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| Wilson and Domenici Secure Dollars for 2nd Phase of Isleta Reconstruction |
March 10, 2003 |
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Residents and Business Leaders Celebrate Isleta Improvements
Albuquerque, NM - Congresswoman Heather Wilson joined with South Valley residents and business owners today to celebrate federal funding for the second phase of a project to widen Isleta Boulevard and add curbs, sidewalks, landscaping, and other improvements. The funding, secured by Senator Pete Domenici and Wilson, will supplement local funds to improve the road’s safety for drivers and pedestrians, alleviate drainage problems, and improve access to local businesses.
The federal funding this year-$1.5 million for the second phase of the Isleta Blvd. Improvement Project-was included in the 2003 federal budget bill recently signed into law and comes on top of the $5 million the federal lawmakers secured last year for the project.
Federal, state, and local funding are being used to add a center left turn lane, sidewalks, landscaping, lighting, bike lanes, and a drainage system along Isleta. Intersections will also be widened and, in some segments, additional lanes will be added to increase roadway capacity. Phase I construction began last year on Isleta from Bridge to Arenal. Phase II, once started, will address needs along Isleta south of Arenal to Rio Bravo Blvd.
“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 this project is continuing.”
“Heather Wilson has been tenacious about working to secure funding to keep the Isleta Boulevard project going. I’ve worked the Senate side to ensure that Congress continues to provide resources into making this major thoroughfare safer and more efficient. I look forward to continuing this effort and seeing the county make more progress on this major project,” said Domenici, the only member of the state’s congressional delegation to serve directly on an appropriations committee.
Domenici worked in the Senate and Wilson in the House to gain and secure support for the $1.5 million in the FY 2003 budget bill , which was approved last month in both chambers of Congress and signed by President George W. Bush.
Business leaders in the area lauded the planned improvements this morning and say business could improve with additional pedestrian access and a safer roadway. Orlando Olivas is a member of the South Valley Citizen’s Advisory Committee created to act as a liaison between residents, the County, and consulting engineers and architects. They provide input into the type of landscaping which will be used, provide feed back on proposed temporary closures and construction detours and traffic control and/or business access problems during construction. Orlando says federal funding is a good boost for the overall project.
Olivas, also President of the Conita Real Neighborhood Association said, “These improvements to Isleta Blvd are really needed. They will allow us to preserve the integrity of our neighborhoods, while protecting the health and safety of the residents of the South Valley. At the same time, there will be economic growth for business people along Isleta Boulevard. Congresswoman Wilson and Senator Domenici have always been available to meet the needs of the residents of the South Valley.”
The planned improvements are taking place in two stages along a 3.3 mile stretch of Isleta Boulevard between Bridge and Rio Bravo streets. The first stage, now in progress, will reconstruct 1.4 miles from Bridge Blvd. to Arenal Road. Last year, Wilson and Domenici secured $5 million in federal transportation funding to begin reconstructing a particularly dangerous stretch of this two-lane road. The funds announced today by Wilson and Domenici will help complete the 1.9 mile stretch from Arenal to Rio Bravo Blvd.
The estimated total project cost for Phase II is $27.2 million and the contract for design was recently awarded and will not be completed for 2 years. During that period, the County will acquire the necessary rights of way. After design work has been completed, the County will advertise for construction work and the project should be completed within 15 months after that. Wilson may request additional funding for the project in the reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act before the Congress this year.
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.” Today, Dead Man’s curve no longer exists.
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