Walkways at Downtown underpass, site of safety concerns, to be updated

May 25—After years of "Band-Aids," a notorious Downtown underpass is scheduled for big changes.

Demolition recently started on the Central Avenue underpass to bring the pedestrian crossings in line with railroad tracks. The undercrossing has long received complaints about safety and cleanliness.

The planned pedestrian walkways over the underpass — which cars will still be able to drive through —is part of the city's Rail Trail project, a planned 7-mile walkway encircling Downtown. There will be two ramps installed on either side of the pass.

Krista Smith moved to the Huning Highlands neighborhood about six months ago. But she's been familiar with the underpass for much longer.

"I was born (in Albuquerque)," Smith said. "So I've known that area forever. It has always been an eyesore and a scary place to walk through — and definitely a barrier between East Downtown and West Downtown, or the core."

Previous measures to improve the area, Smith said, were partial solutions. She said the addition of 24/7 music and improved lighting may have had some benefit, but "it's an entire systems challenge" requiring complex solutions, including housing and mental health treatment options along with infrastructure investment.

Smith and her husband moved to the area in search of a more walkable neighborhood. She said she's encouraged by the plan to bring up the pedestrian walkways.

"The underpass itself is not walkable, but on either side of it is more walkable," Smith said. "The opportunity to get rid of that barrier brings me a lot of hope."

In 2019, a $400,000 update added lighting and noise-reduction barriers. Four years later, another update, which was estimated to cost $60,000 at the time, added cages around the lights to prevent vandalism, as well as fencing and constant music intended to prevent loitering.

But those measures were temporary, said Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency spokesperson Sarah Supple, as the city sought approvals for and negotiated the construction project.

"Even with those added elements, the neighboring communities continued to express concerns about safety," Supple said. "Ultimately, closing the underpass is the best path forward to create a safe environment and reconnect East Downtown to the Downtown Core."

Fiona Cooke, who has lived in Huning Highlands for three years, said she'd like to be able to walk or bike to the Downtown core. But she typically drives — and she wouldn't "dream" of walking her dogs through the underpass, worrying about what they might lick or sniff. The underpass, she said, smells bad and is poorly lit.

"It's like you're going into the seventh layer of hell," Cooke joked.

Cooke said she feels that previous tactics to reduce loitering and increase safety haven't been effective, and she said she hasn't seen regular cleaning. She said the planned changes seem like a good thing, but she worries about long timelines or unfulfilled promises.

Demolition is expected to take six weeks. Construction on the southwest ramp will start soon after the Alvarado Transportation Center arches are fully demolished.

In total, construction is expected to cost $18 million and take a year and a half to complete.

"Albuquerque's just got so much potential," Cooke said. "I really want to see that manifest, and I think ... that underpass is a disgrace."