Albuquerque Puts Over $300,000 Into West Side Median Landscaping

The city of Albuquerque is investing more than $300,000 in landscaping for medians along West Side thoroughfares, part of a broader push to improve infrastructure in the area.

Mayor Tim Keller outlined the plan at a news conference on Friday, where officials gave an update on West Side improvements. He pointed to work completed since 2021, including 489 new streetlights and 14 miles of crack sealing on roads, and said more remained to be done.

"The West Side was built so fast that the infrastructure is way late. ... So we understand that we're playing catch up. We have been for decades," Keller said.

The city has hired Lee Landscaping to add vegetation to some medians. Dan Mayfield, the spokesperson for Municipal Development, said the work should be finished within the next two months. Keller described the bare dirt medians as a "glaring symbol that the city never finished what it needed to do."

Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina, who appeared alongside the mayor, said the West Side has been a key focus for patrols. He cited 475 traffic stops on Coors over the past two months, of which 100 ended in an arrest. Of those arrests, 68 were for felonies and 32 for misdemeanors.

"We're devoting resources to some of the traffic problems that are occurring on Coors, and we know that those traffic stops, a lot of times, will be bigger arrests," Medina said.

Medina also said the added vegetation would help prevent crime, though he did not explain how. "This beautification of some of these medians is not just for the beauty but is also valuable for us in law enforcement," he said.

State Rep. Cynthia Borrego, a former city councilor, spoke in support of the effort. She said she believes it could help revive Cottonwood Mall, the state's second-largest mall, which lies in her district.

"Cottonwood Mall has lost a lot of its tenants, and this is really going to give them the boost that they need to bring some of these tenants back," Borrego said. She added that she hopes the mayor's economic development staff can work on bringing some of those tenants back.