Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bus Rapid Transit

Koch Brothers Tentacles Reach Out to Squelch Albuquerque BRT

Albuquerque has a plan for bus rapid transit. But is it getting a fair hearing? Photo: City of Albuquerque
Albuquerque has a plan for bus rapid transit, and there's a hired gun out to kill it. Photo: City of Albuquerque
false

Albuquerque, like many cities, is looking at bus rapid transit as a cost-effective way to improve mobility and create a more walkable city. Its BRT plan calls for frequent service on a center-running bus lane along Central Avenue, the city's busiest bus route, which passes through the heart of downtown.

The city has applied for funding from the Federal Transit Administration's Small Smarts program. With $80 million in federal funds matched by $20 million in local funds, service could begin in 2017.

But the local conversation about the project has been hijacked by outside groups with an anti-transit agenda. The most outspoken critics are a couple of men with financial ties to -- are you ready? -- the Koch brothers, fitting a pattern recently seen in NashvilleBoston, and a lot of other places.

The first is Paul Gessing from the Rio Grande Foundation, the group leading organized opposition to the project. The Rio Grande Foundation is part of the State Policy Network, which the Center for Media and Democracy describes as "mini-Heritage Foundations" that are "major drivers of the right-wing, American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)-backed corporate agenda in state houses nationwide, with deep ties to the Koch brothers and the national right-wing network of funders."

Naturally, the Rio Grande Foundation trotted out professional transit basher Randall O'Toole -- of the Koch-backed Cato Institute -- who tweaked his anti-rail road show in this case to criticize the bus plan.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Likely Mayor Mamdani Supports Daylighting as DOT Digs In Heels

The next mayor will have to overcome a deeply entrenched bureaucracy opposed to the common-sense policy.

October 6, 2025

Under Pressure: Uber’s Navigation System Endangers the Public With Reckless Driving Directions

An Uber driver made an illegal u-turn and hit someone, but the in-app navigation told him to do it and the company won't give up the code.

October 6, 2025

Monday’s Headlines: Trump Games Continue Edition

Trump restored some security grant for New York, but billions of dollars in grants remain on ice. Plus more news.

October 6, 2025

Friday Video: Meet the Subway’s Straphanger-Free Trains

We've all seen them. Now, thanks to YouTube's "Half as Interesting," we can tell you the purpose of each one.

October 3, 2025

The MTA Is Headed To The Lab To Design The Ridgewood Busway

A filthy private road underneath the elevated M tracks could become a gleaming bus-first corridor.

October 3, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Good News Edition

The Department of Transportation reports that traffic deaths are way down through the first three quarters of 2025. Plus other news.

October 3, 2025
See all posts