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| Wilson and Domenici Secure Road Funds for South Valley |
April 02, 2002 |
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Residents and Business Leaders
Celebrate Isleta Blvd. Improvements
Albuquerque, NM - Congresswoman Heather Wilson and Senator Pete Domenici joined with South Valley residents and business owners today to celebrate federal funding for a project to widen Isleta Boulevard and add curbs, sidewalks, landscaping, and other improvements. The funding will help improve the road’s safety for drivers and pedestrians, will alleviate drainage problems, and will improve access to local businesses.
Wilson and Domenici secured $5 million in federal transportation funding to begin reconstructing a particularly dangerous stretch of this two-lane road. With federal, state, and local funding, the roadway will be reconstructed to include a center left turn lane, sidewalks, landscaping, lighting, bike lanes, and a drainage system. Intersections will also be widened and, in some segments, additional lanes will be added to increase roadway capacity.
“Many of Bernalillo County’s roads, especially in the South Valley, need improving,” said Wilson, whose district includes Albuquerque’s South Valley. “Numerous local businesses and residences are located along Isleta, which many consider the spine of Albuquerque’s South Valley. We heard from county representatives, from public safety officials, from business leaders, and from people in the community that this project is a priority for public safety and for economic development, so I’m glad that the county will get started this Summer. It’s important to make this road safe for people driving and walking it, and we need to help businesses along the Isleta corridor by improving access.”
Domenici worked in the Senate to gain and secure support for the $5 million in the FY 2002 Transportation Appropriations Act, which was ultimately approved by both chambers of Congress and signed by President George Bush.
“Improving this stretch of Isleta Boulevard will be key to enhancing the entire area. The ability for local roads to move people and commerce safely and efficiently cuts right to the heart of the quality of life issue. I`m happy this South Valley project is ready to roll. I`m ready to work in the Senate this year to secure the next phase of funding needed to continue this effort,” said Domenici, who is a long-time member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Business leaders in the area lauded the planned improvements this morning and say business could improve with additional pedestrian access and a safer roadway.
“We do good business at the ‘carniceria’ that my brothers and I own,” says Francisco Villalobos. “But there’s no question that these improvement are sorely needed for business reasons and for personal safety in this area. We’re glad that Congresswoman Wilson and Senator Domenici have taken a leading role in helping economic development in our area by improving Isleta Blvd.”
The planned improvements will take place in two stages along a 3.3 mile stretch of Isleta Boulevard between Bridge and Rio Bravo streets. The first stage will reconstruct 1.4 miles from Bridge Blvd. to Arenal Road. The county plans to begin work on this first phase in July 2002 and should complete the project in a year. Wilson and Domenici are seeking $11.5 million in additional federal funding to complete the 1.9 mile stretch from Arenal to Rio Bravo Blvd.
Isleta Boulevard is a two-lane principal arterial road in the South Valley of Bernalillo County and has been a critical transportation route along the Rio Grande Valley for centuries.
A 1999 impact study for Bernalillo County indicated that facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists are limited. Throughout most of the area, pedestrians are forced to walk on the roadway shoulder where one exists, or on the roadway itself. Without adequate sidewalks, pedestrians are exposed to traffic and uneven terrain.
A higher-than-average number of accidents have been reported on the roadway in past decades. Engineers attribute the accident rate in part to the lack of a protected turn lane. Between 1993 and 1995, 636 accidents were reported on this stretch of road, which is a high number compared to other similar-sized Albuquerque roadways. In particular, a high number of those accidents occurred on or near a 90 degree curve near the intersection of Isleta Blvd. and Armijo Road, which locals refer to as “Dead Man’s Curve.”
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