Albuquerque neighbors fed up with dangerous intersection

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Folks living in southwest Albuquerque are beyond fed up. The reason they’re concerned is something they have to drive through nearly every day.

They say the four way stop at 98th and Gibson is downright dangerous. It appears city officials agree, but there hasn’t been a better solution for years. 

In the short time KOB 4 crews were there, two cars sped through the intersection at 98th and Gibson. People told KOB 4 what happened was mild compared to some of the accidents there. 

“The neighborhood is kind of quiet, the neighbors are nice, my main concern is the intersection,” said Fortino Giner, a concerned resident. 

People like Giner have had enough with the constant worry near their homes in southwest Albuquerque. 

“There are four lanes of traffic that are just coming at you, and no way to stop them, and getting across the street you just have to cross your fingers and run, and I’m getting too old to run,” said Giner.  

Stop signs are the only reminder to take it slow at 98th and Gibson, but Fransisca Salas say drivers rarely stop and never go the speed limit. 

“Yes, yes because not all drivers respect the speed limit signs. They just want to stop fast and then there are accidents,” said Salas.  

“At this point everyone is just racing to see who gets to the stop sign, stops and then just goes again,” said Alan Escobar, another concerned resident.  

Escobar says this stretch of 98th has been a dangerous headache for a while. 

“I could probably name off my head like 10 accidents that happened in the last year, you know, not including the bus that flipped over in the back over here with all the kids in it. That also happened because people were speeding and not respecting each other’s road lanes and all that stuff,” said Escobar.  

All of the people KOB 4 spoke to say they’ve told city officials about the dangerous intersection and want traffic lights installed. 

“They were thinking about doing something to that intersection and also the road, as you can see all these streets have cracks. Nothing happened with the lights or the stop light, nothing, and it’s been two years,” Giner said.  

KOB 4 checked in with the city about the proposed project, and the two year hold up. 

Councilor Klarissa Peña says her office has been working with the Department of Municipal Development for the new traffic signal.

She says, “we contacted residents to ask for feedback regarding their input on construction closures. We were told that the federal aid project was waiting on NMDOT to schedule a final review meeting.”

“They need to do whatever they are saying!” said Giner. 

Peña says the goal is to have the project advertised this summer. 

A spokesperson for the city anticipates going into construction later this year.