East Mountain Trails & Bikeways Master Plan - Bernalillo County

area and the Estancia Vista area on the eastern
edge of the County.
Section F. Existing East Mountain
Trails & Bikeways Facilities
There is no single map that accurately shows all
existing trails, nor is there a comprehensive
inventory other than the trail map developed by
Charlie Ervin of Two Wheel Drive. The following
assessment was prepared by project team
members with input from the community, the
Steering Committee, the Technical Team and
stakeholders. Except where trails have been
formally designated, the aggregate of this input is
referred to as Undesignated Potential Trails.
Some existing dirt and gravel roads that function
as trails are being designated and adopted
formally as trails as part of this plan.
1. Bikeways within Roadway
Rights-of-Way
Roadways identified by the public as existing or
potential on-street bicycle routes were reviewed
by members of the project team on Saturday
morning, February 21, 2004, as more bike riders
were expected to be out riding on a Saturday
than a weekday. Cold and snowy weather,
however, resulted in only one bike rider and three
walkers being observed on the roads. Typically,
however, fair weather weekends see a number of
road bicyclists pedaling from Albuquerque along
NM 333 through Tijeras Canyon, north on NM 14
to the Crest Highway or Frost Road or continuing
along the NM 333 shoulder parallel to I-40.
Observations of the team members are
summarized below. Where available, two-way
average weekday traffic volume (AWDT) for
2002, collected by the Mid-Region Council of
Governments is shown.
The following roads have fairly wide shoulders
(four to six feet plus):
• NM 337 (“South 14”) between I-40 and NM
217 ( Mountain Valley Road), AWDT 1,900-
5,400 vehicles)
• NM 333 (“Old Route 66”) from Albuquerque
to NM 217 (AWDT 3,500-7,100 vehicles)
• NM 536 (the “Crest Highway,” AWDT 400-
1,600 vehicles)
The problem with shoulder use—quite noticeable
during the field visit—is maintenance; in
particular, keeping the shoulders free of debris.
At the time of the field visit, the shoulders were
covered with de-icing material moved by
snowplows, making the shoulders impassable for
a road bike. During the public process, users also
complained of rocks, trash, and shoulder damage
during and after sewer line construction.
NM 14 from I-40 to Frost Road (AWDT 8,700-
12,400 vehicles) has less than three-foot
shoulders and two-foot gutter pans. The uneven
pavement joint between the two makes it difficult
for a bicyclist to ride between the outside driving
lane and the curb. Debris on the NM 14
shoulders was also apparent.
NM 14 Shoulder
The shoulder width along Frost Road from NM 14
to the County line (AWDT 1,400-3,800) varies
greatly, but in most areas is only zero to one foot.
Driving lane widths, however, seem to be greater
than the standard 12 feet. On this road and on
other roads with wide driving lanes and narrow
shoulders, re-striping might reduce the amount of
EAST MOUNTAIN TRAILS AND BIKEWAYS MASTER PLAN Page 33