D'Val Westphal: Speed cams busy, new Westside Blvd. bumpy, bus stop was scariest fair ride

D'Val Westphal, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
Updated ·3 min read

Sep. 26—ALMOST 6,000 SPEED CAM TICKETS IN AUGUST:

The latest data show speeding is alive and well in Albuquerque.

Rebecca Atkins of the Albuquerque Police Department says the speed cameras around the city issued 5,876 $100 citations and 2,530 warnings in August. And "Gibson remains the roadway with the most egregious speeds."

Stay tuned for more details on the citations.

WELCOME TO ABQ! Fred DeGuio asks in an email "why are there no attractive eye-catching signs on either of the interstates saying Welcome to Albuquerque when entering the city?"

Kimberly Gallegos with the N.M. Department of Transportation District 3 office says "we do have one on westbound I-40 before Tramway. I will ask if there are plans for more." And Scott Cilke with the Department of Municipal Development says "the city did recently put up eye-catching signs at various entrances to the city within city right of way. However, the interstate is not city jurisdiction so we are not able to place signs along those roadways/interstates."

WESTSIDE ALMOST DONE: Ken says "Westside Boulevard is coming along beautifully and is nice to look at, but driving on the inside lanes, both going east and going west, is a ... continuous series of bumps."

Patti Watson, who is handling information on the widening project to four lanes between N.M. 528 and Golf Course, says "paving is, for the most part, completed. The contractor is repairing areas of asphalt paving Sept. 19-30, and plans to re-stripe the roadway the week of Oct. 3-7. If additional areas of paving are identified as needing to be repaired during the final walk-through for the project, scheduled in early October, the contractor will repair those areas during the punch list period, which will include minor adjustments and repairs and is expected to last through late October to early November."

NM 475 GETS NEW PAVING: James Murray with NMDOT District 5 says the three-phase project starts today, Sept. 26, will have crews on site 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and is expected to last 15 days. "Drivers can expect intermittent lane closures and delays."

The first four days, phase one, will have crews rehabilitating the loop at the end of N.M. 475 in front of Ski Santa Fe. The next eight days, phase two, will have crews rehabilitating the roadway between mile markers 8.8 and 1.1. The final three days, phase three, will have crews rehabilitating Bishops Lodge Road between Artists Road and Paseo De Peralta.

Drivers and the many bicyclists who use N.M. 475 are asked to be alert for "the increase in truck traffic that will occur while this project is ongoing."

BUS STOP THE SCARIEST FAIR RIDE: Bud Shafer shares "I had to laugh at" the suggestion in the Sept. 19 column to beat the State Fair traffic by taking the city ART bus.

Because he did.

"After a nice time at the fair we had to catch the ART at the Central and Louisiana platform leaving the fair about 5 p.m. It took 15-20 minutes to walk in the heat with no shade to the platform from the fair, and then we had to wait an additional 20 minutes on the platform for the bus to arrive.

"While standing on the platform we had to be concerned about whether we might get knifed, shot, robbed or even pushed off the platform into traffic by one of the drunken or drugged people loitering on the platform and Central. Waiting on the platform, we did get to watch many illegal activities."

Bud says if the fair and city wish "for the State Fair-goers to have their final remembrance of going to the State Fair as a very scary, dangerous and unpleasant experience ... keep recommending the ART as a viable means to get to and from the fair."

Editorial page editor D'Val Westphal tackles commuter issues for the metro area on Mondays. Reach her at 823-3858; dwestphal@abqjournal.com; or 7777 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87109.