UPHAM, N.M. (AP) - Officials are gathering in New Mexico to mark the opening of a road that will provide a more direct route between Spaceport America and the most populous city in the state’s southern reaches.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for Friday. It will include a ceremonial drive from where the road begins at Interstate 25 north across the desert to the spaceport.
Paving was completed in July, after New Mexico officials had first promised road improvements more than a decade ago.
Previously dirt, the road’s condition had made it impassable for most drivers. From Las Cruces, people headed to spaceport had to travel north to Truth or Consequences and backtrack to the southeast.
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority funded the $14 million road project. Dona Ana County oversaw its construction.
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