ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The city of Albuquerque is on track to do a lot more road work than it did last year. Officials say one reason is that contractors can move faster when there’s less traffic on the roads during the pandemic.

“Another reason is going to be the availability of private contractors in our state and we just had a year where everything’s lining up perfect for us,” Johnny Chandler with the Department of Municipal Development stated.

The city expects to complete 130 miles of roadwork in the fiscal year starting last July 1. That’s 30 miles more than the previous fiscal year.

Some of the big projects recently finished include smoothing out Lomas between Carlisle and Girard; expanding Paradise from Golf Course to Eagle Ranch on the west side; and improvements in residential roads in underserved areas, like in the International District off San Mateo and Kathryn. The city decides its list of road project priorities by doing an annual road assessment and having an independent contractor do an assessment every five years.

“Even though we’re not able to rehab every roadway, it’s just continuous and it’s going to be continuous,” Chandler explained. “We need at least $500 million, maybe much more than that, to redo every roadway right away.”

In total, there are 4,600 lane miles that the city maintains. The work is expected to last about 10 years before it needs to be done again.

Between the city’s quarter-cent transportation tax and general obligation bond funds, the city invests between $20 million and $30 million on road rehab a year. The next big road projects on tap are makeovers of the intersection of 98th and Sage; Westside Boulevard; and extending San Pedro in the heights. People can always report potholes and cracks for maintenance through 311 or the city’s One Albuquerque app.

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