Family renews call for safety changes near Old Coors memorial

A damaged roadside memorial near Old Coors and Churchill has brought fresh pressure on Albuquerque officials to act on a stretch of road Daniel Zambrano’s family says has been dangerous for years. For Nancy Akers, each repair to the tribute is a reminder that the danger has not ended with the crash that killed Zambrano in 2024.

The family is again asking for traffic-safety changes after drivers damaged the memorial, turning a personal remembrance into evidence of a wider problem. Akers said she often has to fix the site herself after it is struck, a routine that underscores how close the memorial sits to daily traffic and how little permanent protection has been added around it.

The concern is not limited to one damaged marker. The family says speeding has long been a problem in that part of Old Coors, and the memorial has become a visible sign of what they believe city leaders have failed to address. The repeated damage has also made the site a recurring symbol of grief for a family still living with the consequences of a fatal hit-and-run.

City officials have said the area is not a high priority for upgrades, a response that may frustrate residents who have been warning about crash risks in the corridor. In the meantime, the city is directing people to report recurring crash concerns through 311 so those complaints can be tracked and reviewed as part of the planning process.

For Bernalillo County residents who travel Old Coors, the dispute carries a broader lesson about how long a dangerous roadway can remain unchanged after a fatal crash. The family’s argument is simple: if a memorial is still being damaged by passing drivers, the corridor is still unsafe. Their plea puts the burden back on city leaders to decide whether repeated warnings are enough to trigger action before another family has to add its own memorial to the roadside.