BERNALILLO COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – It’s a project working to slow down speeding drivers and make for safer walking in the North Valley. Now, Los Ranchos is readying the start of its next big phase which is overhauling Fourth Street.
Story continues below
- Entertainment: Who won the 2024 New Mexico State Fair Green Chile Cheeseburger Challenge?
- Crime: ‘Pieces of car floating in my pool’: Albuquerque family shares about backyard crash
- Podcast: How New Mexico’s Top Cop Is Addressing Crime, Traffic Enforcement
Round one of the project finished about two years ago adding sidewalks and cutting driving lanes. Now, small businesses are getting ready to see that work extended another half-mile after decades of safety concerns. “There is no sidewalk and you can see how close the traffic is to the unimproved shoulder,” said María Rinaldi, Consulting 4th Street Project Manager. “This has actually been the site of numerous accidents including one fatality.”
A lack of street lighting and out-of-date pedestrian crossings are just some of the problems the village wants addressed. “It was a roadway for roadway use only. There were no sidewalks, no stormwater drainage, no bicycle amenities, and the determination was made to improve this for all users of the corridor,” said Rinaldi.