NM DOT District 3 to Address Your Concerns on their Changes to Hwy 423 & Hwy 556
You are making a difference in your community
The changes made unilaterially by NM DOT to Tramway and Paseo Del Norte is a Big Deal. NM DOT made the changes, comprised the design, made those two highways more dangerous. Then tell that we should just get used to it. What NM DOT did to us was a Big Deal.
I remember when there are big deals in the construction industry. It was a big deal in 2006 when the developer for The Shops at Paseo Crossing gained direct access to NM Hwy 423/Paseo Del Norte Blvd NE when other developers on Hwy 423 were denied. The developer eventually paid close to million dollars for their special access.
Why was access to Hwy 423 so valuable to the New Mexico Department of Transportation? NM Hwy 556/Tramway Blvd NE and NM Hwy 423 were designed and constructed for a high number of vehicles (no heavy trucks) traffic to alleviate traffic on I-40 and I-25 in the Albuquerque Northeast Heights.
Only in New Mexico could three individuals (see below) take it upon themselves to undo years of traffic planning without community input or analyzing what the impact would be on the surrounding side streets and I-25 and I-40. Only in New Mexico would the Governor be so out of touch to allow individuals she is responsible for to make drastic changes to our important infrastructure without requiring her staff to follow the required highway standards. No wonder our highways are unsafe.
I spoke with NM Representative Bill Rehm (the only elected official I know of meeting with NM DOT) on Wednesday before and after his meeting with an individual with the NM DOT. Before the meeting, Bill and I discussed why these two highways are limited access and what that means. After the meeting, Bill mentioned what drove the change was the bicycle community wanted bicycles to have a higher priority on those two highways.
There are many means to address the concerns of the bicycle community. Some of those are, lower speed limits on weekends, widening the shoulders to increase the width of the bicycle lanes, and when there are periods of high bicycle traffic (such as before, during, and after the Tour de France) adding special barricading and traffic control.
In New Mexico, individuals can make difference armed with knowledge and dogged perseverance. Representative Rehm ended our conversation with your first article, and the readers got things moving. The article simply presented the case and ended with what to do. It was you, the reader that emailed NM DOT and spoke with one another that made the difference. Congratulations, you made a difference
Representative Rehm stated that NM DOT District 3 is considering additional changes. Now is the time for the final push, forward (share button) this article to NMDOT Executive Administrator at Jolene.Casados2@state.nm.us / District 3 Engineer Justin Gibson PE, District 3 Administrator Jenay Gallegos, and Kimberly Gallegos all at nmdot-d3.qcc@state.nm.us. You can make a difference in our community.
Biden Travels 6,000 miles to meet with the untouchable
While shunning New Mexico Democrat Leaders Here
New Mexico has a Democrat Governor, Democrat Legislature, two Democrat US Senators in a Democrat Controlled Senate, two Democrat Congresswomen in a Democrat Controlled House, and a Democrat President. The president would rather travel 6,000 miles to Saudi Arabia to meet with their untouchable leader to beg for oil than travel 1,500 miles to meet with fellow New Mexico Democratic leaders in Southeast New Mexico to open the spigot for more American oil.
New Mexico Democrats are inconsequential in Washington DC. Why isn’t News in New Mexico?