Keller Administration Prioritizing Road and Sidewalk Investments in Historically Underserved Neighborhoods
June 27, 2019
Mayor Tim Keller announced a major investment in road and sidewalk projects in neighborhoods that historically have not had adequate updates to their infrastructure. In the past year, the City of Albuquerque invested over $7 million in road rehabilitation, improved ADA compliance, new curbs and gutters, sidewalk improvements and road striping in the Trumbull Village and Kirtland Community Association neighborhood.
“Investments like these in historically underserved areas of Albuquerque are long overdue,” stated Mayor Keller. “We refused to let these neighborhoods stay at the bottom of a list of projects, never getting completed. Having a sense of place and being able to move around safely doesn’t change everything, but it matters a lot for families walking to school or driving to the grocery store. This is just part of our ongoing work to update older areas and work with communities to restore pride and ownership in our city.”
The Department of Municipal Development and the Department of Equity and Inclusion worked to identify projects specifically to ensure that low income, underserved neighborhoods get the roadways, sidewalks, updated ADA compliance and roadway striping that other neighborhoods in Albuquerque enjoy. As a result, more than $4.5 million went into the improvements in the Trumbull Village neighborhood with funds from a federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) that was received by the City of Albuquerque Family and Community Services Department. The project will help increase the walkability and access for the neighborhood residents, add to the safety of the area by providing increased and updated ADA compliance, new roadway asphalt, curb and gutter repairs, sidewalk and drive pad improvements as well as updated road striping.
The Kirtland Community Association project received an investment of just over $3 million to improve University Blvd. between Gibson and San Jose SE. This project adds new sidewalks, updated ADA compliance, new road striping, storm drain improvements and a walking trail. As part of this project, a new dedicated left hand turn arrow from northbound University to westbound Gibson will soon be added to assist residents with increased traffic in the area. This addition will help expedite traffic flow in the area and help the neighborhood’s congestion issues.
The City invested over $17 million in road and street improvements in fiscal year 2019 and anticipates investing another $18 million in the next year on such updates across the city.