Article courtesy of Las Cruces Sun-News
By Brook Stockberger/Sun-News Business Editor
LAS CRUCES – A project that will bring hundreds of millions of dollars to the Santa Teresa area and would create a lot of jobs seems to be back on track.
Gov. Susana Martinez will be in southern Doña Ana County Friday to announce that Union Pacific Railroad plans to invest more than $400 million toward the total cost of the project with construction beginning after the governor and the state legislature pass a related tax incentive.
More details will be released at Martinez’s announcement, but there has been talk for years about relocating the Union Pacific hub out of El Paso and into the Santa Teresa area.
In 2006, Union Pacific announced the planned relocation. In 2008, the company reported that the project would create 60 new jobs and also bring 285 jobs that will be relocated from El Paso. At the time, Luis Heredia, director of public affairs for Union Pacific, said the company hoped construction would be completed by late 2010 or early 2011. That obviously did not happen, but Friday’s announcement seems to point to the fact that the project is back on track.
Brook Stockberger can be reached at (575) 541-5457
