I-25 next up for pricey makeovers

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - As $1 billion in reconstruction work on Interstate 40 through Albuquerque wraps up this month with completion of the San Mateo interchange the focus is shifting to Interstate 25.

State and regional transportation and planning officials looking at I-25 have a long and pricey list of projects intended to improve flow and safety.

“There are corridor studies in effect for I-25 right now,” New Mexico Department of Transportation spokesperson Phil Gallegos told KRQE News 13.

NMDOT and the Mid-Region Council of Governments have already identified the priorities.

• Eliminating the bottleneck that often ties up traffic at Comanche and I-25 northbound
• Addressing safety concerns with the S curve on I-25 around the Lead/Coal exits.
• The top priority: the congested interchange at Paseo del Norte.

“It’s probably going to be another billion dollars to work on I-25,” MRCOG Executive Director Lawrence Rael said.

Current estimates put reconstructing the Paseo interchange at $350 million. Planners are hoping to secure a $250 million federal grant to help cover the cost, according to Rael.

“The regional board has made Paseo and I-25 the No. 1 priority for the region,” Rael added.

MRCOG and NMDOT officials said the repairs are necessary, but they also know they’re going to have to wait. The economic slowdown is to blame for that.

No one can say exactly when the projects will begin.

“Even though we may not have the funds to go forward with some of those projects right now, you still do the preliminary work in order to ensure that you’ve got everything ready to go if at some point in the future you come up with the funds necessary to facilitate building those projects,” Gallegos said.