One thing

clear from today’s story about Montaño Bridge being too noisy with four lanes: Marty hates anything that gets in his way. OK, who

doesn’t. Still, Montaño has been Marty’s reason-for-being and nothing is going to stop him from getting his way. After all, he

didn’t hesitate to build a 4 lane road when the agreement was for two.

So, is he just going to roll over regarding Paseo? He

found millions for the millionth upgrade of the convention center but can’t find $800,000 for Paseo? That’s about 5% of the projected

costs and just a little icing for NM insatiable road building industry. What’s the real story here? Just preparing the public for some

other tactic? mjh

ABQjournal: 4-Lane Montaño to Be Too Noisy By Andrea Schoellkopf, Journal Staff Writer

A four-lane Montaño Bridge

will exceed noise level requirements for the area, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report said Tuesday.

“There’s dumb and

dumber and then there’s dumbest,” was Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez’s reaction Tuesday to a report on potential impacts of increasing

the lanes on the bridge. “The notion adding two lanes to a four-lane bridge is going to increase some noise: Of course it’s going to!”

[mjh: he said with a vein throbbing in his forehead and wisps of steam coming out of his ears]

ABQjournal: Paseo Extension Cut to Two Lanes By Andrea

Schoellkopf, Journal Staff Writer

Building a bridge across the arroyo avoids the permit process but adds about $800,000 to the

project’s cost.

Original designs called for a four-lane road divided by a median. Castillo said the scaled-back plan will prepare

the site for four lanes but will only pave the two lanes on one side of the median.

“We’re just building one side at this

time,” Castillo said. “We had to reduce the cost because of the bridge.”