Construction has intersection far from Paradise
IS THIS CONSTRUCTION OFF (GOLF) COURSE? Mike Daniel is echoing several readers who have expressed concerns about the ongoing work on Paradise between Eagle Ranch and Golf Course.
He emails, “I am curious and a little frustrated by the work going on at the Golf Course Road and Paradise (Boulevard) intersection. The crew worked its way west from Paradise and Eagle Ranch all summer and then tore up the right lane and curbs west of Golf Course and Paradise and just disappeared. The (rightmost) southbound lane on Golf Course is closed, as is the eastbound right turn lane of Paradise. Any reason this work was suspended for the last few weeks?”
And Dianne Hinds adds, “For several weeks southbound Golf Course NW has been cut to one lane due to construction of new curbs on the southwest corner of Golf Course and Paradise. The work has been done, and there has been no sign of anyone working there for at least one month, but the road is still down to one lane.”
On a recent afternoon “at 1:15 p.m. I counted 31 cars in line waiting to cross Paradise. To make matters worse, the notice that the road is narrowing to one lane is just after a curve, and many drivers are left trying to get in line very suddenly. Totally aggravating and unnecessary! Can you do something to help us?”
Johnny Chandler, spokesman for the city’s Department of Municipal Development, says the city’s response in June still stands:
“The Paradise Boulevard improvement project from Eagle Ranch to Golf Course began on April 8th, 2019, and is schedule to be completed in December of this year. We have been planning this project since 2014. The total cost of this project for design and construction is 3 million dollars. The money came from the ¼-Cent Transportation Tax. The project calls for two lanes in each direction, a multi-use trail on the south side of the roadway and a continuous sidewalk on the north side of the Paradise. We will also rehabilitate the existing roadway, add traffic signage, street lighting as well as storm drain modifications and traffic signal modifications. The remaining portion of Paradise, from Golf Course to just past Justin Road NW, is in Bernalillo County jurisdiction.”
As for the persistent sewage smell from the Golf Course intersection west, David Morris, public affairs manager with the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, says, “The Water Authority’s involvement is to pay those contractors for relocation of three fire hydrants and rehab of an old manhole. The latter work may be the source of the sewer odor.”
U.S. 550 IMPROVEMENTS, 2.0: The New Mexico Department of Transportation will begin the second phase of $23.8 million-worth of work on U.S. 550 through Bernalillo to Rio Rancho late next month, according to spokeswoman Kimberly Gallegos.
She says this phase will include “the addition of one new lane in each direction from N.M. 313 in Bernalillo to the intersection of N.M. 528 in Rio Rancho,” widening the roadway to a total six lanes. “Other improvements include new sidewalks, curb and gutter placement, storm drainage, pedestrian/bicycle improvements along with a continuous-flow intersection — the first of its kind in New Mexico!”
IT’S CAR SEAT SAFETY WEEK: And NMDOT and Safer New Mexico Now are hosting nine “simultaneous statewide child safety seat clinics on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 10 a.m. to noon,” according to a news release.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, correctly installed child safety seats can save lives. As always, it’s most beneficial if you can bring the child who uses the seat, and having the seat, its installation and its fit checked by a trained technician is free.
For more information or for the nearest clinic to you, go to safernm.org or call 800-2316145.