.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Nearly 900,000 people attend the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta annually, and city officials want to make it easier for them to get to and from the event.

The City of Albuquerque plans to request $7.5 million in state capital outlay funding for two projects meant to improve access to the city-owned Balloon Fiesta Park: a new “slip ramp” onto Interstate 25 from the frontage road just south of Balloon Fiesta Parkway, and a new spur to connect the New Mexico Rail Runner to the park.

“We should take advantage of every way that we can to improve traffic flow in and out of the park, and the combination of strategies should make a huge difference,” said Albuquerque Parks & Recreation Director Dave Simon.

The City Council on Monday approved the request among a list of 2019 legislative priorities. Mayor Tim Keller is also backing the plan.

Should Albuquerque get the funds, Simon said it’s unlikely either project could be completed in time for next year’s Balloon Fiesta but said they’re part of a larger effort to ready the park for the fiesta’s 50th anniversary in 2021.

ADVERTISEMENTSkip

................................................................

Balloon Fiesta spokesman Tom Garrity said the ramp and the rail spur were among a list of suggestions fiesta officials had given the city following this year’s event.

Traffic is a perennial problem at Balloon Fiesta as crowds pack the park for scheduled morning and evening events, but it was especially rough in 2018 — at least on the first morning of the fiesta.

Simon said the Rail Runner stop could help ease traffic into and out of the park, while the ramp — which would likely only be open during the fiesta and other major events — could facilitate smoother exits.

“(It) would empty the park so fast,” Garrity said.