ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Drivers who use a busy Albuquerque interchange probably think road crews missed a big spot. The New Mexico Department of Transportation recently repaved the on and off-ramps on the I-40 frontage road near 6th Street, but left huge cracks and potholes just feet from the fresh pavement. NMDOT said there’s a good reason why.

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“In order to do that intersection, we’d have to tear out that entire intersection and repour the concrete. So, it is a huge job. It will have to be contracted out. So we did leave that part out, but we did go in and get all of those exits,” NMDOT Spokesperson Kimberly Gallegos stated.

Crews spent the summer repaving sections of I-40, the front roads, and all the on and off-ramps at 6th Street. But the smooth ride on the off-ramp doesn’t last long. The whole intersection under the freeway is still a bumpy mess. And, when heading east on the frontage road on the other side, there’s a gaping pothole immediately after the new asphalt.

This area has been a longtime problem. Google street images show the pothole on the eastbound frontage road at 6th Street has been patched up repeatedly since 2007. They say the reason they’re not tackling the intersection at the same time as the on and off-ramps come down to cost and a list of other priorities.

“We’re more than likely going to keep it the way it is and just try to maintain it as much as possible and have that pavement preservation and come in. But, it is on our radar,” Gallegos said.

NMDOT said there are no immediate plans or cost estimates for the intersection reconstruction but that they hope to find a contractor as soon as they identify the funding for it. NMDOT has crews that drive around weekly looking to see if any potholes need to be filled.