ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — People listened to a presentation on an upcoming major road project in Albuquerque and voiced concerns Thursday night in a public meeting.

The New Mexico Department of Transportation hosted the meeting to talk about an improvement project for Interstate 25 at Gibson. Construction is set to start in 2027.

NMDOT crews haven’t finalized the design, but they’ll be making improvements to the freeway itself and the on and off ramps. There will be a new “diamond style” interchange, and NMDOT reps said the project will increase safety, including for people biking and walking.

Many people who live nearby are worried about the negative impact the project will have on them.

“We need you guys to include a wall for traffic noise,” one person said.

“I urge you to install a stoplight so pedestrians can safely cross,” said another.

A neighborhood association hopes their voices are heard.

“We’re going to be affected by a lot of traffic, a lot of noise. Speeding traffic is a big problem here that the city and state don’t want to deal with,” said Frances Armijo, president of the South Broadway Neighborhood Association. “We will be affected by anything they do. We just hope it doesn’t have the greatest effect on us.”

The area has a lot of traffic, and neighbors think congestion will be really bad during construction. NMDOT may permanently take out a lane on Gibson, an announcement that caused many groans of disapproval in the audience.

On top of that, people in the community are worried the project may mean leveling some houses.

“My concern is people who live on High may have to move,” Armijo said. “Hopefully, with enough people speaking up, we can get our way this time.”

More information on the project will be posted here on Friday.

The public comment period started Thursday and will continue through March 24. Comments can be submitted in the following ways:

• At a public meeting
• Filling out the comment form online
• Emailing info@i25gibson.com 
• Calling the hotline at (505) 535-4442
• Mailing the comment form to the I-25 Gibson Project Team, at 6001 Indian School Road NE, Ste. 250, Albuquerque, NM 87110

There are a lot of plans for improvements on I-25, including work on the Comanche and Montgomery areas of I-25 and plans to straighten out the S-curve around Avenida Cesar Chavez.