Downtown Albuquerque Rail Trail Project in New Phase

The public comment phase of a much-discussed plan that would see the building of a one-mile urban trailway in downtown Albuquerque is expected to continue until the final day of next January.

As proposed, the project will run from the Rail Yards Market to east downtown and includes along that route access points to outdoor entertainment, businesses and various other amenities.

In a press release, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller remarked that the proposed trail has the potential to be a “transformative amenity that reconnects and reinvigorates our downtown and opens up new spaces and experiences for families to enjoy.”

Talked about for several years, the project would make available to walkers, runners, and bike riders a swath of the city that is not generally accessible, comprising as it does rail track infrastructure and not much else.

According to a release sent out by the City of Albuquerque, the new trail, built adjacent to several historic neighborhoods, has the potential of reversing disinvestments in such areas by “connecting communities split by the railroad tracks, and by fostering equitable programing and business development.”

The plan has been under consideration by city officials and both business owners and residents for several years, with a feasibility study done by the city’s Planning Department completed in 2019.

Early designs have imagined the trail running adjacent to the railroad tracks, with some landscaped segments.

The parameters of the project to date have been given shape as a result of a community survey, public meetings, and design charettes.

A final price tag for the project is not yet known, but it is thought that funding for much or even a part of it may be secured through funds coming out of the recently passed federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

​By Garry Boulard

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