DOT has no plans for Coors median

WHAT ABOUT THE COORS MEDIAN? All the talk about the medians around Cottonwood Mall, and the upcoming meeting between the city and mall management on their maintenance, got Richard Moore thinking.

And writing.

He emails “driving down Coors, just north of Paseo, I noticed that the median is totally bare. Not a weed or blade of grass! If the city were to have another mail-in ballot asking which they preferred, the median just north of Paseo or the landscape of Mars, I’m sure the vote would be over 50 percent for the landscape of Mars, therefore not needing a runoff.

“I don’t think the city holds those along that median accountable. And finally, it sounds like finger-pointing within the city government. What did it cost to do all the work on Eubank, a lot less traveled road than Coors?!”

J. Paul Hyso, marketing manager for Albuquerque’s Parks and Recreation Department, spoke with the Park Management superintendent and learned the “Coors median just north of Paseo del Norte is the responsibility of the New Mexico Department of Transportation. DOT will not landscape — improve — or maintain landscaped medians, but may provide funding for the landscape improvements.”

And Phil Gallegos, NMDOT’s District 3 public information officer, says that median “is indeed ours. The DOT has no plans in the near future to landscape this median. Unfortunately we do not have any funds available for landscaping improvements.”

The city’s Department of Municipal Development has said that it usually costs around $500,000 to landscape a mile of median.

The Eubank median Moore refers to — from San Antonio north to Wilshire — was landscaped by Bernalillo County. David Mitchell, director of Operations and Maintenance, says “the Eubank landscaping costs about $850,000 on a $7 million project.”

AND WHAT ABOUT THE STRIP BY LOWE’S? E10 Chile emails that while we’re talking bare West Side streetscapes, “in front of this new ‘strip’ mall in front of Lowe’s is a strip of public right-of-way where there is an ugly sign noting a ‘No Vending’ ordinance. … The strip was landscaped with tax dollars by the state several years ago in order to fend off the ‘eyesore blight’ of weekend car sellers using the property for free. A year or so ago, the strip was taken over by the city. Could you ask city Zoning to ‘patrol’ it more frequently because now that the construction of the new strip center has finished, the right-of-way strip continues to feature various advertising signs … which are more of an eye-blight than the previous weekend private car sellers!”

Brennon Williams, code compliance manager for Albuquerque’s Planning Department, says “the Zoning Code requires that signs pertaining to a business, service or activity be sited on private property. These types of ads placed within the public right-of-way — in medians, along the shoulder of the road, on traffic poles, etc. — are not allowed by the code. While our office frequently reminds business operators of the restrictions, city maintenance crews are responsible for removing illegal signs from the right-of-way. I’ll forward this to the appropriate agency for follow-up.”

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 505-823-3858; 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 28 of the Albuquerque Journal