Heinrich Condemns Trump Administration for Taking Away $11.5 Million from Albuquerque Trail Project, Endangering Pedestrians & Cyclists, Hindering Downtown Economic Development

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement after President Trump's U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that they are revoking $11.5 million passed into law by Congress for the Albuquerque Rail Trail, an urban pedestrian and bicycle trail in downtown Albuquerque.

"I worked hard alongside a lot of folks to secure funding for Albuquerque's Rail Trail Project, and now Donald Trump is taking it away. With a single letter, the Trump Administration is revoking its funding commitment, jeopardizing local jobs, hindering economic development in downtown Albuquerque, and making it harder for us to make our community safer," said Heinrich. "I urge Albuquerque families, cyclists, developers, small business owners, and local elected leaders to speak out against Trump's unlawful actions on this project and fight for our community's safety and economic growth."

In 2022, Heinrich and N.M. Delegation Democrats supported and awarded over $11 million through the Infrastructure Law for the City of Albuquerque to build a one-mile stretch of the larger Albuquerque Rail Trail project - a 7-mile urban multi-use trail that had already secured $15 million in city funding and $10 million in state funding for other sections of the trail.

In addition to Heinrich, the Albuquerque Rail Trail project is supported by Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance, Downtown Albuquerque MainStreet, the Barelas Community Coalition, the State of New Mexico, BikeABQ, and numerous community members and adjacent businesses.

"Albuquerque's Rail Trail project is more than just a bike trail: it aims to provide a bicycle-centric destination that connects and enriches our downtown. This decision by the Trump Administration to kneecap the project by removing previously-allocated federal funding is one more outrageous page in a long history from this Administration of failing to protect cyclists or value the economic and health benefits bicycles bring to broader society," said local bicycle safety advocates BikeABQ.

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