ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – New striping modifications along a half-mile stretch down Third Street in downtown Albuquerque have some drivers scratching their heads asking what was the city thinking. Thursday, the city said new striping modifications along Third Street from Hazeldine down to Central Ave. had been incorrectly applied.
On Friday, Albuquerque’s Department of Municipal Development says the striping modifications were intended all along and were not, leaving some drivers confused. “Up and down this street here on Third Street it is a little confusing weaving in and out and some of the parking is a little confusing,” said one Albuquerque driver.
Previously, the city said contractors hired to perform recent road work had incorrectly striped the area; including switching bike lanes, and parking spots and placing them in lanes of travel, leaving drivers to blindly navigate lanes of traffic.
Friday morning, crews were sent out to fix the “mistake,” adding double yellow lines down Third Street. The city is now saying the job was simply incomplete, but some business owners and drivers along the corridor say they are still trying to wrap their heads around these new modifications. “The lines and everything does make it confusing in my opinion. The parking too is kind of a little confusing and so is the bike trail. I’m not sure what they are doing there as well,” said Louis Salazar, whose business, ‘Salazar Funeral Homes’, sits directly on Third Street.
The city says the new modifications are part of a larger rehabilitation project that complies with its downtown safety zone. They say because there were no mistakes made in the striping and simply an unfinished job, there will be no additional costs to complete the project. The city says it expects to have the new striping complete by early next week.
