North Belen interchange getting an upgrade

April 03, 2009

The North Belen interchange, where the I-25 Bypass meets I-25, is getting an upgrade.

The City of Belen’s Planning and Zoning Director, Andrew DiCamillo, said the design is about 85 percent complete. The city will be going out to bid on the redesign in mid-May, with construction slated to begin in August.

The interchange is being upgraded to allow access to the west side of I-25, where Coast Range Investments is planning to build a major industrial, commercial and residential development.

The interchange is expected to be much like the Camino del Llano interchange, having an underpass between the west and east sides of I-25. The looping off-ramp southbound from Albuquerque will likely be eliminated and the other off-ramps might be extended so they can be configured much like normal off-ramps, again, like Camino del Llano.

The new interchange is expected to cost around $9 million, with more than half of that money coming from Coast Range Investments. The rest of the funding has been set aside by Gov. Bill Richardson and the New Mexico Department of Transporation.

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