End near for I-25, Rio Bravo project
“It was like moving a mountain.”
So said Justin Gibson, assistant district engineer for the New Mexico Department of Transportation’s Albuquerque area office.
But two years later, behind the labor of 250 workers and the removal and/or relocation of about 1 million cubic yards of soil, the Interstate 25 Rio Bravo Interchange Project is nearly complete.
Shaded from the sun by an exit underpass from Interstate 25 at Rio Bravo, the state DOT held a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday for the reconstruction project.
With a podium set atop a transport truck — the kind used for moving bulldozers and other large pieces of equipment — representatives from NMDOT, the Federal Highway Administration, Bernalillo County, the Legislature and project contractor AUI, took to the microphone
to praise the cooperative partnerships among the different entities.
They also commended the project for being on time, on budget and on target for accomplishing the goals of reducing congestion and improving traffic safety for West Side and South Valley commuters.
“This project is not only about improving travel now, but also for the future,” state Transportation Secretary Michael Sandoval said. “With the continued growth in the area, the new interchange is built to handle both auto and truck traffic for decades to come.”
The newly redesigned interchange increased the number of traffic lanes on I-25 from four to six, installed three new signalized intersections along Rio Bravo from I-25 to Del Rio, improved safety through six new bridges and enhanced entrance and exit ramps.
Incorporated into the project is a new multiuse path for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Sandoval also acknowledged “the patience of residents, business owners and commuters affected every day for the past two years by this project.”
The project is on schedule to be completed in full sometime in August.
The total cost of the project was about $65 million, of which $55 million was for construction and $10 million was for design, acquisition of right of ways and traffic signaling, said Kimberly Gallegos, public information officer for NMDOT, District 3. About 80% of the project cost was paid for by the Federal Highway Administration, and the remainder was picked up by the state of New Mexico.
The county has agreed to pick up the cost of maintaining the new signals, Gallegos said, adding that future landscaping costs may be absorbed by the city and county.