$10 Million In Bond Questions Affect Drivers

WHAT $10 MILLION IN COUNTY ROAD BONDS WILL GET YOU: Voters will go to the polls in just over a month (Nov. 6), and one of the down-ballot questions has everything to do with Metro-area roads. Here’s a breakdown of what the $10 million proposal includes, from Bernalillo County Operations and Maintenance director David Mitchell:

ADDING 66 TO 333: Mitchell says that is what new signs will do for drivers on Central east of Tramway.

“The intent is to re-name 66 to its dual designation like many others as shown and similar to Paseo Del Norte/N.M. 423.”

“The idea is garnering a nice groundswell,” he says, “and all indications are that the momentum will and should continue.”

The signs will not only be posted in New Mexico but will come from here as well. Mitchell says “Moriarty Sign Source has the current state price agreement on non-aluminum sign backings, so this is where we will seek our sign blanks within the local economy. … They are 6 inches tall, and we have found that for longer street names … that the double-riveted blank on a post insert is the strongest and least maintenance intensive.”

Mitchell says it’s the use of “non-aluminum blanks that helps discourage theft. The economy has been bad, but much worse for lower economic strata and in rural areas.” He says he heard of an official “roving around the big West Side open area (who) came across a fellow he thought was off-loading a weathered mattress spring frame, and said: ‘You can’t be dumping out here.’ ”

He says the man reportedly responded, ” ‘I’m not, I’m picking it up to sell for scrap.’ ”

The road will remain signed Central west of Tramway.

Assistant editorial page editor D’Val Westphal tackles commuter issues for the Metro area on Mondays. 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.
— This article appeared on page D1 of the Albuquerque Journal