100 Days of Solitude – Well, Slow-itude, Anyway
by John Weckerle
According to the latest information received from the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT), we can expect the lane closures/repositioning on I-40 to remain as it is (one lane westbound, two eastbound) for the next 100 days. The next phase will also have two lanes eastbound and one lane westbound. The reason for this is that the bridges are only wide enough for three lanes. The lane width restriction through the construction zone is 11 feet.
This is, I suppose, the price we have to pay for the great highway we’ll have when it’s all done. As I sailed by on Route 66 most days this week, the shortest backup I saw was about three miles. I’ve been jumping onto I-40 at Tijeras, and note that the westbound lane includes the shoulder rumble strip, right where the passenger side tires go. We applaud this development on behalf of people who will be getting paid to tighten up all the little rattles that will be developing in people’s dashboards over the next 2/3 of a year.