Build Infrastructure Capacity That Supports Growth, Readiness, and Resilience

Infrastructure is one of the clearest through-lines in this CEDS. It appears in the planning process, the SWOT, the housing analysis, the broadband discussion, the transportation realities, the supply chain assessment, and the county-level capital needs identified through public hearings.

In Southeastern New Mexico, infrastructure is not simply a public works issue. It is a competitiveness issue. Communities cannot support industrial expansion, housing development, workforce attraction, downtown revitalization, tourism growth, emergency preparedness, or business retention without reliable infrastructure.

This includes water, wastewater, roads, broadband, utilities, public facilities, industrial sites, transportation corridors, drainage, community facilities, and housing-supportive infrastructure. The region’s planning process specifically identified infrastructure, broadband, capital projects, and emergency preparedness as major regional priorities. County-level focus groups and public hearings also clarified that local infrastructure needs are directly tied to economic development barriers and future growth capacity.

County-Specific Strategic Direction

Chaves County

Chaves County should prioritize infrastructure that supports Roswell’s regional service role, agriculture, aviation, healthcare, education, downtown redevelopment, and housing readiness. Investments should support the Roswell Air Center, agricultural processing and distribution, healthcare access, public facilities, roadway connections, water and wastewater capacity, and redevelopment of existing commercial and residential areas. Infrastructure improvements should also help stabilize population trends by improving quality of life and supporting job creation.

Eddy County

Eddy County should prioritize infrastructure tied to energy, industrial logistics, water and wastewater capacity, Carlsbad and Artesia growth, WIPPrelated activity, and major freight and commuter corridors. Growth in energy and industrial activity places pressure on roads, utilities, housing, water systems, and public facilities. Strategic investments should support site readiness, industrial expansion, workforce housing, water reliability, wastewater capacity, and safer movement of goods and workers.

Lea County

Lea County should prioritize infrastructure supporting energy-sector growth, industrial parks, workforce housing, heavy truck traffic, broadband, utility reliability, and water and wastewater capacity. Hobbs and Lovington serve as major population and employment centers, while Jal, Eunice, and Tatum face infrastructure demands tied to energy activity and rural service delivery. Investments should also prepare Lea County for diversification into renewable energy, logistics, industrial services, and youth-oriented community growth.

Lincoln County

Lincoln County should prioritize infrastructure that supports tourism, wildfire recovery, water reliability, broadband, senior-accessible public facilities, visitor demand, and rural community resilience. Ruidoso and Ruidoso Downs require infrastructure that can support seasonal tourism and disaster recovery, while Capitan, Carrizozo, and Corona need investments that improve essential services, transportation access, broadband, water systems, and year-round livability. Infrastructure planning should reflect Lincoln’s aging population, tourism economy, and hazard exposure.

Otero County

Otero County should prioritize infrastructure supporting Holloman Air Force Base, White Sands Missile Range connections, Alamogordo growth, tourism corridors, housing-supportive utilities, broadband, and public facilities. Alamogordo’s role as a service and population center should be supported through investments in roads, utilities, community facilities, housing infrastructure, and workforce-supportive amenities. Cloudcroft and Tularosa also require infrastructure that strengthens tourism, rural service delivery, and long-term community resilience.

Objectives

  1. Advance priority water, wastewater, transportation, broadband, utility, public facility, and site-readiness projects that directly support economic development and community growth.
  2. Develop and maintain a regional infrastructure priority inventory that connects local ICIPs, capital outlay priorities, EDA-eligible projects, broadband needs, and housing-supportive infrastructure.
  3. Support development-ready and near-ready sites for industrial parks, commercial corridors, downtown districts, tourism assets, and housing development areas.
  4. Improve broadband access, adoption, and reliability across rural and underserved communities.
  5. Strengthen transportation corridors that support energy, agriculture, tourism, defense, logistics, emergency response, and workforce commuting.
  6. Improve local capacity to scope, engineer, fund, and manage infrastructure projects.

Additional Information / Partners / Programs to Leverage

Potential partners and funding sources include EDA Public Works, EDA Economic Adjustment Assistance, USDA Rural Development, Community Development Block Grant, State Capital Outlay, New Mexico Finance Authority, Colonias Infrastructure Fund where eligible, New Mexico Department of Transportation, Office of Broadband Access and Expansion, local governments, utility providers, engineering firms, and private developers. Broadband should be treated as core infrastructure. The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion is leading statewide broadband expansion work through Connect New Mexico and BEAD-related planning, with a focus on reaching unserved and underserved communities.