Second phase of Albuquerque Rail Trail begins

Mayor Tim Keller and city officials unveiled in the Sawmill District the second phase of construction of the Rail Trail — a 7-mile multi-use trail that will connect the city’s historic destinations and potentially boost the city’s economy.

The Rail Trail project has been years in the making and the first phase of construction broke ground in May at the Alvarado Transportation Center in Downtown Albuquerque . The city currently has $40 million in funding for the trail but Terry Brunner, director of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency, said another $40 million will be needed.

The trail will eventually be a loop that connects the city’s historic and cultural destinations such as the Sawmill District, Old Town, the Rail Yards and cultural centers.

“We’re starting with an interesting story, which is the story of the Sawmill,” Keller said at the unveiling Thursday. “Whether it was a place where so many were employed, whether it’s the place that actually created the building materials that built most of the oldest parts of the city… That is the first story, interestingly, that we’re going to tell, in terms of stories of us that are embedded throughout the Rail Trail.”

The city’s map of the Rail Trail’s layout shows how the trail will connect in a heart shape which Keller said “is a reflection that this is the heart and soul of our city in so many ways.” He said the whole project will take “10 years at least to do.”

Visit the Rail Trail’s website for construction updates.

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