ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Demolition more than a decade in the making is scheduled to start soon.

It’s happening near the problematic underpass near First Street on Central, where neighbors have been dealing with trash, feces, and open drug use for years.

“The issues with the tunnel have been going on for decades,” said Jennifer Esquivel, who lives and does business in east downtown. She hit her breaking point with the tunnels last winter.

“We were met with disgusting sidewalks, we were met with – it was very dark in the tunnel and very scary,” she said. “We came across a woman at the other end of the tunnel, and she pulled down her pants in front of us and urinated on the sidewalk.”

She sent emails to the Mayor’s office, city councilors, and neighborhood association presidents.

“This is a real problem like this is a connectivity issue, we live in a walkable area,” said Esquivel.

She says a leader told her it was going to be part of the Rail Trail project, and leaders say they are about to deliver on that promise.

The city closed the tunnel on the south side of Central and fenced off the construction zone for an at-grade crossing. There are plans to demolish the first segment of the trail next month.

“We’re offering a solution to what’s been a problem for folks in the community here and hopefully linking downtown and East downtown a little bit better, and making it a tourist and local attraction,” said Terry Bruner, the director of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency. “We’re doing the investigatory work of all the utilities underneath that bridge that really haven’t been touched in 50 plus years. So we have a lot of work to do to understand the structure. And then we’ll start with the demolition.”

KOB 4 reached out to the city’s Municipal Department for an update on efforts to keep the open tunnel clean. A spokesperson for the department said:

“City Solid Waste Management crews clean litter twice a day in the underpass, and industrial power cleaning will resume in mid-March, when temperatures are warm enough so water from the cleaning will not freeze and create a fall hazard. Residents are encouraged to call 311 to report any issues, and the City’s program to collect and dispose of human feces will launch later this year. “

You can find more information about the Rail Trail project here.