Flow at Tower, Coors To Be Evaluated

STRIPING FIX RECOMMENDED FOR TOWER/COORS: George Shields writes in – complete with a diagram attached – that he has “a recommended change for flow of traffic at the Tower and Coors intersection.”

He says the current striping forces right-lane drivers on Tower to veer into the left lane at the intersection guided by a dotted line, while traffic in the left lane can continue through or exit onto Coors.

His point? It’s confusing and conflicting. He suggests the right lane end and traffic be forced to officially merge with the left lane, while the left-lane traffic either continues through or exits at Coors.

Bernalillo County is looking at the striping to see if changes will make the intersection safer. Meanwhile, David Mitchell, director of Operations and Maintenance, says “the pinch point on Tower just to the west (was) paved to make it four lanes (July 30).”

MEADOWLARK/528-PAT D’ARCO GETS NEW LAYOUT: Doug Priestap has an update on what has been much-maligned striping at this intersection.

It’s changed.

Many readers have long clamored for new striping that gives a dedicated right-turn lane to drivers going west-to-north. In February the city of Rio Rancho examined the most recent traffic counts available and maintained two dedicated left-turn lanes as well as two through lanes (with one allowing right turns as well) were needed to keep any backup to a minimum.

But that was before last week.

Doug emails “I just happened to come across the work crew while they were striping two lanes at the intersection of Meadowlark and N.M. 528 in Rio Rancho. Much to my surprise, the crew was changing the far right lane from a “go forward/or turn right” to an exclusive right-turn-only lane. I went up to the foreman, explaining that there are those of us who head west on Meadowlark crossing over the 528 – which then turns into Southern – to go the Walgreens, which is immediately to the right.”

Doug says he learned crews “were going to make one of the two left-turn lanes into one that continues forward, leaving two lanes for that. After they left, much to my surprise on a trip (across 528) to the Rio Rancho post office, they didn’t add a second lane moving forward/west at that intersection, leaving the two left lanes intact, having the far right lane dedicated to right turns only, with only one lane dedicated to traffic going west onto Southern.”

Any striping changes were likely dictated by a new traffic count study the city has been waiting on. Traffic counts – how many vehicles move through an intersection in a direction at a given time – are integral to determining how an intersection is striped and timed. Spokesman Peter Wells has said the counts, taken last year, were compiled this year and Meadowlark/528 was going to be re-analyzed “as part of a comprehensive signal re-timing project for the whole city.”

I’ll have more details from the city on the reported changes next week.

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.
— This article appeared on page 1 of the West Side Journal