Healthy Communities
Highways cause air and noise pollution, induce additional traffic and emissions, and are linked to a large number of health impacts to neighboring communities including childhood asthma. Expanding the highway will compound this effect. read below to learn about the human and environmental effects of widening the highway.
No focus on pollution
-
In over 10 years of studying the I-25 expansion through greater downtown Albuquerque and over 500 pages of reports, NMDOT has only mentioned "pollution" once! Reports: Phase 1A and Phase 1B studies and the latest studies for Gibson and S-Curve projects.
-
Their environmental impact study leaves out key considerations including air quality and the effects of higher speed and more lanes.​
-
It is obvious that pollution is not a serious consideration for NMDOT.
Air quality & health in Albuquerque
-
The American Lung Association gives Bernalillo County a failing grade for air quality in every category.
-
The city's Overburdened Areas​ study shows a high prevalence of asthma on the census tracts adjacent to I-25 in the study area.
-
Research indicates that children living near major roadways experience heightened asthma symptoms and increased healthcare utilization. Read sample studies from the CDC and UCLA.
-
Adults and children living within 600 ft of a highway have higher risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and reduced lung function
-
Widening the highway will only compound these health effects.
Environmental impact & regional climate goals
-
In 2021 Albuquerque adopted its Climate Action Plan.
-
The Central New Mexico Resilient Futures Initiative performed a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory: 34% of the city's GHG emissions are from on-road vehicles.
-
Both the Albuquerque Climate Action Plan and the 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan have reduction in vehicle miles traveled and increase in percentage of trips using alternative modes of transportation—such as transit, walking, and micromobility—as target goals.
-
Widening the highway will increase vehicle capacity, vehicle miles traveled, and GHG emissions, counter to the region's climate and transportation goals.
Click to enlarge.
Not just exhaust
-
New research suggests that tire pollution might be an even greater issue than tailpipe emissions.
-
Tires produce 1000 times more pollution particulates than exhaust
-
The average car in the US emits 5 pounds of tire particles per year, the majority are harmful to life​
-
The majority of microplastics in the ocean and air are from synthetic tire rubber.
-
There is very little regulation globally on what goes into car tires, as a result, water contaminated with tire chemicals is deadly.
-
The EPA reports that stormwater from roads devastates the fish populations in our waterways
Highways create the most pollution out of any roadway type
-
Highways have higher speeds which results in less fuel efficiency and requires wider lanes
-
Highways have many more daily users compared to surface roads
-
This potent combination of speed and number of vehicles leads to highways being unsafe and unhealthy to live near.
-
NMDOT is not considering the effects of higher speeds and additional lanes in its environmental impact study
Click to enlarge. Wind can send highway pollution nearly a mile away [LA Times]
How do we reduce pollution?
More modes of transportation
Having different transportation options is the only proven solution to reducing transportation pollution. Other modes of transportation like walking, cycling, and taking the bus are far more beneficial for the environment. Not only that, but taking other forms of transportation makes us and our communities less isolated and more healthy [source 1, 2, 3]. Let's work towards a better future for New Mexico where we have the freedom to choose how we go places!
