By the end of this year, Albuquerque drivers will be able to head up and down Central Avenue without seeing bulldozers and cranes. Heavy construction on the Albuquerque Rapid Transit Project is scheduled to end this month. For over a year, about 10 miles of Central have been torn up and worked on. This sparked protests, discussion and anti-ART signs around the city. Construction workers said the hard work and unpleasant interactions they face are part of the job. KUNM visited the Cornell and San Pedro ART bus stations.
We talked to ART construction workers about their experience on the project. They had objects thrown at them from angry drivers, and multiple close calls with cars. They also received gifts from the communities they worked in and free meals. At the end of construction, some of the workers said they'd try ART themselves.
