Dark, loud, unsafe and foul: words commonly used for decades to describe the pedestrian tunnel that links East Downtown and Downtown along Central Avenue under the railroad tracks. The tunnel also connects vehicles — often with horns honking, tires screeching, and engines revving for an amplified sound effect.
The link is an important one because it sets a tone for residents, visitors and workers who walk and drive Downtown to attend an event, access mass transit, grab a bite to eat or simply experience Route 66. While the tone has largely been negative, the forthcoming Albuquerque Rail Trail project might offer a solution.
Officials are moving forward with plans to bring the pedestrian tunnel above ground, transforming it into a surface-level crossing. It’s part of the first phase of construction for the seven-mile urban, multi-use trail linking Downtown to historic neighborhoods, cultural destinations, entertainment options, mass transit and the city’s Rail Yards. The director of the city’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency (MRA), Terry Brunner, said demolition work should begin in April.
“It’s going to be a big part of the Rail Trail project,” Brunner said. “We expect to have ramps on three sides of the bridge that will take people up to cross at the rail level to connect East Downtown and Downtown proper.”
Brunner said he hopes the new crossing will be completed by fall 2025. The bridge dates to the 1930s, which he said makes construction a delicate endeavor — one that requires coordination with Amtrak, the New Mexico Department of Transportation, Rio Metro Regional Transit and BNSF Railway.
“There are things that come into play that make it a pretty lengthy process,” Brunner said. “It’s really the first major change to that bridge since it was first constructed. All parties are invested in the Rail Trail’s success and ensuring the safety of its users.”
The MRA is the city’s organizing entity in charge of the Rail Trail’s different phases of development. Brunner said $40 million has been raised so far and he expects at least another $40 million to be needed — a mix of city, state and federal dollars. He projects a full project completion sometime in 2027.
“The Rail Trail really is an innovative project for Albuquerque,” he said. “We have a lot of trails around our city that everybody’s familiar with, but this is a next-level trail that will be really heavy on design, accessibility and features.”
Community outreach, input
Part of MRA’s work is engagement with the residents who live in each of the historic neighborhoods that lie along the trail’s proposed route — such as Barelas, Wells Park, the Sawmill area and Old Town. The outreach includes a report titled “Advancing Inclusive Growth,” which is intended to guide features and programs that give an authentic flavor of each area.
“So folks can understand where they’re traveling and what communities they’re going through,” Brunner said. “This will really get people out recreating on the trail and seeing neighborhoods in a different way.”
The report was open to public feedback for about three months ending March 8. MRA redevelopment project manager Ciaran Lithgow said a compilation of the feedback will be used to come up with ways to support the trail’s communities — everything from incentives for small businesses and housing development to artisan and farmers markets.
“We want to ensure that residents and businesses, both existing and future alike, can all benefit,” Lithgow said.
Lithgow said the project has the potential to not only increase green space, but expand economic and redevelopment opportunities like developing vacant lots and buildings, to incentivize affordable housing projects, and “uplift cultural heritage.”
“We know that in order to be successful we need to partner with our communities, philanthropies and nonprofits to guide the types of programs outlined in this report,” Lithgow said. “We want to continue working on this collaboratively to make this a project that’s really true to Albuquerque and true to the neighborhoods that it runs through.”
More information is available here.