Reader Blames Nine-Car Pileup on Lane Closure

DID AN UNNECESSARY LANE CLOSURE CAUSE A NINE-CAR PILEUP? That’s what ppcpilot wants to know.

Ppcpilot’s email says “the main contributing factor of the nine-vehicle accident on (Jan. 18) and other accidents at the same site — (the) eastbound I-40 off-ramp — was the contractor had the right lane on the off-ramp closed for Eubank road construction.

“You would think it was because the right lane on southbound Eubank was closed. Not so. They closed it because they were doing construction on the median and had the LEFT lane closed. The off-ramp lane closure was not needed and extremely dangerous, which resulted in numerous accidents. I noticed the off-ramp lane closure was removed on Thursday, but the left lane on Eubank was still closed for construction. Someone must have come to their senses or corrected it in response to a complaint. Either way, I hope all the drivers that were involved in those accidents sue the contractor for negligence.”

If they do, they will find out the New Mexico Department of Transportation closed the right lane to accommodate truck traffic, then adjusted the work zone on Eubank so the closure was no longer needed.

Phil Gallegos, the public information officer for the New Mexico Department of Transportation’s District 3 office, says, “The project in question is a part of the NMDOT’s continuing expansion of the (Intelligent Transportation System’s) electronic message board system. Work at this location was to be performed during non-peak hours and should not have affected traffic.

“Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, some curb and gutter had to be removed, creating a drop-off hazard, and the lane closure had to remain in place during peak times. Your reader is correct, it was the left lane of Eubank that was closed. Because of that closure, the initial traffic control plan closed the I-40 eastbound off ramp right-turn lane to southbound Eubank to ensure that large trucks had the necessary turning radius to complete that movement. Upon further review, the left-lane closure on Eubank was re-configured, creating enough room for large vehicles to make the turn, and the off-ramp right-turning lane closure was removed.”

WHAT’S THAT MYSTERY POLE ON I-25 FOR? That question comes from Joanna Bartlett.

She emails “we travel up and down Interstate 25 often from our exit 213 into town and are curious about something that was installed at mile marker 218 northbound a couple of months ago. Mile marker 218 is at the top of a hill, and the installation of a tall pole with two thingies hanging from the top was preceded over a couple of months by the digging of a shallow trench extending along the northbound lanes in both directions. Into the trench was placed PVC conduit that would seem to contain wires. Can you find out what the heck this is?”

Done.

Gallegos says “the mystery pole and ‘thingies’ are part of the ITS cameras, and they are not yet operational.”

Albuquerque drivers already have the beginnings of the ITS system, which is designed to give real-time information via those electronic message boards on accidents, backups, closures, etc.

WHEN IS A CYCLIST A PEDESTRIAN? This question comes from carlstar in the wake of a serious bicycle accident at Lomas and I-25.

Carlstar’s email says “a preliminary investigation listed the cause of the collision as ‘pedestrian error,’ specifically failure to obey a traffic control unit and to dismount in a crosswalk.”

Yet under state law, carlstar says, ” ‘every person riding a bicycle upon a roadway shall be subject to all the duties applicable to the drivers of motor vehicles.’ ”

So pedestrian or vehicle? Or “can you be both?”

“It’s tough to follow rules when they make you scratch your head.”

Diane Albert, an Albuquerque attorney and member of the Greater Albuquerque Bicycling Advisory Committee and board member of the Bicycle Coalition of New Mexico and BikeABQ, says it boils down to where a cyclist is in the road.

“In a public roadway in Albuquerque, bicyclists are legally allowed to bicycle on ANY roadway except where expressly prohibited, like I-25, and bicyclists are legally allowed to ‘take the lane’ whenever it is deemed necessary to preserve safety. Even where there is a bike lane, bicyclists are legally allowed to ‘take the lane’ and leave the bike lane when needed for safety — i.e. broken glass or debris in bike lane, cars parked in bike lane.”

“A bicyclist is a pedestrian when s/he dismounts the bicycle and walks beside it,” she explains. “This is what a bicyclist is legally obliged to do when s/he uses a crosswalk — usually bicyclists break this law and ride in the crosswalk.”

Assistant editorial page editor D’Val Westphal tackles commuter issues for the Metro area on Mondays and West Siders and Rio Ranchoans on Thursdays. Reach her at 823-3858; road@abqjournal.com; P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, NM 87103; or go to ABQjournal.com/traffic to read previous columns and join in the conversation.
— This article appeared on page D1 of the Albuquerque Journal