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Durango gauges sidewalk accessibility at transit stops

Durango aims to improve use for people with disabilities

Consultants assessed the city’s 116 transit stops and the Transit Center this week and collected data about how to make them more accessible for people with disabilities.

The city of Durango hired Recreation Accessibility Consultants to gather the data on all of the stops. The data will be used to create a construction plan to improve the areas, said Amber Blake, sustainability and transportation director.

“It’s a good starting point,” she said.

The audit is being paid for by a $40,000 grant from the Federal Transit Administration, she said.

The plan for transit stops will be incorporated into an update of the city’s larger plan to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

As part of the evaluation, consultants looked at the grades and conditions of the sidewalks within 0.2 of a mile of each transit stop and the shelters themselves.

To be thorough, they also examined the Transit Center at the city’s request, Blake said.

“I believe that our Transit Center is fully compliant,” she said. “I would like to have that noted with the transition plan.”

There is no timeline for the construction of new sidewalks or ramps needed to access transit stops, Blake said.

But having a plan in place will help make sure developers of adjacent properties in the future include sidewalk construction in their plans, she said.

Having the plan can also help strengthen city grant applications for accessibility projects.

When the data are delivered to the city, Blake plans to have a meeting, potentially in December, to seek public comment about the accessibility plans.

The consultants were scheduled to have the mapping work finished Friday.

For more information about the project, email amber.blake@durangogov.org.

mshinn@durangoherald.com



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