Widening of Unser Blvd. To 4 Lanes Eases Traffic

Travel along the rapidly developing Unser corridor between West Side Albuquerque and Rio Rancho just became a little easier.

Mayor Richard Berry and City Councilor Dan Lewis held the official ribbon-cutting for the occasion last Tuesday, joined by business owners from Unser Plaza.

The plaza is on the north side of the section of Unser from Black Arroyo to McMahon where a $1 million project expanded it from two to four lanes, with bike lanes, storm drains, curbs and gutters, medians, a multi-use trail and sidewalk. Crews also installed the electrical infrastructure to put in a traffic signal when it is warranted.

Funding for the project came from the quarter-cent transportation tax funds and general obligation bond money.

Lewis, who represents the area, said the city added a row of concrete barriers along the roadside by the playground at La Esperanza Day Care center in Unser Plaza.

“We wanted to make sure we did everything to keep the kids safe,” Lewis said.

He also said the road widening will reduce congestion for residents of the West Side and Rio Rancho and local businesses.

The project location is just south of the Rio Rancho city line and Presbyterian Rust Medical Center, which opened in October 2011. Several other commercial developments are planned along Unser between the hospital and the Unser-Southern intersection in Rio Rancho.

“This is a critical piece of the north-south arterial from U.S. 550 to Dennis Chavez (Boulevard),” Lewis said.

The city has completed several road widening projects along Unser north of Dennis Chavez in the South Valley in recent years.

Berry said construction is expected to begin early next year on the final piece of the Unser corridor, widening it to four lanes from McMahon to Bandelier and be complete by late summer 2013.
— This article appeared on page C2 of the Albuquerque Journal