Crashes spike where I-25 fix completed

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - Fixing an old problem on Interstate 25 may be causing fresh trouble as crashes happen daily where the work ended and a new lane goes away.

Albuquerque police say they have seen a big spike in collisions in the northbound lanes of I-25 near the Jefferson Street exit.

"This week we've had eight crashes since Monday, specifically northbound 25 at Jefferson," said Sgt. Donovan Rivera of the Albuquerque Police Department Traffic Unit. "In the past, checking reports, we might get 1 or 2 a week

APD says one reason for all the crashes is likely the changes the New Mexico Department of Transportation made to the freeway.

The work eliminated a bottleneck just north of the Big I by creating a continuous right lane from Comanche Road past Montgomery Boulevard to Jefferson where the lane runs out with few warning signs.

"You either have to exit Jefferson or, if you're wanting to go north, it comes up real fast if you have to get over in the left lane," Rivera said.

Police say that's something a lot of drivers are not used to. They say with the new changes, drivers need to expect the unexpected and pay extra attention when they're in that area.

The DOT says no one was available for an on camera interview, but a spokesman says the spike in accidents is the result of driver error and not the new construction project.