ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Changes are being made to one of Albuquerque’s largest, busiest, and oldest intersections. Crews started construction at the Wyoming Boulevard and Menaul Boulevard intersection last week, the city announced Wednesday.
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Crews will be replacing the very last traffic signal in the city that hangs from wire. The light at the intersection will eventually sit on one of the longest metal mast arms in the city. Victor Circle, which branches off Menaul eastbound to southbound Wyoming and is used for free right-hand turns, will be permanently closed for safety reasons, the city said.
“We’re all working to improve safety on our roads in Albuquerque. The updates at this intersection will improve safety for drivers, but especially for pedestrians and others that use the crosswalk on these busy, high-speed, streets,” said Pat Montoya, director of the Municipal Development Department.
The construction will also include:
- Fixing Americans with Disabilities Act deficiencies
- New fiber-optic cables
- New traffic signals
- New street lights
- Asphalt pavement restoration
- New signage and striping
The improvements, which will be completed in stages, are expected to improve traffic flow on southbound Wyoming. Construction is expected to be completed during the summer of 2024.
The city has been planning the construction since at least 2018.
Some members of the public are happy about the traffic signal upgrades but are not happy about Victor Circle being closed. Current and past presidents of the Inez Neighborhood Association, Maya Sutton and Evelyn Feltner, are concerned the change will cause drivers to use nearby neighborhoods instead.
“When people learn that they can’t get from Menaul to Wyoming this way anymore, they’re going to come through our neighborhood on one of the three through streets – probably the next one over, Prospect, which is right there,” said Sutton.
