ALBUQUERQUE, NM – A major reconstruction project of I-25 in northeast Albuquerque is officially underway, and it’s a big one.

Construction crews plan to rebuild the Montgomery and Comanche interchanges while also widening I-25 throughout the area. Construction will begin at 8 p.m. each evening and continue until 6 a.m.

Officials with the New Mexico Department of Transportation say this is the second largest project they have undertaken since rebuilding the Big I.

The main reason for the project is to increase capacity for the over 100,000 motorists who use this interchange, and once the work is completed, it will look very different.

First off, the loop that takes drivers from Montgomery to I-25 is going away forever. Starting in August, the on-ramp will be permanently closed, so if you’re feeling nostalgic, this is your last chance to use it.

All westbound drivers heading to Montgomery must turn left at the light to access I-25.

The project will add additional lanes on the on- and off-ramps, as well as so-called Texas U-turns, which will allow drivers to cross to the other side of the highway without having to wait at a traffic light.

“That loop wasn’t able to accommodate the traffic leaving I-25, which caused congestion all the way to about three miles north of here. I think it was a capacity issue that caused us to decide, ‘Hey, we need to do something different here to accommodate the traffic leaving in the southbound lanes,'” said Ricky Serna, NMDOT secretary.

The official groundbreaking ceremony for the project, which is expected to last three years, took place.

In addition to the new interchanges, NMDOT also plans to add an additional southbound lane on I-25 to widen the feeder roads and create new bike lanes on Montgomery and Comanche streets.

Officials expect there will be lane closures and other disruptions during the construction project, but they are doing everything they can to ensure it doesn’t become a traffic nightmare.

“We’re going to be doing lane changes on I-25. So we’re going to be working during the day and at night. And there’s not going to be any work during New Mexico’s commuter hours, either in the morning or late afternoon. So we’re going to maximize the value of this improvement, but we’re not going to inconvenience people any more than necessary,” said Rep. Day Hochman-Vigil.

NMDOT officials understand the construction will be an inconvenience for some people, but they ask drivers to keep the bigger picture in mind.

“We’re seeing 100,000 cars a day here. By 2040, it’s going to be even more. Working with the federal highway agency is a process that says, ‘Here’s our problem today, and this is how bad it’s going to be in 20 years if we don’t do something sooner rather than later.’ And so we’re solving the problems today and helping to build capacity to accommodate the expected growth on I-25,” Serna said.

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