Drivers racing through curve on Coal

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - The speed limit is 30 miles per hour and the signs make it clear signals are timed, but that hasn't stopped people from tearing up and down the one-way streets of Lead and Coal.

It has gotten so bad on a curved stretch of Coal, drivers are doing some serious damage.

"So this was a $26-million project several years in the making, well actually a couple decades in the making," said the city's Municipal Development spokesperson Mark Motsko.

The Lead-Coal project was completed about 8 months ago much to the delight of many drivers.

However, once construction wrapped a nasty problem reared its head once again on Coal just before University.

"What we have in this situation was that someone obviously took the corner a little too quickly and ran over several of the bollards and knocked out one of the light poles," Motsko said.

The city planned for that very thing, installing a row of barriers to protect an apartment complex and its parking lot.

Planners also thought the makeover would slow people down.

"It never was meant to be a speedway that's why we reduced the lanes from three to two," said Motsko.

While that may have been the goal, the knocked down light pole, bent barriers and tire marks all along the curb prove it is not slowing everyone down.

KRQE News 13 used a radar gun on cars as they approached the curve Tuesday afternoon.

Drivers were clocked going 36, 37, 38 even 39 miles per hour heading into the curve.

No one cracked 40 mph but the city says the curve is meant for drivers to take at 30 mph and not a tick above.

The cost for speeding through this area and missing the curve is one everybody will feel.

"With labor we're going to say somewhere between $10,000 and $15,000," Motsko said.

The city is waiting to see if there was a police report filed on driver of the car that hit the pole to see if they had insurance before replacing the light pole.

As for slowing people down for good, APD may be asked to step in start nailing more speeders in that area.