This long-awaited $26.5-million expansion of Sunport Boulevard bridges a gap in Albuquerque’s local transportation network and promotes safer and more efficient movement of people, goods and services near the Albuquerque International Sunport. Portions of the new roadway were elevated using mechanically stabilized earth walls, minimizing the need for extensive fill slopes. The four-lane divided roadway includes two twin single-span bridges crossing Edmunds Street and a protected bicycle/pedestrian lane shielded from traffic. Scope included a three-span bridge over the South Diversion Channel, which required two cranes and a load triangle with Kevlar straps, allowing one crane to pass a girder to the second crane while suspended overhead.

Contractors introduced cost-saving measures such as shortening bridge spans to allow for different girders, shifting concrete wall barriers’ position to eliminate moment slabs and repositioning retaining walls. Now stormwater flows into water quality basins, where impermeable liners mitigate seepage. The project was delivered within budget and on schedule in June 2023.