Spring 2000 Newsletter page 4

The New Mexico Highway and Transportation Department has announced a joint project with the Federal Highway Administration, New Mexico Division and the state's Office of Cultural Affairs to inventory, revise text and replace New Mexico1s historic interpretive roadside markers. According to FHWYA Environ-mental Coordinator Greg Rawlings, the project is funded through TEA-21 enhancement funds and will begin this summer.

Early interpretive road marker to be revised

Many of the signs date back more than a couple of decades and it is unclear how many actual signs exist. The Office of Cultural Affairs will help identify existing signs and review text materials for accuracy and appropriate historical context. Locations of some of the markers may be changed to make them more accessible to contemporary travelers. Most of the state's Scenic and Historic Trails and roadways have signs along portions of their alignments.

Funding of the program is through Federal TEA-21 enhancement dollars. Administration will be through the New Mexico Highway and Transportation Department. For more information call either Robert Garcia, Engineering Design Division (505) 827-5217 or Craig Connely the Environmental Program Manager at (505) 827-5233.

The New Mexico Tourism Department has selected its finalist from 16 applicants to complete a CD-Rom on three great roads of New Mexico: El Camino Real, Santa Fe Trail and Historic Route 66. The project, funded with $210,000 of Federal Scenic Byway money, is an historic educational project for use in schools and libraries around the state, as well as to market the state's historic and cultural assets.

Infimedia, an Albuquerque-based multimedia development company, was chosen based on its proposal, "Centuries of Scenic Byways." Infimedia provides services in the development of interactive, computer-based applicatio ns, video production and Internet product design. The company can be reached at (505) 255-6200 or infimedia@infimedia-inc.com

Infimedia sought team partners with the New Mexico Santa Fe Trail Association chapters and the New Mexico Route 66 Association to tap their respective resources including local, regional and state historians, archival collections and other materials to be potentially incorporated into the final product.

Jim Bonner, president of the company, said, "We are very pleased to receive this contract. We are sure there were other very good competitors in multimedia development who also applied for this project. Our experience in producing similar products, the 'Lewis and Clark Rediscovery Project' for the U.S. Department of Education, 'Greening the Parks' for the National Park Service and 'El Camino Real' for the New Mexico Department of Tourism demonstrate our strengths in this field." The CD-Rom is expected to be completed this winter and distributed by the New Mexico Department of Tourism.