ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Neighbors say they’re fed up after several drivers have crashed into a wall along 528 near Westside Blvd. Many of the people who live near and drive along the stretch say it’s not the first time the wall has been damaged from drivers crashing into it, and say they’re afraid it won’t be the last. “It happens on a regular basis, one time I think we had a three-month space where it didn’t happen and I go, we’ve been lucky the wall hasn’t been crashed into for over three months and next thing you know, there’s a hole,” said one Albuquerque driver.
Neighbors say between the frequency of crashes and the length of time it takes to repair the damage, it’s hard to keep track of just how many there have been. Monday morning, alongside a pile of bricks, is what appears to be leftover debris from a vehicle. A New Mexico Department of Transportation spokesperson confirmed the frequency of the crashes to the wall along 528 saying they are aware it’s been hit a few times. Further along a different stretch, bricks from a previous crash are still littered in front of a section of repaired wall.
Although the 528 corridor has signs posted alerting drivers to remain vigilant of the roadway neighbors say more needs to be done to help prevent future crashes, “You can reduce the speed limit all you want but it’s not going to change anything, people fly on this street all the time,” added one Albuquerque driver. While neighbors say they are thankful the wall is there to stop drivers from actually hitting their homes, they say they’d like to see different types of barriers added to help keep the wall intact.
NMDOT says at the moment there aren’t any plans to make any changes along that stretch, saying it would require a crash analysis and while a crash study has not yet been planned, they expect to add that stretch as an area to be looked at.
