Complications Delay Corrales Sewer Work

CORRALES ROAD SLIMMED DOWN FOR SEWER WORK: Corrales Mayor Phil Gasteyer called the newsroom Wednesday to give drivers a heads-up on a construction project in the village that has become more involved than planned.

What matters to drivers is both north- and southbound traffic on Corrales Road is restricted at the southern end, between Uva Road and Via Faison. It’s because of a sewer project that started around two weeks ago.

Crews working on the sewer line Wednesday discovered an old drainage pipe that runs to a drop inlet, draining water off the roadway. It had not been identified during the preliminary work. On Wednesday, it caused some cracking in the pavement, and the construction company, the project designer, the New Mexico Department of Transportation and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District are now working on a plan on how to best correct the situation.

Drivers are asked to watch for flag crews positioned at each end of the area to control traffic in each direction.

WAITING AND WAITING TO TURN FROM 528 ONTO WESTSIDE: Esedillo emails “I’ve noticed that on weekends the turn signal going west from N.M. 528 (aka Pat D’Arco Highway, onto Westside) is much shorter in duration compared to during weekday traffic. As a result, drivers run the light. It only allows maybe four cars to legally turn. Is there any way to lengthen that turn signal?”

There may be — the city is looking at the best way to do it, in fact.

Peter L. Wells, communications officer for the city of Rio Rancho, says “on the weekend a combination of different weekday traffic signal sequences are used. The city is looking at developing a variant of the existing sequences used on the weekend.”

And for drivers like esedillo who notice a problem, Wells says “motorists are encouraged to contact the Public Works Department via the city’s Website (www.ci.rio-rancho.nm.us) or at 891-5016 to report detailed information such as time of day on the weekend, etc., when they experienced or saw traffic volumes that the left-turn signal sequence in question did not fully accommodate for.”

WHY I HAVE TO CROSS THREE LANES OF COORS: Recent columns have had readers questioning the safety of drivers cutting across three lanes of southbound Coors to turn left at Iliff after exiting Interstate 40. Now Jan Harrington has an email explanation.

“For all of you complaining about the few of us who cross the three lanes of traffic at the southbound exit of Coors,” Jan says, “I can tell you there are only a few times a day it is safe and no traffic is closer than 3/10ths of a mile north on Coors.

“We take it when we can because we who live or go to work by that route were ‘forced’ into making Hanover the alternative. BAD choice. Iliff is a designated arterial. Hanover is a residential street with a school and speed bumps. Early morning, students are crossing. In afternoons, Saturdays and Sundays, the fields are designated for sports in Albuquerque with multiple cars parked on one or both sides, forcing traffic to a crawl and creating a dangerous situation if any person walks into the street. Even turning left onto Hanover is an exercise in caution since there is an immediate entryway into the taco/pizza place and cars turn without signaling.”

“So please understand,” Jan says, “we need to get where we are going. The people who planned this took nothing into consideration and not being able to safely move into a turning lane for a designated arterial was a huge mistake. There could be a crash or a death on Hanover far more easily given the existing situation.”

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 1 of the West Side Journal