Albuquerque’s city bus system, ABQ RIDE, is alerting riders of several ongoing and upcoming detours, service suspensions and stop closures this summer.
Transit routes will be impacted due to construction and seasonal events across the metro area, with a significant disruption coming from the Rail Trail construction project.
Riders are highly encouraged to plan and use available resources, as scheduled summer construction, events, and infrastructure improvements will continue to bring significant changes to the bus service until further notice.
Downtown Construction Causes 10-Month Detour
The most significant change is underway at 1st Street and Central Avenue, where construction began June 16 on the Rail Trail “Central Crossing” project.
Located next to the Alvarado Transportation Center (ATC), the work will impact four bus routes, one bus bay and pedestrian access until spring 2026.
Only northbound vehicle traffic will be allowed on 1st Street between Central and Gold.
The ART platform on 1st Street will remain operational, but the east sidewalk near the ATC is closed, and access to the Rail Runner platform is now detoured through the south end of the ATC.
Affected routes include:
- Route 66: Eastbound stop moved inside ATC at bus bay “N”; one stop missed on Central west of Broadway.
- Route 11: Now served at bay “E” instead of “D”.
- ART 766/777: Serviced at regular platform, but uses a different exit route.
- Route 16: On a detour path out of the ATC but with no missed stops.
Pedestrians should also note that the southeast corner of Central and 1st is closed, and entry to the ATC is now through 1st and Gold.
More Detours and Closures Across the City
In addition to the Rail Trail project, ABQ RIDE is implementing other service changes throughout the summer:
- Route 51 Detour (June 18–22): Construction at Rio Bravo and 2nd Street forces rerouting through Prosperity, Prince, and Grape streets.
- Menaul near San Mateo (June 9–20): Stops #3381 and #3383 closed for water line work.
- Coors & St. Joseph’s: Stop #6948 closed for shopping center development.
- Montaño near Guadalupe Trail (starting June 4): Repaving project will impact six total stops—three in each direction.
- Route 790: Suspended for summer; expected to resume for the fall semester.
Weekend and Recurring Downtown Detours
Events and street closures are also causing weekend reroutes in the downtown area:
- Route 66 & ART detour after 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays to avoid congestion near 10th Street and Central.
- Gold Avenue is closed between 1st and 2nd Streets on Sunday evenings, but buses are still allowed through.
- Route 8 is detoured on Friday and Saturday nights after 6 p.m.
- Second Saturday Events through September are prompting multiple downtown reroutes for Routes 5, 8, 10, 16, 36, 53, 54, 66, 766 and 777.
Growers Market Detours Through November
Every Saturday through Nov. 8, Routes 66, 766 and 777 will be rerouted from westbound Central to accommodate the Downtown Growers Market.
The detour includes Copper Avenue, 6th Street, and Tijeras.
All detour changes and information, including real-time updates, are available through the Transit App, Google Maps or by calling 505-243-RIDE for trip planning assistance.
For a full list of affected stops and routes, visit the ABQ RIDE detours page at cabq.gov/transit.