Sunday, March 29, 2009

Stimulus Package to give Albuqerque cyclists a Rio Grande crossing

Fed funds revive Rio Grande bike bridge

$7.4 million project in works for 10 years

Updated: Friday, 27 Mar 2009, 10:05 PM MDT
Published : Friday, 27 Mar 2009, 10:04 PM MDT

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Albuquerqueans longing for another river crossing are about to get one, but it will be for bicycles, not cars.


You suppose we should have had a shovel-ready project to get bicyclists across the Los Alamos Canyon without having to share a single, seven foot sidewalk with pedestrians?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

There are so few issues crossing Omega bridge, spending money on something like that might not be worth it. I'd rather see a safe biking lane on West Jemez by TA-3.

Khal said...

The multiuse sidepath, at 7 feet, is of substandard width by AASHTO guidelines, and also puts cyclists onto the wrong side of Diamond going northbound, where they stay on the sidewalk and have close calls at intersections and bother pedestrians.

A decent northbound facility putting cyclists on the correct side of Diamond, esp. when the bike lanes are finished, would be a good idea, since LANL is the biggest workplace destination in LA County.

Better biking lanes or shoulders on W. and E. Jemez are good ideas for both motorists and cyclists, but the bridge is a real bottleneck for commuting. Problem it, its all DOE and not sure DOE either can or will apply for the spending binge.