‘It’s killing us’: Community members frustrated about Bridge Boulevard construction

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Ongoing road construction has people who live near the Five Points intersection on Bridge Boulevard fed up. They shared their frustrations during a public meeting Thursday night.

“That’s killing the businesses as it is. I have two businesses in construction, it’s killing us because we have no parking,” said Maclor Chavez, a resident and business owner in the construction area, at the meeting.

People packed the South Valley Multipurpose Senior Center for the meeting on phase three of the Bridge Boulevard Reconstruction Project. Project and county leaders gave a presentation highlighting four alternatives for the Five Points intersection on the bridge in the South Valley. The alternatives include a 5-leg signalized intersection, a 4-leged signalized intersection, a 5-leg roundabout and a 4-leg roundabout.

Residents were asked to break into groups, each with a team representative, to go over their concerns. But the crowd didn’t want to.

Presenters said breaking into groups would ensure everyone’s concerns were heard but residents accused project leaders of using it as a way to “shut them up.” One crowd member even claimed the presenters didn’t understand what they were experiencing with construction because they didn’t live there. “Yes, I live here. My daughter is 4th generation. I live in this community. I grew up in this community. I love this community,” said one presenter.

One resident and meeting-goer said he liked the idea of a 5-leg intersection. “I think it would just benefit all the small, smaller roads that lead into Five Points to leave it open,” said Anthony Costello. Residents said they wanted construction to speed up and more communication along the way. “I would like to see the entire project quicken. It’s just too slow. It’s affecting too too many people and too too many businesses,” said Chavez.

In an emailed response on Friday, the county called the meeting productive with 60-75 people in attendance. It’s accepting feedback on the project through Sept. 30. Then, they will analyze the comments and narrow down the options for that part of the project. The county plans to hold another public meeting about the narrowed options for the Five Points area by January. Residents can submit feedback and view the alternatives here.