Hundreds of Albuquerque residents recently responded to a survey, attended a webinar or asked for email updates on a highly-anticipated city project: the Rail Trail. The 7-mile, $80 million and counting, multi-use loop has the potential to boost Albuquerque’s economy, create jobs and be a focal point for the city’s residents and visitors.
In the process of its planning, design and construction, some residents have expressed concern about its future safety and cleanliness, as well as the threat of gentrification.
Those considerations were highlighted in survey results published this month — compiled in response to a city-led report that highlighted the unique characteristics of the historic neighborhoods the Rail Trail will be near: Martineztown, Wells Park, Old Town, Barelas and the Sawmill District, among others. The goal of the “Inclusive Growth Report” was to gauge how each section of the Rail Trail could be put to its best use for residents and local businesses.
Survey respondents said they wanted to understand the city’s plans to prevent crime and ensure the Rail Trail stays free from disrepair and neglect. They said both would be key to the project’s success.
“I think a lot of people think the Rail Trail will be treated similarly to how parks are treated,” Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency (MRA) Director Terry Brunner said. “But people cannot be on the trail permanently or camp out there — nothing like that. We try to remind people of that.”
The MRA is the city entity overseeing the Rail Trail’s development.
Brunner said the Rail Trail would be maintained much like Albuquerque’s Paseo del Bosque Trail, which extends 16 miles to the north and south edges of the metro. It’s near attractions such as the Rio Grande, Tingley Beach and a stretch of Central Avenue close to the ABQ BioPark. The widely used and popular trail is known for being safe and clean.
“We also plan to add security measures on the Rail Trail that include cameras, ShotSpotter technology and emergency call boxes,” Brunner said.
ShotSpotter technology uses sensors that can detect loud noises such as gunshots, alerting law enforcement.
Other Rail Trail concerns laid out in the survey included requests that the city resist “hostile architecture” — like purposefully-built uncomfortable benches or spikes on walls. Respondents wanted the option of using electric bikes and scooters to be considered, but only if speed limits and other safety measures were enforced.
No to gentrification
The threat of gentrification — a process that can happen when an infusion of new money for housing, restaurants and retail changes the character of a neighborhood and displaces its lower-income residents — was also a top concern. Survey respondents overwhelmingly expressed that those living in the Rail Trail’s adjacent neighborhoods should be able to continue to afford to stay there once the project is completed.
“We are monitoring that [concern] closely and want to be sure that the Rail Trail has a positive impact on the community around it,” Brunner said. “We hope to conduct small business and community development studies of the Rail Trail that will give us a roadmap into further needed area improvements.”
Respondents also said they want the city to provide support for existing local and small businesses along the route.
“We [currently] have a mix of residential and commercial uses around the trail and we expect to hold to that mix,” Brunner said. “We think it will be enjoyable to experience these neighborhoods for their residential and commercial characteristics.”
Next steps
Brunner said the survey results will serve as a baseline for the MRA moving forward, and he expects to gather more community feedback and update data over time.
The Rail Trail officially began its first of many future phases of construction in May, when demolition began on the pedestrian tunnel linking East Downtown under the railroad tracks to the Central Avenue corridor at First Street in Downtown.
About $40 million has been raised for the Rail Trail so far, with officials expecting that at least another $40 million will be needed — a mix of city, state and federal dollars. The optimistic hope, officials say, is for all phases to be completed sometime in 2027.
Click here to access the full MRA survey results.
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