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Thursday, April 10, 2008

Traffic On I-40 Will Be Subject of Study

By Laura Nesbitt
Mountain View Telegraph
    Growth in the area has prompted a study of Interstate 40 between Sedillo Hill and Moriarty.
    Bohannan Huston has been awarded a contract to study the Interstate 40 corridor from the interchange at Sedillo Hill to the far east Moriarty exit, said Phil A. Gallegos, state Department of Transportation assistant district engineer for district 5, at a special work session of Moriarty Planning and Zoning on March 31.
    The study will also research the possibility of a continuous frontage road to connect Moriarty and Sedillo on the north side of N.M. 333 or Old Route 66, said Bohannan Huston Senior Vice President Albert Thomas.
    The study will begin early this summer and could take up to three years to complete. It will not in any way affect traffic on I-40, Gallegos said.
    Thomas made the announcement at the special work session to prepare for a possible move by the Albuquerque Downs to a portion of land north of I-40 and east of N.M. 41.
    "The study is not related to (the move), however if the racino does move to Moriarty, they'll be required to get an access permit from DOT," Gallegos said.
    Owners of the racino will be required to submit a "development traffic impact analysis" that estimates additional traffic that the development could generate, Gallegos said.
    "What we'll do is study traffic patterns for traffic flow on I-40, on N.M. 333, and the north frontage road. Look at regional traffic flow on those three facilities, and analyze existing interchanges to see if they'll handle future traffic demands to see if they need to be modified and see if there's a need for future interchanges," Gallegos said.
    The study will have numerous phases, including soliciting input from counties and municipalities, getting information from commuters and truck drivers, researching crash data and examining traffic volumes, Thomas said.
    "By identifying problems, we try to come up with alternatives to mitigate those deficiencies," Thomas said.
    Throughout the study Bohannan Huston will hold several public meetings, Thomas said.
    "Right now there is no construction money for improvements. The state has an annual program, and they prioritize projects within that annual program. So they'll take our project and compare it with other projects around the state, and it'll find it's way into the transportation improvement program," Thomas said.
    The average weekday traffic in both directions on Interstate 40 between Guadalupe County and Moriarty climbs from 14,400 to 15,400 vehicles, said Eric Webster, MRCOG transportation planner.
    Average weekday traffic moving in both directions between Moriarty and Edgewood climbs from 21,200 to 26,300 as the highway moves west, Webster said.
    The number of vehicles moving in both directions on Interstate 40 between Sedillo Hill and the Tramway exit climbs from 31,000 to 53,600, Webster said.
    The population of Torrance County doubled between 1950 to 2000 from 8,012 to 16,911, according to statistics from the Mid-Region Council of Governments.
    The population of the county is expected to grow from 17,695 in 2004 to 27,479 by 2030, an increase of 55.3 percent, MRCOG statistics state.