With just a week to go before election day, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham was in Albuquerque on Tuesday to announce a $2.2 million state investment to the Barleas/4th Street Great Block Project.
This will make strategic infrastructure improvements for the historic Albuquerque neighborhood.
The primary focus of this project will be in improving pedestrian safety.
According to Barleas.net, as federally-designated Low Access to Transportation Census Tract, many within this community rely on walking or biking for their commutes.
Through traffic-calming interventions, improved lighting and ADA compliance, these funds will help create a safer overall environment for those living in the Barelas neighborhood.
Economic Development Department Secretary Alica Keyes said these improvements will have a wide-ranging effect on this area of Albuquerque.
“It will transform the community and result in improved economic vitality, equity and also just beautiful streetscapes for this area.”
This project will also look at improvements to make Barleas more economically viable by promoting pedestrian activity and increasing connectivity to nearby attractions like the Rio Grande Zoo, historic Rail Yards and the National Hispanic Cultural Center.
The Barelas neighborhood has long suffered from negative economic consequences resulting from changes to traffic patterns and other infrastructure efforts over the past few decades.
But with this investment, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said families within this community will finally get the long-awaited improvements they’ve needed.
“The better those impacts are going to be and the more is going to be felt by the families that quite frankly have waited too long.”