East Gateway Coalition of Neighborhoods Newsletter
November 2009-January 2010
(Publication date: January 30, 2010)
Revitalization of East Central Avenue. The East Gateway Sector Development Plan is under study by the Environmental Planning Commission; the next public hearing is scheduled for March 4 at 3:30 pm in the Basement hearing room of the Planning Department, 600 Second Street NW. The draft plan can be found at http://www.cabq.gov/planning/long-range/eastgatewaysdp.html. Following the EPC review, the plan will be forwarded to the City Council and referred to the Land Use, Planning, and Zoning committee prior to reaching the full City Council. Review the plan and provide comments to pdonahue@cabq.gov or testify at the EPC, LUPZ, or Council hearings. I urge you to participate in the process—this will set the future appearance of our corner of Albuquerque for a long time to come.
Mitigating I-40 Closures. The January 14, 2010, East Gateway Coalition meeting was convened at 6:45 pm, with President Roger Mickelson outlining the intent of the panel presentations and participants’ questions concerning closures of I-40 in the Tijeras Canyon [outside the Albuquerque city limits] due to severe weather and due to accidents; the resultant traffic congestion on the Interstate, along adjacent roadways, and throughout major and residential streets within Albuquerque city limits; and, especially, what actions have been or will be taken by responsible governmental agencies to minimize the dangerous effects of closures. He noted that there are about 50,000 vehicles transiting the Tijeras Canyon stretch of I-40 every day—the problems are long-standing, complex, and more than difficult. Primary responsible agencies involved in responding to closures include:
· New Mexico Department of Transportation (NM DOT)
· New Mexico State Police (NMSP)
· Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department (BCSD)
· Albuquerque Police Department (APD)
Many other governmental bodies are involved, all the way from long-range planning (Mid-Region Council of Governments—MR COG) to emergency responders (e.g., Bernalillo County Fire Department—BCFD, Albuquerque Fire Department—AFD), as well as other support agencies and those that are affected by closures.
· State Representative Jim White summarized the situation, noting that he had lived in the SE corner of Albuquerque for 30 years and has sought resolution of these long-term problems for 15 years. He emphasized the two diverse situations causing closure—weather and accidents, each with differing durations (longer closures for snow; shorter for accidents), separate responsibilities, and tailored mitigating actions. An example—a closure due to snow [or other weather] closes both eastbound and westbound lanes, while an accident usually closes only one travel direction, and maybe not all lanes in that direction. He noted the NM State Law that assigns authority to close I-40 to the NMSP, and pointed out the need for law enforcement agencies to investigate accidents. In the case of a snow closure, NM DOT and NMSP decide when to open the highway. He asked, “Who’s in charge?” “Is it the first responding officer?” and “Who makes the decision?” He asked that the responsible agency representatives address such questions and provide operative solutions regarding a complex solution.
· Bernalillo County Commissioner Michael Brasher followed by noting that there will always be such incidents, especially those due to weather. Much has been done because of the Four Hills Village Homeowners’ Association. He has had several meetings with people involved to explore the issue of need which he considers a need of absolute public necessity—the need to get emergency and needed equipment into surrounding areas. He noted that law enforcement agencies had full responsibility in the case of accidents. Having hosted many discussions among elected officials, responsible agencies, other involved agencies or organizations, and concerned citizens, he reported on the progress among agencies and stated that a coordinated response plan would probably be agreed to and published within about two weeks [end-January]. He urged panel participants to let the audience know about past, current, and proposed activities to alleviate the traffic problems resulting from closures. He stated that the solution is for DOT to have a procedure in place in case of road delays.
· Tony Abbo, NM DOT District 3, the first panelist, stated that the overall goal of the NMDOT is “keeping the freeway open.” He reiterated that law enforcement agencies are the only agencies that can close the roads; NM DOT can’t. He then cited projects accomplished to date, including:
· rebuilding of I-40 in the Canyon
· installation of four monitoring video cameras to alert agencies of accidents and building weather problems
· installation of gates to close eastbound access to I-40 at major entrances [Four Hills Road/Tramway, Juan Tabo, Eubank, and Wyoming – 2 more within the Canyon]
· openings in the median separators to permit turnarounds—We have built all the opening. If changes to the design of the openings are needed, then it may be considered
· establishment of a coordinating group [NM DOT, NMSP, BCSD, APD, and others] specifically formed to address closure issues
· the series of coordinating group meetings, about every three months, seeking to revise a response plan to create a “seamless” process
· expansion of the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) of informational electronic warning signs as far west as Gallup
· activation of the 511 telephone information number; upgrades to the http://www.nmroads.com/ web site
· text alerts for those who sign up for transportation information notices within the http://www.nmroads.com/ web site
· purchase [Federal Highway Administration funded] and use of extensive camera-based technology for the photogrammetric investigation of accidents to reduce on-scene measurements and open the freeway back to traffic in a reasonable time frame. All calculation and measurements can be done in an office setting
· putting appropriate response staff on call in advance of expected severe weather events
· have snow plows, sand trucks, and personnel ready for deployment prior to anticipated severe weather
He noted that I-40 is NM DOT’s priority in this region, but that the agency had limited manpower and had to concentrate appropriate people based on the individual situation. He briefly discussed the Traffic Management Center [downtown] through which NM DOT coordinates their activities during emergencies.
· NMSP Captain Andy Montoya noted that District 5 has about 40 officers to patrol and respond to situations in this multi-county area all the way to Santa Rosa. He reaffirmed the priority to “keep roads open,” keeping public safety ever in mind. At any given time, there are only 1-2 NMSP officers in the East Mountain/Tijeras area, so BCSD is generally the law enforcement agency patrolling this stretch of I-40. He responded directly to one of Representative White’s questions—the first responding officer at an accident retains jurisdiction [there are legal issues involved, particularly in the case of casualty-causing accidents and subsequent litigation; every investigation must be accurate and thorough]. He reinforced the cooperative nature of response by noting that other agencies work with the first responder to keep traffic flowing—they decide how many lanes can remain open and whether the road must be closed.
· BCSD Chief Deputy Sheriff Dave Linthicum stated that the closure issues are taken very seriously―that responsible agencies seek mutual aid; are aware of protocols; and try to improve response actions. “We understand and are dedicated to make the protocols work.” NMSP is professionally excellent, and BCSD works well with NMSP and APD. We [on behalf of NMSP] won’t hesitate to close I-40 if that is necessary, but “it’s like shoving an elephant through a straw” [considering the huge volume of Interstate traffic]. BCSD stays in communication with everyone [involved in responding to closure].
· APD Foothills Area Commander Levi Anaya noted that his area includes all of the city east from Eubank [east, north, and south] to the city limit, and the city gets the brunt of traffic resulting from closures. APD is concerned and working on coordinated plans. A major success changed the previous policy of closing I-40 at Tramway [the exit farthest east in the city], which can’t handle that volume of traffic, at APD’s request; so now we collectively push the closure back to Eubank and Juan Tabo—diverting traffic from I-40 and directing traffic north and south onto Central and other areas instead of concentrating the traffic jams in the narrow areas near Tramway—preventing 18-wheelers from waiting along Wenonah or Four Hills Road. The area around Tramway and Central cannot handle [diverted] traffic in case of road closure. APD works to prevent such congestion. Is closure inconvenient? Yes, but we learn from each situation—meeting afterwards to discuss events. We’ll continue with the business of keeping roads open. Is it perfect? No, but we’re working on it. If it’s working on accidents on I-40 in the city, that’s APD’s job. We want to “keep highways open.” Our tools include proper investigation, particularly when fatalities close roads. We use APD wreckers to move disabled vehicles, and we try to keep the public informed with Twitter and our web site [http://www.cabq.gov/police/]. APD takes the problem seriously.
· Q and A Discussion provided the audience with the opportunity to ask about details or to enquire about related matters. It was clear from the outset that panelists were eager to respond, that they didn’t object to critical remarks, and that there was an impressive attitude of cooperation among the responsible agencies. Without attribution, the topics covered included:
· The keys to mitigating the effects of closure are controlling eastbound traffic and concluding the pending agreement, which is not looked at as a temporary measure.
· NM DOT has the keys to the gates that can block eastbound access to I-40 at Wyoming, Eubank, Juan Tabo, and Four Hills Road entrances.
· The ITS is not limited to the Albuquerque area. There are electronic signs as far west as Gallup and, within Albuquerque, at 9-mile hill. There are some areas without camera coverage at the present time. There is a need to improve traffic information received (e.g., from cameras, from TV/radio reports, from truckers on CB radios).The Traffic Management Center is expected to work better within about 12 months as improvements are made.
· The plan is to divert interstate traffic [especially 18-wheelers] to Expo and to the Balloon Fiesta Park.
· Turning I-40 traffic around at Tramway [to send trucks back to the west] didn’t happen in 2006/2007; APD hadn’t anticipated the 3-foot snowfall. And truckers don’t want to turn left at that exit intersection, since trucks weighing more than 5 tons are prohibited from driving on Tramway. Note also that APD vehicles are not four-wheel-drive and have difficulty in deep snow situations—some are unable to respond quickly.
· The Albuquerque Emergency Operations Center can be opened with an expanded staff that may be needed. APD calls in additional officers during any closure emergency.
· It’s necessary to adjust any plan to fit the circumstances, but it’s good to have a plan.
· NM DOT is adding [ITS and other] signs. There’s a sign at 4th Street that would direct eastbound I-40 traffic onto I-25. There are now four ITS signs in Albuquerque to inform tourists and truckers.
· The 3-foot snow is what really triggered formation of the interagency group to cooperate on a response plan.
· There is an emergency plan in place; the fully coordinated plan will be completed in January. The plan is implementable.
· CONCLUSIONS
· This series of presentations, questions, comments, and answers provided an unusual opportunity for residents affected by closures of the very high traffic volume stretch of I-40 to (a) learn what responsible government agencies had accomplished to mitigate the traffic congestion resulting from closures, (b) hear about the interagency cooperation in revising response plans and formally meeting as a group to discuss lessons learned from emergency responses, and (c) understand the serious concern and commitment of responsible agencies.
· Closures will happen due to severe weather and serious accidents.
· With 50,000 vehicles transiting the Tijeras Canyon stretch of I-40 every day, closures will create extensive traffic congestion on I-40 due to blockage, on alternate routes (really only NM 333), along nearby major roadways (e.g., NM 14, Tramway, Juan Tabo, Central), in shopping center and other parking lots, and often on adjoining residential streets in Albuquerque as diverted traffic spills over from major roadways and parking lots.
· There is a commendable spirit of cooperation and coordination among the responsible government agencies; this positive attitude has resulted in the preparation of an interagency response plan that should be finalized in January 2010.
· The interagency planning group meets quarterly and following every closure to discuss lessons learned from each situation, to improve response times, and to modify the processes to better mitigate the effects of closure.
· Is it perfect? No. Any plan seeking to respond to an emergency of such a large scale must provide sufficient flexibility for responsible on-scene managers to adapt to specific situations at the time.
· What else needs to be done?
o The public should be informed of the significant progress made by responsible agencies.
o The interagency response plan should be presented to the public to reassure residents affected by closures of I-40 that response actions are focused on opening roadways and protecting public safety.
o Consideration should be given very early in the decision processes to activate the Albuquerque Emergency Operations Center (or the Bernalillo County EOC) to assemble representatives of many organizations who might (a) need information about the closure and response and (b) assist in the response operations.
o The interagency planning group should be formalized, with a Charter to ensure sustainability of the group and its purposes; consider the inclusion of representatives of nearby residential associations or organizations to provide public concerns and inputs to the government agency representatives.
Coalition Meetings
· The January 14 meeting was our Annual Meeting. Elections were deferred to e-mail nominations and votes; Rose Sena was elected as Vice President, and Zach Hahn was elected as Treasurer.
· The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for April 22, 2010, at the Manzano Mesa Multigenerational Center, beginning at 6:30 pm.
· Please provide your recommendations for future meeting themes to Roger Mickelson, 332-9273 or fhvharoger@aol.com.
