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[JKRhodes]

Also, as a concept I like the idea of an Arrowhead exit serving NMSU and little else.

Phoenix has this beautiful grid network of heavy duty arterial streets. In the middle of it all you have the City of Tempe mucking up the works with all of their recent road diet/streetcar projects near ASU. As if the added college traffic didn't make the area enough of a headache for regional commuters.

Ditto for the City of Tucson; Broadway and Congress streets used to be capable of moving some cars through downtown. Now it's just a headache for anyone who needs to take that route to get to the freeway. They get to admire the city leaders' vision of a revitalized downtown while they sit in choked traffic.

Switching to one way frontage (in the 10/25 interchange area) would have completely eliminated the idea for this regressive arrowhead interchange on 10.   
Yes am aware of the 10/US 60 connection in Phoenix.  Arizona generally has far better design standards than it's neighbor to the east, but yes it is a challenge to navigate that one in Phoenix.

I often wonder what the rationale was for the major streets in Las Cruces and how they were laid out... Old wagon trails, maybe?

[DJStephens]

the story goes that when the original las Cruces town site was laid out (1849) following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, was that rawhide rope was used by the surveyors.  It rained, and the rawhide stretched, giving the "crooked" streets of the original town site still visible today.   The neighboring town of Mesilla remained in Mexico until 1854, when it, and a strip on the southern ends of both New Mexico and Arizona was purchased for the future southern transcontinental railroad.  Best known as the Gadsden Purchase.   Just about all of today's I-10 in AZ and NM follows that railroad, and is contained in the strip.   

[JKRhodes]

the story goes that when the original las Cruces town site was laid out (1849) following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, was that rawhide rope was used by the surveyors.  It rained, and the rawhide stretched, giving the "crooked" streets of the original town site still visible today.   The neighboring town of Mesilla remained in Mexico until 1854, when it, and a strip on the southern ends of both New Mexico and Arizona was purchased for the future southern transcontinental railroad.  Best known as the Gadsden Purchase.   Just about all of today's I-10 in AZ and NM follows that railroad, and is contained in the strip.

Funny, the legend I always heard, regarding the northwesterly jog and the reason the USA didn't get Puerto Penasco in the Gadsden purchase, is because the surveyors were low on supplies and in a hurry to get to Yuma. I did some more research and found the real story; that Mexico didn't want to lose overland access to the Baja peninsula (which I don't think the USA had any interest in acquiring.) So letting Mexico keep that narrow strip of land was a fair compromise.

In any event, dropping in from the west at night on I-10, the views of Las Cruces are absolutely beautiful in my opinion. It's one of the few cities I've driven into on a major interstate highway where I can see 90% of the city lights from the freeway.

[machias]

I'm curious about freeway signing practices in New Mexico. I've been driving I-10, I-25, and I-40 this week, and the guide sign designs seem a little disorganized. Lettering is a little all over the place, exit tabs have differing spacing, etc. At first I thought it varied by district, but I don't think that's the case. Does NMDOT provide specific plans for signs or is it left up to contractors?  I'm not overly familiar with NMDOT.

I will say that I preferred driving US 70 from Clovis to Roswell (to work my way down to I-10) versus I-25 from Hatch to Albuquerque (to get back up to I-40 to head east). The pavement on the interstates can be quite rough at times, especially the last western stretch along I-10.

[Pink Jazz]

I'm curious about freeway signing practices in New Mexico. I've been driving I-10, I-25, and I-40 this week, and the guide sign designs seem a little disorganized. Lettering is a little all over the place, exit tabs have differing spacing, etc. At first I thought it varied by district, but I don't think that's the case. Does NMDOT provide specific plans for signs or is it left up to contractors?  I'm not overly familiar with NMDOT.

I will say that I preferred driving US 70 from Clovis to Roswell (to work my way down to I-10) versus I-25 from Hatch to Albuquerque (to get back up to I-40 to head east). The pavement on the interstates can be quite rough at times, especially the last western stretch along I-10.

New Mexico tends to show a lot of inconsistency.  District 5 (Santa Fe) even experimented with Clearview for a while.

[ethanhopkin14]

We know New Mexico tends to ignore long distance concurrencies on interstates.  I find it interesting when I find references to the concurrencies on the intersecting highways. 

[aboges26]

I'm curious about freeway signing practices in New Mexico. I've been driving I-10, I-25, and I-40 this week, and the guide sign designs seem a little disorganized. Lettering is a little all over the place, exit tabs have differing spacing, etc. At first I thought it varied by district, but I don't think that's the case. Does NMDOT provide specific plans for signs or is it left up to contractors?  I'm not overly familiar with NMDOT.

I will say that I preferred driving US 70 from Clovis to Roswell (to work my way down to I-10) versus I-25 from Hatch to Albuquerque (to get back up to I-40 to head east). The pavement on the interstates can be quite rough at times, especially the last western stretch along I-10.

New Mexico tends to show a lot of inconsistency.  District 5 (Santa Fe) even experimented with Clearview for a while.

Also due to changing styles over time and signs not getting changed out for newer ones.  In my district they will get a project to redo signs on a discrete stretch of highway and they will leave some signs while changing the others.  Inconsistency is rampant while if you ask them why they do something they either pass the buck to someone else, say they will get to it (and never do), or say "well that is the design standard in the book or plans" even if it obviously does not work for a specific setup to due geometry, sight distances, or other factors.

[abqtraveler]

I'm curious about freeway signing practices in New Mexico. I've been driving I-10, I-25, and I-40 this week, and the guide sign designs seem a little disorganized. Lettering is a little all over the place, exit tabs have differing spacing, etc. At first I thought it varied by district, but I don't think that's the case. Does NMDOT provide specific plans for signs or is it left up to contractors?  I'm not overly familiar with NMDOT.

I will say that I preferred driving US 70 from Clovis to Roswell (to work my way down to I-10) versus I-25 from Hatch to Albuquerque (to get back up to I-40 to head east). The pavement on the interstates can be quite rough at times, especially the last western stretch along I-10.

And that's because New Mexico typically only does sign replacements when a given stretch of roadway undergoes complete reconstruction. There are some signs along I-40 that date back to the highway's original construction with button copy and faded green background. The wide variety of sign formats also depicts how New Mexico's sign designs have evolved over the past several decades. But when New Mexico changes its sign format standards, NMDOT doesn't go out and update the signage; rather they let the old signage stand until that section of roadway is reconstructed, at which point they would typically replace the signage to reflect current design and formatting standards.  Fortunately, like most other states New Mexico's BGS signage uses extruded aluminum, although NMDOT got cheap with signage when they reconstructed the Big-I in Albuquerque about 20 years ago and resorted to sheet aluminum for the BGSs there. Those signs have since been replaced with new signage made from extruded aluminum.


New Mexico tends to show a lot of inconsistency.  District 5 (Santa Fe) even experimented with Clearview for a while.

Also due to changing styles over time and signs not getting changed out for newer ones.  In my district they will get a project to redo signs on a discrete stretch of highway and they will leave some signs while changing the others.  Inconsistency is rampant while if you ask them why they do something they either pass the buck to someone else, say they will get to it (and never do), or say "well that is the design standard in the book or plans" even if it obviously does not work for a specific setup to due geometry, sight distances, or other factors.

[DJStephens]

We know New Mexico tends to ignore long distance concurrencies on interstates.  I find it interesting when I find references to the concurrencies on the intersecting highways.

  Yes that is correct.  For example, there is no US - 70 markers on I-10 between the W side of las Cruces (Exit 135) and Lordsburg (Exit 26).  Don't see why it is so hard to include them, along the 10 corridor for consistency and continuity. 
   Am also of the opinion that US - 85 should be restored in the state, following much of it's original roadbed, where it still exists, and I-25 where it was supplanted.   For the nostalgia and tourist standpoint, if nothing else.   

[US 89]

Am also of the opinion that US - 85 should be restored in the state, following much of it's original roadbed, where it still exists, and I-25 where it was supplanted.   For the nostalgia and tourist standpoint, if nothing else.

One problem with that: as far as I know, NM is not a state where numbered highways can be routed on locally-maintained streets. Although independent portions of old 85 are still state roads in many areas (NM 1, 314, and 313 come to mind), there are also several places where the old road is now under local jurisdiction... including through the Albuquerque metro. Unless you wanted to put a restored US route along NM 45... which sort of ruins the historic aspect a bit as that's well away from downtown.

[abqtraveler]

Am also of the opinion that US - 85 should be restored in the state, following much of it's original roadbed, where it still exists, and I-25 where it was supplanted.   For the nostalgia and tourist standpoint, if nothing else.

One problem with that: as far as I know, NM is not a state where numbered highways can be routed on locally-maintained streets. Although independent portions of old 85 are still state roads in many areas (NM 1, 314, and 313 come to mind), there are also several places where the old road is now under local jurisdiction... including through the Albuquerque metro. Unless you wanted to put a restored US route along NM 45... which sort of ruins the historic aspect a bit as that's well away from downtown.

It would make sense for New Mexico to re-sign US-85 through the state, either along I-10 and I-25, or over its original alignment where possible. The AASHTO never deleted US-85 through New Mexico, so it technically still exists through the state using I-10 and I-25. Making the case to sign US-85 through New Mexico:  there is still a signed stretch of US-85 from the Mexican Border in El Paso, Texas to the TX/NM line. If nothing else, sign US-85 through New Mexico to maintain continuity with the signed sections in Texas and Colorado.

[triplemultiplex]

It would make sense for New Mexico to re-sign US-85 through the state, either along I-10 and I-25, or over its original alignment where possible. The AASHTO never deleted US-85 through New Mexico, so it technically still exists through the state using I-10 and I-25. Making the case to sign US-85 through New Mexico:  there is still a signed stretch of US-85 from the Mexican Border in El Paso, Texas to the TX/NM line. If nothing else, sign US-85 through New Mexico to maintain continuity with the signed sections in Texas and Colorado.

I have the opposite opinion.  It makes more sense to eliminate as much of US 85 as feasible.  It's a pointless redundancy now.  New southern terminus in Castle Rock, CO.

[ethanhopkin14]

It would make sense for New Mexico to re-sign US-85 through the state, either along I-10 and I-25, or over its original alignment where possible. The AASHTO never deleted US-85 through New Mexico, so it technically still exists through the state using I-10 and I-25. Making the case to sign US-85 through New Mexico:  there is still a signed stretch of US-85 from the Mexican Border in El Paso, Texas to the TX/NM line. If nothing else, sign US-85 through New Mexico to maintain continuity with the signed sections in Texas and Colorado.

I have the opposite opinion.  It makes more sense to eliminate as much of US 85 as feasible.  It's a pointless redundancy now.  New southern terminus in Castle Rock, CO.

Agreed.  Then, in El Paso, Pisano Dr. would become BL-10. 

[Plutonic Panda]

I was looking at a report of major freight bottlenecks and their rankings. New Mexico was in the lowest tier but still had more bottlenecks than Oklahoma which surprised me. I can’t recall ever getting caught in any real traffic congestion there and I pass through ABQ multiple times a month.

https://www.ccjdigital.com/economic-trends/freight-demand/article/15065715/traffic-delays-freight-movement-more-than-600-million-hours

[DJStephens]

I was looking at a report of major freight bottlenecks and their rankings. New Mexico was in the lowest tier but still had more bottlenecks than Oklahoma which surprised me. I can’t recall ever getting caught in any real traffic congestion there and I pass through ABQ multiple times a month.

https://www.ccjdigital.com/economic-trends/freight-demand/article/15065715/traffic-delays-freight-movement-more-than-600-million-hours

The lack of planning for an Albuquerque circumferential meant that everything long distance has to pass straight through Albu.   The original "big I" (mid sixties) had good geometrics, and a large footprint, but featured left exits and entrances, likely to save on costs.  The rebuild, twenty years ago, moved everything to the right side.   They did cheap out, again, by not making every flyover two lanes, only a few of them were.   25, through the core of the interchange, also should have had eight lanes, not six.   
Of all the quadrants of a hypothetical Albu. Beltway, the NW quadrant would likely make the most sense, and have the most use.   40 E to 25 N, and 25 S to 40 W.   

[aboges26]

I was looking at a report of major freight bottlenecks and their rankings. New Mexico was in the lowest tier but still had more bottlenecks than Oklahoma which surprised me. I can’t recall ever getting caught in any real traffic congestion there and I pass through ABQ multiple times a month.

https://www.ccjdigital.com/economic-trends/freight-demand/article/15065715/traffic-delays-freight-movement-more-than-600-million-hours

You are sure lucky, every time I go to or through ABQ I end up in traffic.  Maybe things have changed since COVID, as I have not been back since the start of it when everyone was panic buying and we were just trying to do a normal Costco run.

[Plutonic Panda]

I was looking at a report of major freight bottlenecks and their rankings. New Mexico was in the lowest tier but still had more bottlenecks than Oklahoma which surprised me. I can’t recall ever getting caught in any real traffic congestion there and I pass through ABQ multiple times a month.

https://www.ccjdigital.com/economic-trends/freight-demand/article/15065715/traffic-delays-freight-movement-more-than-600-million-hours

You are sure lucky, every time I go to or through ABQ I end up in traffic.  Maybe things have changed since COVID, as I have not been back since the start of it when everyone was panic buying and we were just trying to do a normal Costco run.

Well, granted, most of my travels are through I-40 and that’s it. Sometimes I’ll go to old town.

[DJStephens]

I was looking at a report of major freight bottlenecks and their rankings. New Mexico was in the lowest tier but still had more bottlenecks than Oklahoma which surprised me. I can’t recall ever getting caught in any real traffic congestion there and I pass through ABQ multiple times a month.

https://www.ccjdigital.com/economic-trends/freight-demand/article/15065715/traffic-delays-freight-movement-more-than-600-million-hours

You are sure lucky, every time I go to or through ABQ I end up in traffic.  Maybe things have changed since COVID, as I have not been back since the start of it when everyone was panic buying and we were just trying to do a normal Costco run.

While 40 was completed through ABQ in 1969, "reconstruction" started in the mid eighties.  Interchange and bridge replacements across the interstate, pavement replacements and overlays,
etc.  There was almost constant work, on 40, for at least twenty years running, somewhere, in Bernalillo county.   

[Kniwt]

While 40 was completed through ABQ in 1969, "reconstruction" started in the mid eighties.  Interchange and bridge replacements across the interstate, pavement replacements and overlays,
etc.  There was almost constant work, on 40, for at least twenty years running, somewhere, in Bernalillo county.   

This reminded me that I have this pic from a 1971 "mini" RMcN, and approximately the same location now. Looks like the cloverleaf was partially removed at some point, and the eastbound offramp to San Mateo Blvd. is a little bit back from this view.





Edit: Indeed, Historic Aerials confirms that the cloverleaf was taken out between 2005 and 2009:

[aboges26]

I was looking at a report of major freight bottlenecks and their rankings. New Mexico was in the lowest tier but still had more bottlenecks than Oklahoma which surprised me. I can’t recall ever getting caught in any real traffic congestion there and I pass through ABQ multiple times a month.

https://www.ccjdigital.com/economic-trends/freight-demand/article/15065715/traffic-delays-freight-movement-more-than-600-million-hours

You are sure lucky, every time I go to or through ABQ I end up in traffic.  Maybe things have changed since COVID, as I have not been back since the start of it when everyone was panic buying and we were just trying to do a normal Costco run.

Well, granted, most of my travels are through I-40 and that’s it. Sometimes I’ll go to old town.

In my travels I-40 seems to have less stop-and-go traffic but will get thick traffic, whereas I always seem to have a bad time on I-25 between I-40 and Paseo del Norte, and on Paseo del Norte from I-25 to Coors.  If I have the time I always take Tramway when going from US 550 to I-40 east and vice versa. Tramway from I-25 to at least Paseo del Norte should be turned into a freeway ASAP and it appears from there to I-40 piecemeal work to improve the rest to a Texas-style freeway or resemble Bangerter Hwy in Salt Lake City would be possible.

[DJStephens]

I was looking at a report of major freight bottlenecks and their rankings. New Mexico was in the lowest tier but still had more bottlenecks than Oklahoma which surprised me. I can’t recall ever getting caught in any real traffic congestion there and I pass through ABQ multiple times a month.

https://www.ccjdigital.com/economic-trends/freight-demand/article/15065715/traffic-delays-freight-movement-more-than-600-million-hours

You are sure lucky, every time I go to or through ABQ I end up in traffic.  Maybe things have changed since COVID, as I have not been back since the start of it when everyone was panic buying and we were just trying to do a normal Costco run.

Well, granted, most of my travels are through I-40 and that’s it. Sometimes I’ll go to old town.

In my travels I-40 seems to have less stop-and-go traffic but will get thick traffic, whereas I always seem to have a bad time on I-25 between I-40 and Paseo del Norte, and on Paseo del Norte from I-25 to Coors.  If I have the time I always take Tramway when going from US 550 to I-40 east and vice versa. Tramway from I-25 to at least Paseo del Norte should be turned into a freeway ASAP and it appears from there to I-40 piecemeal work to improve the rest to a Texas-style freeway or resemble Bangerter Hwy in Salt Lake City would be possible.

The interchanges/intersections of 25/PDN, Tramway/PDN, and Tramway/40 were all allowed to become almost completely packed in/surrounded by development, preventing any decent improvements to a full limited access directional interchanges.   While working up there - 20-25 years ago - remember the cheap waferboard condos going up, surrounding the Tramway/40 interchange, and thinking - where is the planning?  There is virtually none, today.   The state is near the bottom - in terms of design standards, planning, transparency and decision making in terms of public works.   

[triplemultiplex]

I always appreciated the drive times on the VMS for I-40 in ABQ.  It tells you how many minutes to Coors; which to me, seems like a way of telling evening commuters how long before they get home and can pop open a beer.

"I'm only 8 minutes from my first Coors!"

[aboges26]

I was looking at a report of major freight bottlenecks and their rankings. New Mexico was in the lowest tier but still had more bottlenecks than Oklahoma which surprised me. I can’t recall ever getting caught in any real traffic congestion there and I pass through ABQ multiple times a month.

https://www.ccjdigital.com/economic-trends/freight-demand/article/15065715/traffic-delays-freight-movement-more-than-600-million-hours

You are sure lucky, every time I go to or through ABQ I end up in traffic.  Maybe things have changed since COVID, as I have not been back since the start of it when everyone was panic buying and we were just trying to do a normal Costco run.

Well, granted, most of my travels are through I-40 and that’s it. Sometimes I’ll go to old town.

In my travels I-40 seems to have less stop-and-go traffic but will get thick traffic, whereas I always seem to have a bad time on I-25 between I-40 and Paseo del Norte, and on Paseo del Norte from I-25 to Coors.  If I have the time I always take Tramway when going from US 550 to I-40 east and vice versa. Tramway from I-25 to at least Paseo del Norte should be turned into a freeway ASAP and it appears from there to I-40 piecemeal work to improve the rest to a Texas-style freeway or resemble Bangerter Hwy in Salt Lake City would be possible.

The interchanges/intersections of 25/PDN, Tramway/PDN, and Tramway/40 were all allowed to become almost completely packed in/surrounded by development, preventing any decent improvements to a full limited access directional interchanges.   While working up there - 20-25 years ago - remember the cheap waferboard condos going up, surrounding the Tramway/40 interchange, and thinking - where is the planning?  There is virtually none, today.   The state is near the bottom - in terms of design standards, planning, transparency and decision making in terms of public works.

All true, but NMDOT is so "by the book" that when the AADT meets their arbitrary number (which is so far past bearable for users) they will bat no eye at buying and clearing the property for something that will barely fix the situation (thinking 1 lane fly-overs that will clog and create back-ups for miles).

[DJStephens]

Guessing you are referring the the 25 N to PDN "ramp".  Yes it is documented that the state department owned property in the 25/PDN interchange area, sold it, and then bought it back, at higher cost to construct the "ramp".  It features substandard design, no shoulder, and dumps traffic into the L lane of PDN westbound.   There should have been foresight, with acquisition and clearance of that entire interchange area, as far back as the late seventies, for a full symmetrical stack. 

[JKRhodes]

I'm trying to understand the rationale behind this "hybrid SPUI" at PDN and 2nd Street. There certainly doesn't seem to be any savings in ROW vs a standard SPUI. If anything it appears to take up more:

https://goo.gl/maps/NAQ6UUpRP5dErPkX7