I 25/RT. 550/165 INTERCHANGE
UPDATE
Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association (ES-CA) Directors, Bob Gorrell, Jerry Saxton and Chris Daul met with NM Department of Transportation officials on January 30, 2014, to discuss the I 25/Rt. 550/165 interchange project, and specifically, the ramp design from I 25 northbound to Rt. 165 eastbound.
DOT officials acknowledged that the original plans had been changed, which eliminated an acceleration lane for traffic entering Rt. 165 eastbound. The new design has raised complaints from numerous Placitas residents, concerning the visibility of oncoming traffic heading eastbound from the Bernalillo area on Rt. 165. DOT officials said that once the final lane pattern is completed, the visibility would improve, since the existing poles, holding up the light signals, would be removed, temporary signage would be removed, and the location of vehicles that are stacking on the off ramp in order to turn left onto Rt. 165 will be shifted farther to the west.
As we know, the new configuration became operational on February 2. DOT District Three Engineer, Timothy Parker, stated that if there are any problems with the ramp, after completion of the new traffic configuration, DOT will meet with us again to determine how to address the issue. We would like to hear from residents as to whether the new configuration is still a problem or if it is now better.
Also, DOT officials said that the construction company, heading the project, is being fined in excess of $8,500.00 per day for non-compliance of their contract with the State. DOT understands the frustration Placitas residents, and others, are having with the construction project and indicated that they will work with us to alleviate any problems that remain after completion.
ES-CA will continue to work to insure that this project is completed as soon as possible and will insure that Placitans’ concerns are addressed.
Yes, the merging from I25 northbound to eastbound SR165 is worse than before which was a major issue. How can the NMDOT get it so wrong? The proposed acceleration lane would have resolved the problem but waiting to see if it’s an issue is pure ignorance and the need to discuss solutions again is pure fodder. NMDOT has the answer but they won’t act upon it until more accidents happen and maybe until some one gets seriously hurt or maimed. I’d say they are open for a very easy win lawsuit from anyone damaged at that site.
Bob,
Has the Federal Highways Administration been contacted ? Were federal funds used in this project. They usually oversee local and state projects for safety, etc. and approve many highway projects
“The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation that supports State and local governments in the design, construction, and maintenance of the Nation’s highway system (Federal Aid Highway Program) and various federally and tribal owned lands (Federal Lands Highway Program). Through financial and technical assistance to State and local governments, the Federal Highway Administration is responsible for ensuring that America’s roads and highways continue to be among the safest and most technologically sound in the world.”
Thanks for all the hard work you and the rest of ESCA do.
Susanne, Chris Daul published this article, but no, we have not yet contacted the Federal Highways Administration. This is a good next step if we don’t get results from the State. In our ES-CA letter to the NM DOT, we copied or Senators and Representatives. Ed Majka has since met with representatives from Rep. Grisham on this issue. We ask that resident’s please let us know your experiences using the new exit ramp so that we can accurately relate them to the NM-DOT.
I see progress at the site of the I-25 and Highway 165 / I-550 interchange and I see poor planning also, specifically the I-25 northbound exit ramp. When construction began I assumed the exit ramp would soon possess of a dedicated right lane for Placitas traffic. Apparently I miscalculated. I also thought building an acceleration lane for merging with eastbound Hw 165 would be a no brainer. May I offer a simple and cheap late stage solution for the second problem; end the right lane of I-550 eastbound at 165 and use the space to create a merge acceleration lane. I don’t believe two lanes eastbound 165 are necessary anyway since they merge into one soon enough. In all, I am frustrated with what we got in the way of “improvements.” Thank you Chris Daul and Bob Gorrell, Jerry Saxton for representing us @ ES-CA.
Excellent idea to turn the right lane into an acceleration lane. The current condition calls for it and it will work. The volume of eastbound 165 coming over the bridge does not warrant two lanes. One lane would service the west-to-east volume and protect drivers trying to merge with not a stitch of time or space from the I-25 off ramp. Yielding suddenly (which is inevitable because you can’t see west at that spot) will get you rear ended. Venturing without knowing who is coming at you from the west will get you killed. I’ve traveled that piece every day for a year and I can attest that the current configuration is more dangerous than it was previously. Thanks to everyone trying to resolve this poor design.
We did make that suggestion to the DOT engineers. The reason they gave against it is that there is not enough space west of the stop light to merge the two Placitas-bound lanes into one lane. They did say however that it would probably be OK to have only one through lane east of the stop light. I suspect, though, that it would be possible to merge west of the stop light, with the proper design. So this option should remain on the table as a possible solution to the problem.
I cannot believe what the NM DOT has done to screw up this project and the idea that we should wait until the project is done, shows no foresight on the part of NMDOT and its managers. The northbound exit ramp from I-25 to NM 165 is now more dangerous than it was before the millions spent on the project. An acceleration lane is needed NOW! How many people will need to be injured (or worse) and how much property damage will need to be done to prove that NMDOT needs to take action to remedy their poor planning?
On Sunday, February 9, 2014 7:34 AM, Jan Kerr wrote:
It still only has two lanes going east and there is no protected right turn lane so that you still have to crane your neck to hopefully see what is coming.. I don’t think the traffic flow has been helped one bit, and yet they spent all that extra money for walk ways and “No Jump” items over I 25 and we have had to put up with traffic and barrels and cutting of cable lines, cell phone lines and who know what else. In my minds eye this has been a total waste of money and has not achieved anything positive toward traffic flow. It will also cause a river flowing west on the eastbound road with the concrete wall. Who was in charge of this stupid project in the county? Just another Sandoval County boondoggle in my opinion. Thanks to ES-CA for informing everyone as to what is beimg done.
I also think that the lack of an acceleration lane is highlyunsafe. It’s a strain to crane one’s neck to make sure that traffic isn’t coming from the left — more than before the new construction. People will naturally neglect to look hard enough, some will simply be unable to do so, and there will certainly be accidents!
Contrary to what the DOT people say, this is not going to improve significantly once the project is finished. The acceleration lane was what people agreed to when the plan was finalized, and there was good reason for demanding that lane. Waiting till later, when the construction crews have gone home, is just a prescription for delay, delay, delay. This must be done now, while the crew is there to do it!
In addition to the merge lane problems the signage is inadequate. Some friends from out of town visited us recently told us that it was quite confusing to determine which lane to go in when (i) exiting 25 southbound to go to 165, and (ii) from 165 west to go to either 550 or to 25S. There is a small sign on the right side of the road for directions to 25N or 25S, but it is too small, too late in the process and not accurately informative; the arrow to 25S points west, and people who want to go south already need to be in the left-most two lanes. I think a large sign on horizontal bars that holds the stop lights might be useful, indicating the left two lanes go to 25S, center lanes to 550W and right lane to 25N. Probably similar signage is needed on the east-bound direction. Alternatively large signs near or just past the recycling center on the center island and/or right side of the road would be useful so people have time and distance to get in the proper lane.
A second problem that is quite annoying is that if you drive from 165W and stay in the right lane in 550W you get trapped in a right-turn only lane to go north on Camino del Pueblo north. The sign stating right turn only is visible to drivers much too late in the process, and drivers are trapped by traffic in the adjacent left lane and funneled into the stream that is blocked by the white striping to isolate the right turn lane. This is very poor planning, and at the least NMDOT could do is put up signs much earlier so people can easily get into the proper lane.
It seems like common sense to have a merge lane, since twisting one’s neck 90-plus degrees to give a glance for safety’s sake is a real pain and necessitates that you take your eyes off the road in front of you to glance backward.
I, too, wish there would have been a separate exit lane from the freeway for Placitas-bound traffic, as Bernalillo-bound truck traffic tends to block up the right-hand exit lane quite often.