Keller’s bike trail a half-baked boondoggle

According to the City of Albuquerque’s website the 7 mile-long rail trail currently being built is expected to cost between $70 and $90 million. That means the trail is AT LEAST $10 million per mile. The Trump Administration recently canceled a portion of federal funding ($11.5 million) for the trail, a decision we agree with.

For starters, we believe that bike trails (and local roads) are local or perhaps state priorities, but certainly not federal ones. But the price tag of this trail is completely out of line with bike trail costs. A basic internet search yields a typical cost per mile of around $500,000 for either an asphalt or concrete bike trail. There is simply no reason for this trail to cost in excess of $10 million per mile.

Obviously the trail can still be built in the absence of the $11.5 million that Trump clawed back on the trail. Perhaps elimination of the massive 25 foot in diameter tumbleweed sculpture would help? According to the City website the City has “only” $39.5 million for the project (that’s including the $11.5 million Trump pulled) despite the project’s construction already having begun. Even the $28 million the City actually has “in hand” should be nearly enough money to build the entire trail based on $500,000 per-mile cost, but Mayor Keller seems to want a very fancy trail.