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Thursday, May 15, 2008

Median Breaks Sought Along I-40

By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
      Bernalillo County Commissioner Michael Brasher continues to be concerned about Interstate 40 in Tijeras Canyon looking like a parking lot when the freeway has to be closed.
       Brasher is crusading to change the barriers lining the interstate's median, in a nearly continuous line, from around the eastern edge of Albuquerque into Tijeras.
       Periodic emergency closures of the freeway have been an issue for motorists for a number of years. But a five-car wreck last August that had I-40 closed for several hours during the height of rush-hour traffic has spurred a long-term effort to try and prevent extensive delays and clogged roadways in the future.
       It isn't just irked motorists that has Brasher concerned. He said it is critical to be able to move emergency vehicles through the congestion, and he sees the barriers as a safety concern.
       More recently, Brasher pointed out, an emergency caused the closure of Paseo Del Norte and it was difficult to turn traffic around there as well.
       Brasher's suggestion would not eliminate the barrier completely, but he is asking for breaks in the barrier which would be blocked off by locked gates.
       Currently, the only break in the median in that area is near the bridge at Coyote Springs Road, west of Tijeras. The break is too narrow for semis or for some emergency vehicles, such as fire trucks, Brasher said.
       “You need to have a way to re-route traffic,” Brasher said.
       On May 7 he met with Larry Velasquez, District 3 engineer with the Department of Transportation, to discuss the idea.
       “They (NMDOT) seem very receptive to the idea of having additional breaks,” he said.
       Brasher said another meeting, which will likely involve additional people from the NMDOT, will be held May 22.
   

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