Road Warrior: ABQ to pause some road work due to State Fair

The city of Albuquerque is reminding people that starting on Thursday, it will be halting some road projects due to the start of the New Mexico State Fair.

“We love to build and fix our roads, but we know that construction can make navigating streets difficult,” City Department of Municipal Development Director Jennifer Turner said in an Aug. 28 news release. “That’s why we limit construction around popular events like the Fair and Balloon Fiesta every year.”

The moratorium will go into effect for projects on streets bounded by (and including) Menaul Boulevard to the north, Pennsylvania Street to the east, Southern Avenue to the south, and San Mateo Boulevard to the west, plus key arterial and collector routes commonly used by event attendees, DMD spokesperson Dan Mayfield said.

He said the city will also stop road work on the following streets during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which runs from Oct. 4-12: Roy Avenue and Tramway Boulevard to the north, Interstate 25 to the east, Osuna Road to the south, and Second Street to the west, plus key arterial and collector routes commonly used by Fiesta guests.

The moratorium also applies to the Old Town area, Uptown area (Winrock and Coronado shopping malls), and Northwest area (Cottonwood Shopping Mall), Mayfield said.

NO TRANSIT SERVICE: The city will not offer transit services on Monday because of Labor Day.

“I want to express my sincerest gratitude to the ABQ RIDE staff who keep the wheels on the bus going ‘round and ‘round 359 days a year. Last fiscal year our team delivered more than 7.6 million rides, a huge testament to our staff’s dedication,” City Transit Director Leslie Keener said in a statement. “We hope they enjoy this well-deserved day off and return to work rested and ready to get back on the road to serve our community.”

To schedule Sun Van rides, ask questions and voice concerns, Keener said people should call 505-243-RIDE. Customer Service takes calls from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

‘HARD TO TAKE’: Reader Kenneth McGuire emailed the Road Warrior about the recent closure on Second Street by Rio Bravo.

“I understand that you are just the bearer of bad news,” McGuire said, “but referring to the closure of Second Street at Rio Bravo for over a month and a half as just ‘several weeks’ is hard to take for some people in the South Valley that have been struggling for years to get across the river.

“It’s been tough to navigate all the road work on Bridge and now, Rio Bravo.”

Thank you, Mr. McGuire, for pointing this out.

SPEED CAMERAS ON TRAMWAY: Reader Kent Argubright said he applauded the city of Albuquerque’s decision to add more speed cameras, but he wondered if there were any cameras on Tramway.

“This is a common site for late-night drag racing,” Argubright said.

Bernalillo County spokesperson Melissa Smith said there is a speed camera on Tramway north of the San Rafael intersection, but there were no current plans to add more.