The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday lifted an injunction that prevented the city of Albuquerque from beginning construction on the controversial Albuquerque Rapid Transit project on Central Avenue, aka Route 66.
The Albuquerque Journal reported construction may begin next week, although work may be pushed back to Sept. 3.
The newspaper reported:
Friday’s order simply lifts a temporary injunction that prohibited the city from starting construction. The appeals court hasn’t yet ruled on the merits of the case itself.
It could still side with opponents and bring the project to a halt again.
But the decision issued Friday declared that opponents hadn’t met the burden necessary to stop the project while the appeal plays out.
The judge ruled in favor of the city and the Federal Transit Administration several weeks ago.
The nearly $120 million ART project would carve out two center lanes of nearly 10 miles of Central Avenue for buses and bus stations. The proposal, shepherded by Mayor Richard Berry and passed 7-2 by the city council, would have more than half of its cost covered by a federal grant. The project aims to make Albuquerque more attractive to millennials and cutting-edge companies.
At least 150 businesses — many of them on Central — stated their opposition to ART, launched a website against it and were among the parties who were involved in a federal lawsuit against it. They claim ART’s 18-month construction time and reductions in vehicular traffic will hurt their businesses.
Congress has not yet final approval for a $69 million grant to pay for the project. The city claims it has federal approval to begin spending money on the ART project and be reimbursed later.
Also, city council member Debbie O’Malley wants to put a question before Albuquerque voters about ART during the Nov. 8 election. The question reads:
“Are you in favor of giving voters residing in the city of Albuquerque municipal limits the chance to vote in support of or opposition to the proposed Albuquerque Rapid Transit project?”
The city council will vote Tuesday whether to put it on the ballot. However, considering how nonbinding and ambiguous the question is, I don’t know why the council would bother.
(Artist’s rendering of an Albuquerque Rapid Transit station)
By all means, let’s make sure everything that’s done is acceptable to millennials. They are the only ones who matter.