City of Albuquerque unveils designs for Rail Trail, which includes a 25-foot neon tumbleweed

A 25-foot neon tumbleweed, lit by LED lights, could be blowing into Albuquerque in the next few years as a major landmark on the Rail Trail.

The Rail Trail’s ambitious architectural vision, which was unveiled on Saturday at the Neon Park Museum and highlights the history of the railroad and Route 66, was described as “fanciful” and “cosmic” by city officials.

The project — a proposed seven-mile pedestrian walk- and bikeway circling Downtown — was first announced by the city in 2021. Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency director Terry Brunner said the city hopes to break ground by this fall, and have some elements open to the public by late 2024.

The project will be built in segments.

Currently, the city has raised $39 million to fund the construction, which Brunner expects will cost approximately $60 million.

“I tend to think it’s one of the biggest projects that Albuquerque will have had in the last 100 years,” Brunner told the Journal.

Architect Antoine Predock is designing the project. Although Predock is known internationally — his architecture firm has an office in Taipei — the fingerprint of the Albuquerque-based architect can be seen throughout New Mexico. Predock designed the Rio Grande Nature Center and the La Luz community, which was Predock’s first solo architecture project.

“He’s done amazing work,” Brunner said. “That all started for him here in Albuquerque as a young architect, so it’s kind of coming full circle for him.”

Other features include a tree-like, geometric structure wrapping over the bike path, which will be rooted in spaces that could be used for retail or other purposes. Collages, representing the history of the areas the path crosses, will be embedded into the street.

Green space is also a priority, Brunner said.

The city is currently in the process of acquiring properties around the area to use as green space on the trail, including one at Marquette and Commercial. At the unveiling, Predock said at least two plazas — Enchantment Plaza and Iron Horse Plaza — will be incorporated into the trail.

The Rail Trail has been a major goal of Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller’s administration.

At the unveiling, he said he expects the project will become as much of a landmark as the BioPark or the Sandia Peak Tramway.

“Almost every New Mexican will know about the Rail Trail and will have experience with it,” Keller said. “And, most importantly, be a place that brings us together and unites us.”