Reader Concerned About Blind Turn

CAN YOU SEE THE BLIND TURN FROM 550 TO 528? Alice Rodgers has a concern about a dangerous situation at U.S. 550 and N.M. 528.

She emails that “this is a totally blind left turn because all the driver of an eastbound car on 550 can see is the two stopped lanes of left-turning traffic from 550 westbound to 528 southbound. The eastbound 550 driver making a left turn on green onto north 528 can not see the two lanes of oncoming westbound 550 traffic going straight on green.”

Alice says “there are three lanes going east on U.S. 550, one that is very far left for left turns onto north N.M. 528. That far-left lane starts quite far west of the light, so that it is possible that people might expect to turn left from one of the two lanes going straight rather than the turn lane.”

Meanwhile, “there is no sign saying: ‘Turn left on arrow only’ for the far left lane of eastbound U.S. 550. When the two westbound 550 left-turn lanes are stopped (at the) red light while at the same time the two westbound 550 lanes going straight have a green light, the eastbound light on 550 is green for all lanes … including the left turn lane. There are no signs or special striping that clearly show where the left-turn lane from U.S. 550 onto north 528 begins.

“Therefore, it is very easy for a serious accident to occur if a car is eastbound on U.S. 550 and makes a turn on green in front of the two westbound lanes on 550 that also have a green light.”

Alice says what’s really needed is a protected left arrow for the east-to-north movement, with a sign that says “Turn left on green arrow only.”

The state is on it.

Phil Gallegos, who handles information for the New Mexico Department of Transportation, says “this was a very good observation by your reader. The extreme length of the left-turn lane from U.S. 550 eastbound to N.M. 528 northbound was probably a configuration necessary when the speed limit on U.S. 550 was much higher in this area. More distance was required to decelerate, and traffic volumes were not nearly as high.

“Development in the area has been huge, and the speed limit was reduced drastically and traffic volumes have increased sharply. These changes require that modifications be made at this intersection. We already have a project to address the U.S. 550 and N.M. 528 intersection, but your reader’s observations will ensure we address additional signage and increased visual notification of the turning movement.”

WHY NOT FIX MEADOWLARK AND 528 AT THE SAME TIME? After a recent column explained that the city of Rio Rancho is in the process of using a just-completed traffic-count study to determine if its intersections are striped and timed to promote the safest/most efficient traffic patterns, Sally Clement had to weigh in.

Specifically, about the intersection of westbound Meadowlark and N.M. 528/Pat D’Arco Highway and the need for a dedicated right-turn lane.

She emails that recently in the Journal, Rio Rancho spokesman Peter “Wells mentioned the cost of realignment. However, there is a headline article on the same page discussing the six-lane plan for 528 from Southern/Meadowlark to Ridgecrest. Wouldn’t this be a wonderful time to reconfigure this intersection at the same time? I hope that he and the other folks at City Hall have thought of this too! It might even save some of the cost of realignment. I realize that one is a state project and the other a city project, but hopefully they do consult with each other.”

In fact, the city and state work together a lot — a state highway does run through town. Wells says “as previously noted, the NMDOT did complete updated traffic counts on N.M. 528/Pat D’Arco Highway this fall/winter. Re-analysis of the intersection using this new data is taking place now by city traffic engineers as part of a comprehensive signal re-timing project for the whole city. If the new data — old data did not — shows that changes to the current lane configuration were warranted, the city will seek to make adjustments.”

And while it would streamline things to rework the intersection at the same time 528 is widened, it’s not as simple as throwing down a few extra feet of asphalt. As Sally notes, the 528 widening work is a state project, and Meadowlark is a city responsibility. Adding a new dedicated right would require city funding to acquire right-of-way, design and build the lane, as well as for new signals on the westbound Meadowlark approach.

Stay tuned to see if the traffic counts show those changes and that expenditure is warranted.

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, N.M. 87103; or go to abqjournal.com/traffic to read previous columns and join in the conversation.