The city of Albuquerque has now given the public the opportunity for feedback on the planned Albuquerque Rail-trail project; which involves the addition of a bike trail and a walking path next to the railroad tracks, stretching for one mile from the Rail Yard market to East Downtown. The Rail Trail project is one of the city’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency (MRA), 14 priority projects for 2022 and all feedback on this project can be registered on the city’s website up until Jan 31, 2022.
Although, a design team for the Albuquerque Rail-trail project is yet to be selected according to the MRA; a sneak peek provided on the available renderings, shows a new Rail Trail bike and walking path downtown, along with new shops, restaurants, and public arts. The first phase is already in progress and work on a new railroad crossing at Marquette is currently ongoing.
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Multi-phase Albuquerque Rail-trail project to be completed in 5 years
Construction on the Albuquerque Rail-trail project is expected to be done in phases to observe its gradual progression and according to city officials, the scope includes the demolition of a fence and the addition of a new road to increase accessibility from the downtown area by the Convention Center to the east part of downtown. The second phase would involve the creation of a path from Lomas to Tijeras, while phase three’s work will focus on connecting all the paths down to the Rail Yards. The completion time of this project is estimated at 5 years.
Karen Iverson, a manager at the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency, mentioned that the design plans for the Albuquerque Rail-trail project will include shaded trees, cultural art designs and other amenities. Other projects which are still part of the 14 MRA projects are currently still at different stages of development; and some of these projects include residential housing and a new charter school.Â
About a third of the funding for the Albuquerque Rail-trail project has been raised, with Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency committing up to $5 million for the first phase. The city is also a partner in the 14 MRA projects and will be contributing by offering tax abatements and/or land as well as monies. Another $10 million is being requested from the Federal and state money, with the hope of securing additional funding in this year’s legislative cycle to complement some funding from the Federal Infrastructure funds that was recently announced.Â
A downtown coffee shop, Villa Myriam also expressed support for the Albuquerque Rail-trail project, and pointed out that the project would generate sufficient foot traffic on a daily basis; which ensures that customers are able to walk in from the downtown core. Iverson in a statement said the Rail Trail project will provide an enhanced cyclist and pedestrian facility that’s never been seen before in Albuquerque. He also said the city is hopeful that more businesses and more people would begin exploring downtown.
