CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY THIRD COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-18-52 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Isaac Benton
RESOLUTION
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Adopting the Rio Grande Complete Streets Plan, Making the Recommendations within the Plan Policy Priorities for the Rio Grande Corridor between San Pasquale Avenue and Interstate 40 (Benton)
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ADOPTING THE RIO GRANDE COMPLETE STREETS PLAN, MAKING THE RECOMMENDATIONS WITHIN THE PLAN POLICY PRIORITIES FOR THE RIO GRANDE CORRIDOR BETWEEN SAN PASQUALE AVENUE AND INTERSTATE 40.
WHEREAS, Rio Grande Boulevard (“the corridor”) is a critical corridor in the City’s transportation network; and
WHEREAS, the corridor abuts Old Town, one of the City’s most important cultural and historic attractions; and
WHEREAS, the corridor supports many users, including motorists, public transit users, pedestrians, and bicyclists; and
WHEREAS, the corridor is designed in such a way that some sidewalks are too narrow for comfortable pedestrian movement, the roadway is wide enough to allow speeding, and it is difficult for pedestrians to cross the corridor; and
WHEREAS, in 2015 the City engaged in a participatory public process with a professional transportation engineering consultant to recommend improvements to the corridor to benefit all users; and
WHEREAS, in 2016 a draft of the plan, encompassing Rio Grande Boulevard between Interstate 40 and Alhambra to the south, was produced and provided to the surrounding community for input; and
WHEREAS, the input and recommendations from the community was taken into consideration in the final draft of the plan that was produced and presented to the surrounding community in 2017; and
WHEREAS, the Rio Grande Complete Streets Plan (“the Plan”) is attached to this legislation as “Exhibit A”; and
WHEREAS, the Plan offers recommendations for both short-term and long-term projects to make the corridor a functional, inviting place for all users; and
WHEREAS, the long-term I-40 interchange proposal and the proposed reconfiguration of the intersection of Rio Grande and Mountain Road will require additional, stand-alone public processes to gather input from property owners affected by such changes; and
WHEREAS, adoption of the Plan will help prioritize improvements along the corridor; and
WHEREAS, the Plan is consistent with the recommendations and policy guidance in the City’s Complete Street Ordinance, O-14-27; and
WHEREAS, the recommendations in this plan further several goals and policies within the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Comprehensive Plan, particularly in the Transportation (Ch. 6) and Urban Design (Ch. 7) Chapters.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
SECTION 1. The City Council hereby adopts The Rio Grande Complete Streets Plan, attached hereto as Exhibit 1, to guide development, maintenance and upgrading of transportation facilities in the public right-of-way of the boundary outlined in the Plan.
SECTION 2. The City Council supports the placement of the project within the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
SECTION 3. The City shall study potential traffic impacts on the river crossing at Central and the River, and at I-40 and the River before implementing any reconfiguration at Rio Grande and Mountain or at Rio Grande and I-40.
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