the I-10/I-25 interchange in Las Cruces, U.S. 54 from Carrizozo to Corona, and the U.S. 54 Bridge over the Canadian River at Logan.

Gibson said U.S. 285 through Carlsbad also sorely needs work.

In answers to a questionnaire from The New Mexican, Denish, the Democrat and current lieutenant governor, mentioned a Transportation Infrastructure Task Force she created in 2007. The group found that the state faces a $20 billion bill for maintaining transportation infrastructure over the next 20 years.

The group found that one way to reduce the anticipated cost of maintenance is by doing road upgrades early, Denish said.

Separately, the GRIP program (Governor Richardson's Investment Partnership) created by Richardson in 2003 to address some of those needs faces a shortfall of more than $400 million.

Debt on the bonds the state issued for that program, which funded various road projects and helped pay for starting up the Rail Runner Express commuter trains, are paid off with money from the state's road fund and with federal funds that are dedicated to debt service. Money for the road fund comes from taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, a weight-distance tax and vehicle registration fees. Recent GRIP projects have included work on U.S. 84/285 and on I-25 just north of Albuquerque.

To pay for upcoming projects, Martinez, the Republican, said she would redirect spending from state government administration to roads.

"We should also look at other possible funding mechanisms to help solve our transportation infrastructure problems," she said. "One thing is clear: We should not be bonding as much as we do now to support our infrastructure." Critics have said the state is spending too much of its budget paying debt service on bonds including for projects in the GRIP program.

Denish acknowledged that some projects might not get done right away, and said she would rearrange how capital outlay money is spent to pay for highway projects.

"Meantime, we can reform the capital outlay process to ensure that projects are funded in a way that makes more sense. This means making sure projects are fully funded at the start, rather than funding projects on a piecemeal basis. The hope is that we could move away from the (current model of splitting the capital outlay money into three pots of money) and think more strategically about the state's infrastructure needs and fund projects accordingly."

When asked about President Barack Obama's recent proposal to spend $50 billion on infrastructure across the country, Denish said she "would aggressively seek any and all federal infrastructure development money we can capture." Using the money on maintenance projects, like the GRIP program did, "will improve our infrastructure now and save tax dollars down the road," she said.

Martinez didn't say directly whether the state needs an influx of federal money for road projects, but said she'd look at how other federal projects have fared.

"If we do accept further infrastructure stimulus funds, we must look at which projects will give us the return on investment," she said. "We need a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis to tell us where we stand with some of these projects. For example, does the Rail Runner need additional funding to keep afloat, and if so, is that really the best place for us to be spending money?"

The Rail Runner is something both candidates said they would re-examine. The train, originally estimated to cost $300 million, cost $425 million.

Between the second quarter of last year and the second quarter of this year, one-way ridership dropped from 329,874 to 284,667, according to numbers released by the rail system. To make up the difference in what is made at the farebox and what it costs to operate the train, it is heavily subsidized.

"If elected, I will order a review of the Rail Runner and all expenditures associated with the project," Martinez said. "We need to explore how the train can become more of a self-sustaining operation and less reliant on taxpayer dollars. The fares must also be reviewed to ensure an equitable return is achieved. We must review all operations of the train to ensure taxpayer dollars are being put to wise use."

Denish called the train a "visionary investment in New Mexico's transportation future," and said it "can become a selling point and anchor for commercial development as we seek to attract new companies and modernize our economy."

At the same time, she would "immediately undertake a review of how the Rail Runner is being used to make sure that its schedule and rate structure are optimized for maximum ridership," among other things.

In the meantime, Gibson said he hopes whoever wins starts planning immediately for the projects that must be done — something that will prove tough without major money in the pipeline.

"We cannot do any future planning right now because there's no sustained funding mechanism." he said. "The GRIP program was that."

Contact Kate Nash at 986-3036 or knash@sfnewmexican.com. Read her blog at www.greenchilechatter.com.