Road Warrior: NMDOT conducting study of the Big I; ABQ halts some road projects due to Fiesta

The New Mexico Department of Transportation is conducting a study addressing traffic and safety concerns for the Interstate 40/Interstate 25 interchange, commonly known as the Big I.

“The study focuses specifically on the I-40 eastbound and westbound ramps to northbound I-25,” according to NMDOT. “Several alternatives are under consideration, including reconfiguring ramp geometry and connection strategies. Potential improvements include adding a second lane to one or both ramps and redesigning merge points to enhance traffic flow and safety.”

NMDOT is requesting feedback through an online survey.

“We know how critical the Big I is to daily travel in Albuquerque,” NMDOT Cabinet Secretary Ricky Serna said in a statement. “This study is the first step in finding effective solutions that keep people moving safely and efficiently.”

It is unclear when the study will be completed.

In 2022, NMDOT completed an I-40 congestion management study, spanning from the Atrisco Vista Boulevard interchange through to Tramway Boulevard.

Among the issues identified in the study were the eastbound and westbound approaches to the I-40 interchange and their connections to the northbound I-25 ramps. These findings stimulated the need for the Big I study, according to NMDOT.

‘EXERCISE CAUTION’: The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta started on Saturday. Hopefully, everyone is enjoying the event and please, be safe out there.

NMDOT District 3 spokesperson Kim Gallegos said she wanted to remind motorists that I-25 between Comanche Road and Montgomery Boulevard “remains an active construction zone” as work continues on an improvements project that began last summer.

“Given the anticipated influx of visitors,” she said, “NMDOT encourages drivers to plan, allow additional travel time, and exercise caution when traveling to the Balloon Fiesta or through the Albuquerque area.”

Work is expected to be completed in spring 2027.

For more information, Gallegos said, people can visit i25improved.com, call 505-785-7623 or email info@i25improved.com.

While the I-25 work continues, the city of Albuquerque has halted some road projects due to the event.

The city put a moratorium on projects on streets bounded by (and including) 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 event attendees, Department of Municipal Development spokesperson Dan Mayfield said.

The moratorium, which also applies to the Old Town area, the Uptown area (Winrock and Coronado shopping malls), and the Northwest Area (Cottonwood Shopping Mall), is expected to end on Sunday, he said.

INTERSECTION REOPENS: The city reopened the intersection of Mountain Road and 19th Street on Friday after it put in a new roundabout to improve pedestrian safety.

The project lasted about five months and cost $1.3 million, Mayfield said.

‘THE AUTOBAHN OF VENTURA RANCH’: Speaking of intersections, reader Rebecca Sweet said traveling on Universe Boulevard and Ventana Road is dangerous.

“Residents are trying to enter Universe from both the east and west while dodging traffic going north and south on Universe, most of which is speeding,” she said. “Universe has become the autobahn of Ventana Ranch (in addition to Irving, which is another story). I have seen more than one accident at the Ventana Road/Universe intersection in the (3) years I have lived here. Does someone have to be killed to get a traffic light here?”