The plan to give one of Albuquerque’s most iconic streets a makeover is moving forward.
The city is looking to spend $750,000 to plan and design an overhaul of Rio Grande from I-40 to Central.
The busy gateway to Old Town and downtown is looking its age, and it’s the scene of major rush hour traffic.
Last year, a consultant came out with renderings that show a landscaped corridor with better sidewalks, a traffic circle at Mountain, even a diamond interchange around I-40 to get traffic flowing.
City Councilor Isaac Benton has been pushing for a Rio Grande renovation for a few years now.
“It’s very problematic. It has a lot of traffic going out to the westside and coming back from the westside,” Benton said.
There’s no estimate on how much the project will cost or when it will start.
Benton says money left over from the design phase can be used to restripe Rio Grande while the city tries to come up with the money to pay for the project.
