ABQ adds four new speed cameras; BernCo awards bid for Fourth Street road and drainage project 

There will be four new automated speed cameras in Albuquerque, the city announced on Sunday.

The cameras will be on Broadway Boulevard between Iron and Coal avenues; on Unser Boulevard near Old Ouray Road NW; on Juan Tabo near Copper Avenue NE; and on Zuni Road between Mesilla and Española SE.

Dan Mayfield, city Department of Municipal Development spokesperson, said they will go live this week.

There are now speed cameras at 29 locations in Albuquerque, which were selected based on a “mix of crash data, the High Fatality and Injury Network map, and local input,” he said.

Since the speed camera program began in 2022 — to address “widespread, dangerous speeding on city streets” —  nearly 600,000 citations have been issued, Mayfield said.

The city plans to add “several more cameras by the end of the year,” he said, though it is unclear where they will be located.

“(Automated speed) cameras are catching on nationwide as they can dramatically slow down traffic all day, every day,” DMD Director Jennifer Turner said in a statement. “Our program has shown that speed cameras do work in Albuquerque and that drivers are slowing down.”

FOURTH STEET IMPROVEMENTS: On Tuesday, Bernalillo County commissioners approved a $6.3 million bid with Compass Engineering of Albuquerque, to reduce Fourth Street (old Route 66) from four lanes to two lanes between Ortega Road and Alameda Boulevard and add a center turn lane and bicycle lanes.

Additionally, a HAWK (high-intensity activated crosswalk) signal will be put in at the Ortega and Fourth intersection, said Rodrigo Eichwald, county engineer program manager.

Work is scheduled to begin in late June or early July and be completed around fall or early winter 2027, he said.

ROUNDABOUT CONCERNS: Reader Samuel Garcia said he is concerned about a New Mexico Department of Transportation proposal to add a roundabout at the intersection of N.M. 333 and N.M. 217, about 4 miles west of Edgewood.

“A roundabout would only increase the frustration and create anxiety and potentially more accidents,” he said in an email. “NMDOT using the logic of it being less expensive and easier to maintain is a poor excuse in lieu of the safety of its residents. It could also add increased liability for the state of New Mexico. I am surprised that the state hasn’t been sued for its lack of responsibility with the number of accidents that have taken place, several that were serious.”

Garcia also said the roundabout could create issues with people with horse trailers. 

“Will a roundabout be wide enough for horse trailers to execute that turn with numerous vehicles attempting to turn as well?” he asked.

People like Garcia will have a chance to share their thoughts at a public meeting from 6-8 p.m. Thursday at the Estancia Valley Classical Academy, 110 N.M. 344, Edgewood.

At the meeting, according to an event flyer, NMDOT will share safety concerns they found in their analysis of the intersection.

Gregory R.C. Hasman is a general assignment reporter and the Road Warrior. He can be reached at ghasman@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3820.