One lane Central could extend to 47th

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Central Avenue, it’s one of the busiest streets in Albuquerque, definitely the most well-known.

The main thoroughfare for thousands of drivers every day could become a major headache if the city decides to turn Central into a two lane road for a three mile stretch.

Part of the historic highway has already been converted and now the i dea to extend the project was part of a West Central corridor study. One possible proposal is to extend one lane each way on Central from 8th street, across the river all the way up to 47th street.

For the past year Central from downtown to Lomas has been cut to one lane in each direction to allow for more bike lanes and street parking.

“Getting the volume of traffic across the river is paramount so we have to look at that and make a balance between what's best for pedestrians and bicyclists and yet moving the traffic so people don't have to wait exorbitant amount of times to get to the west side of the city,” Mark Motsko with Municipal Development said.

The whole stretch wouldn't be one lane; tentative plans show the road would open back up from Central and Lomas to Central and Rio Grande. But this is all very tentative.

“Council has some surveys out to the neighborhoods and we are waiting for the consultant to come back with some of the studies they were supposed to do in the first year pilot project and we will go from there,” said Motsko.

There will be a public meeting before any decision can be made and city councilors say they want to hear from residents on these plans . If drivers say they hate the project things could go back to two lanes each way.

One concern of note is the trend for West Central to basically become a parking lot whenever a crash closes I-40, city councilors say they’re taking that concern into consideration.

As a lot of you are painfully aware off, West Central becomes a parking lot whenever a crash closes I-40. City officials say they're taking that into consideration as well.