Road Warrior: How to name an NMDOT snowplow and why a Downtown block will be closed

BAD NEWS FOR STREET STRIPES: Over the past few weeks, several people have reached out about areas of town in desperate need of re-striping.

John says at the Louisiana and Interstate 40 overpass, there is “almost no striping left” at the busy intersection. Another reader said that Wyoming, from Eagle Rock to Florence, has been “so faded that it is hard to see at night when raining” for over a year. Margaret points to the areas west of Louisiana, where the once-reflective striping has dulled to the point of being nonfunctional when the sun goes down.

“Please re-stripe all east-west thoroughfares,” Margaret pleaded. “New striping brightens up the town in more ways than one.”

Some bad news: striping projects might have to wait until spring. According to Dan Mayfield, a spokesperson for the Department of Municipal Development, winter weather can make it difficult to add new stripes.

When the temperatures frequently fall below 50 degrees, the road stripe — a combination of reflective tape and paint — won’t adhere to the street. So, the only things getting striped these days are candy canes.

When the weather warms up, however, it looks like a few areas should be added to the to-do list for a refresh.

SILVER AVE. SHUTDOWN SCHEDULE: For the next three weekends, Silver will be closed from Fourth to Fifth in Downtown. Starting tomorrow, Bernalillo County crews will begin maintenance work on the Alvarado Square skybridge.

The county bought the building, which was previously occupied by the Public Service Co. of New Mexico, for $2.7 million in 2017.

NAME THAT PLOW: A snowplow, by any other name, would still scoop sleet.

For the first time ever, New Mexicans have the chance to name a state Department of Transportation snowplow.

But don’t hit the gas just yet — there are a couple of rules:

Only one entry per person.

Keep it brief — 20 characters or less.

No salty language.

Politics and plows don’t mix. No politically-inspired names will be considered.

Submissions will be accepted at www.dot.nm.gov/name-a-plow/ until 12 p.m. Dec. 22.

NO CONSTRUCTION FOR CHRISTMAS: To accommodate for holiday shopping, the city of Albuquerque is suspending road construction to keep traffic flowing. The areas include some streets around Old Town, Uptown, Downtown and some key routes throughout the northwest, frequented by shoppers.

The moratorium runs through New Year’s Day.