Lighting is coming to an older section of the Animas River Trail in late April or early May.
The city plans to install 23 new solar-powered LED lights from the Rotary Park bridge to the pedestrian bridge behind the La Plata County Fairgrounds, said Cathy Metz, director of parks and recreation.
“That section of trail is pretty dark, and there’s not a lot of ambient light around that area,” she said.
Eventually, the entire river trail will be lit with point-to-point lighting that will allow users to see where the trail is headed, she said.
“It does feel safer to users,” she said.
This is the first time the parks and recreation department has installed solar lights, which likely will save the city money on electricity in years to come. They also will eliminate the need to string electrical lines along the trail. The city is investing $40,000 in the lights.
Even though this section of trail is not slated for rehabilitation work for awhile, the city decided to install lighting now because it gets a high level of traffic.
The trail will not be closed while the lights are installed.
During the Durango City Council meeting Tuesday, Councilor Dick White encouraged Metz to purchase LED lights that will protect the visibility of the stars. The city’s code was updated in 2005 to address lighting, but the city does not qualify for designation as a dark-sky community from the International Dark-Sky Association.
mshinn@durangoherald.com