New snag nips Paseo Del Norte project

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - There is yet another roadblock in the project to overhaul the commuter maddening Paseo Del Norte-Interstate 25 interchange.

City leaders had hoped to get funding for that project before voters this November in hopes they would approve $50 million to help fund the makeover.

But that issue may not appear on the November general-election ballot after the secretary of state asked the attorney general to see if that city question was legal.

The AG's officer responded that during a general election, ballot questions must be about state or county issues.

Albuquerque Mayor Richard J. Berry said if voters can't have their say in November, other options include holding a special election in December. That comes with a $400,000 price tag.

The other option would be to bring it before the city council again where a supermajority could approve selling the fundraising bonds without voter approval. That approach was shot down by one vote earlier this year.

"I want to get this done because 56 million drivers a year are frustrated," Barry said citing the total number of trips through the area. "One hundred fifty-four thousand of us a day are frustrated stuck in traffic morning, noon and night."

The total cost of building a nonstop flyover from northbound I-25 to westbound Paseo plus other improvements is estimated at $93 million with the state and possibly Bernalillo County chipping in to cover the cost.

The state Department of Transportation has placed the cost of a complete overhaul of the interchange above $350 million.

Secretary of State Dianna Durán said she asked for legal advice on the issue because she wanted to make sure the law was being followed and she was doing the right thing.

But it's not a done deal, she said, adding she is seeking other legal counsel on the issue before a final decision is made.

Durán said that could happen next week.