ALBUQUERQUE, NM (AP) — A federal judge says Albuquerque's plans for building a rapid transit route along a stretch of Historic Route 66 can proceed.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Gonzales declined to issue an injunction Friday night after a $119-million project backed by the city's Mayor Richard Berry would build a system of express buses and canopy-covered stations. The buses will run along the city's historic highway's original roadbed.
Berry says the project is an investment that will spur development along the corridor and get people on the bus. He says the buses mimic the concept of light-rail trains that run through larger cities, like Phoenix and Denver.
But business owners say the project would spark traffic congestion and ruin the car-friendly persona of the largest urban stretch of Route 66 in the country.