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Road Warrior: What’s happening with the Alameda Drain Trail?
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WHAT’S AFOOT WITH THE TRAIL: Wendell Lane wants to know the latest on the Alameda Drain Trail.
A refresher on the project: in 2016, the city, county, Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District and Albuquerque Metropolitan Flood Control Authority finalized a master plan to improve a nine-mile stretch from Interstate 40 to the north end of Second Street.
In the years since, two phases have been completed. The first stretches from Montaño to Osuna, and the second extends the landscaping and shared-use trail through El Pueblo.
According to Bernalillo County spokesperson Kristen Ferguson, two more phases are on the way: Phase 4 and Phase 6.
Phase 4 extends the trail from El Pueblo to Alameda and is almost completely designed following a public meeting last September. Construction is expected to start this fall.
Phase 6 will cover the area from Alameda to Fourth, which will be the north end of the trail. In an email to the Journal, Ferguson said that phase is at 30% design. It’s the last section that Bernalillo County has to complete.
What happened to Phase 5, you might ask? That section, and all pieces to the south of Montaño, are managed by the city of Albuquerque.
That phase is currently in design, according to Parks and Recreation spokesperson Emily Moore.
The approximately 2.25-mile section from Fourth and Rio Grande is expected to go out to bid this summer. Construction should start this fall.
WHY WAIT: The early bird doesn’t always get the worm.
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The state Motor Vehicle Division notifies residents 60 days before licenses expire to give adequate notice. But when reader Judy renewed her license immediately after receiving a notification, she said the new expiration date was two months earlier than expected.
Charlie Moore, the communications director for the state Taxation and Revenue Department, parent agency of the Motor Vehicle Division, said that’s MVD policy. The license period starts on the renewal day, not the expiration day of the old license.
“Seems it pays to procrastinate!” Judy said in an email to the Journal.
MVD charges $18 for a four-year license and $34 for an eight-year license. For drivers 79 or older, license renewals are free, but required annually.
