For those who haven't driven by Walmart lately, the roadway along a turning lane from the northbound highway to the eastbound street is slowly caving in and is blocked off by orange barrels.

And it will probably cost about $70,000 to fix, according to John McElroy a district engineer with the New Mexico Department of Transportation. With work done by both the town and DOT, it's not clear who should ultimately take on that financial burden, but DOT will try to get the job done in the next two to four weeks, McElroy said.

"We've decided to go ahead and adjust the issue," he said. "There may be some point for reimbursement for the town, depending on what we find there."

The problem could have to do with the construction of the town's sewer line, he said. When the sewer pipeline was installed in that area, the town may have failed to compact the soil well enough, McElroy said.

The DOT sent a letter to the town about a week ago asking them to make some corrective action.

Interim town administrator Karen Mahalick said the town has been looking into the issue, although she said the problem may be due to work done by the DOT.

While it doesn't address the issue of soil compaction directly, the town did spend $500 to have a video recording made inside its sewer line and there was no evidence of a problem there, she said. The town also took the cover off of a storm drain and took photographs of the inside. A joint in the storm drain pipeline appears to have a gap due to an improper seal, which could be causing the problem on the street, Mahalick said.

"They (DOT) don't have any money either," she said, "but somebody's going to have to pay."

While the dispute over who is to blame continues, the cracks in the street are getting larger and the problem will only get worse. The onset of winter is one reason McElroy said DOT is trying to get the work done quickly.

The lane is already closed, for the most part, so the roadwork shouldn't be a further inconvenience for drivers, he said. It may be clear which party made the mistake once the asphalt comes off, he said.

"We'll try to find out whether it was our issue or an issue that is the town's," McElroy said. "Either way, they could still argue the point."