Order Lifted That Stopped Albuquerque Route 66 Transit Plan

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A federal appeals court has lifted an order that halted Albuquerque's plans for building a rapid transit route along a stretch of Historic Route 66. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday lifted an injunction that had barred the city or its contractors from tearing up the roadway and beginning construction work on the Albuquerque Rapid Transit project. The $119 million project would create a nine-mile network of bus-only lanes and bus stations in the middle of Central Avenue. 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. A federal district judge had sided with the city before opponents filed an appeal with the 10th Circuit.