City Continues Safety Upgrades Along ART Corridor
Mayor Tim Keller has directed the Department of Municipal Development (DMD) and the Albuquerque Transit Department (ABQ RIDE) to begin installation of pinned curbs in places along the corridor that are frequent sites of illegal left turns across the bus lanes that can lead to crashes.
“Like other cities with new public transportation routes, driving on the ART corridor takes an adjustment,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “As we continue to work to educate drivers on the new traffic patterns, we’re implementing updates to reduce crashes and help folks stay safe. These fixes to the original design are another step in an ongoing process to make sure everyone Central can benefit from ART and increased ridership.”
Left turns along the ART corridor should only be taken at traffic light-controlled intersections where they are protected by a green arrow. At any other location in the corridor, left turns are illegal and dangerous to drivers, bus operators, and bus passengers.
The DMD Engineering Division is teaming up with a local contractor to install curbs in the middle of the two ART lanes that eliminate the potential for cars to turn left where it is dangerous to do so. The locations were chosen after continuous corridor evaluation that began as soon as the buses started running November 30th. That evaluation is ongoing, and DMD and ABQ RIDE will continue to identify ways to enhance safety along the corridor and make ART work better for everyone.
Pinned curb installation began Wednesday, March 11th at 52nd St to just east of Old Coors Dr. Crews finished work on those pinned curbs over the past weekend. They will soon be painting the pinned cubs a bright yellow, after the concrete dries and finishes curing. The next pinned curb construction is set for today, Wednesday, March 18. That’s when construction crews will start pouring concrete for another set of pinned curbs from Tingley Dr. to New York Ave. Afterward, pinned curb construction will continue for approximately eight weeks from Tingley Drive to Rio Grande Boulevard and from Washington Street to just west of the intersection at San Pedro
In addition to these new pinned curbs, DMD has installed “Left on Green Arrow Only” signs on all but six intersections along the corridor. DMD Security Division also has security officers consistently patrolling the corridor in an effort to improve safety conditions along the corridor both on and off the busses.
The funding for this project comes from Federal Transit Administration funds for the ART corridor and will cost approximately $396,000 dollars. During construction, ABQ RIDE will release regular updates on any service changes related to the ART route.
Tingley Dr. to Rio Grande:
Washington St. to San Pedro Dr.