Construction crews will begin removing medians along Central Avenue next month to make way for the Albuquerque Rapid Transit project.
Heavy construction will start Oct. 17 in the University of New Mexico, Nob Hill and Presbyterian Hospital areas, according to a schedule released Monday by the city of Albuquerque and its general contractor, Bradbury Stamm Construction.
At least one lane of traffic will remain open in each direction throughout the construction, officials say.
The project will create a network of bus-only lanes and bus stations in the middle of Central Avenue, roughly between Coors and Louisiana. The goal is to create a bus rapid transit system that offers fast, reliable service.
Construction could be done by late 2017.
The $119 million project is mostly funded by the federal government.
The first three waves of construction focus largely on medians in Central Avenue.
Beginning Oct. 17, crews will work on:
• The north side of the street between Cedar and Ash.
• Removing the median at the University intersection.
• Median removal between Stanford and Girard, Wellesley and Carlisle and Washington and Monroe.
Beginning Oct. 24, crews will work at:
• The Coors intersection.
• The medians from Atrisco Drive to Clayton Street and Broadway to Locust.
Beginning Nov. 14, construction will take place at:
• The median from San Mateo to Alvarado.
• The north side of the street from Alvarado to San Pedro.
• The south side of the street from San Mateo to Monroe.
