Durango City Council has indicated it will approve additional design funding for a long-requested underpass near Camino del Rio and 12th Street.
City Council unanimously supported a 2026 capital budget with $325,000 in additional underpass design funding on first consideration after hearing from residents who strongly urged support for the project, which is called the Camino Crossing.
An existing pedestrian crossing at 12th Street across Camino del Rio is infamous for drivers not stopping at flashing and solid red lights, which residents said makes the crossing difficult and dangerous for people on foot and bike.
The underpass, which the city estimated in 2020 would cost about $3 million to construct, would create a safe passage between downtown and the Powerhouse, the Animas River Trail and west Durango, residents said.
Resident Erik Nelson said he uses the 12th Street crossing multiple times a day and has observed U.S. Postal Service vehicles, city vehicles and even Durango Police Department vehicles run the crossing’s red light at the crossing, and he’s never seen traffic enforcement at the light.
He said he recorded his observations at the light over the course of a month: 31% of his crossings involved a driver running a red light; 83% involved at least one flashing red light violation; and he saw an average of four flashing red light violations per use during rush hour.
The benefits of an underpass wouldn’t just increase pedestrian safety, he said.
“Drivers face fewer sudden stops during rush hour. West side hotels, stores, skate park users, pickleball players gain safe access to downtown instead of crossing four lanes,” he said. “Families can walk from an afternoon at the Powerhouse to dinner on Main. Don’t forget, soon we’ll have a child care center on one side of a state highway and half the city on the other.”
He was referring to the Powerhouse’s plans to offer child care services beginning in fall 2026.
Lifelong resident Claire Carver said when she was growing up in Durango, her parents forbid her from using the 12th Street and Camino del Rio crossing.
“A generation later, nothing has changed. It remains intimidating, chaotic,” she said. “And with Durango’s growth and increasing tourism, this is a problem that’s not going to go away. Hoping the intersection will somehow become safer is not a strategy.”
She echoed Nelson’s comments about an underpass increasing safety and connectivity, and added the underpass – a multimodal solution – would also benefit the city’s long-term climate-related goals.
“I did my master’s degree in greenhouse gas management and the single most cost-effective strategy is multimodal infrastructure. On a per metric ton dollar amount, it is our single most effective strategy we have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” she said.
Durango Cyclery owner Joe Hanrahan said in addition to making a vital connection between bike routes on Durango’s west side and downtown, the proposed underpass would funnel traffic to Buckley Park and the planned site of a new joint city hall and police department.
Offering a broader perspective, he said a sense of community is based on building connections, and modern life is full of isolation – isolation in front of screens and inside of cars.
“Anyone who walks or rides around Durango can tell you how frequently they see friends and neighbors while moving around town. We waive, we say hello, we may even stop for a chat,” he said. “That’s an organic connection and community-building that doesn’t happen when we’re driving our cars around.”
Resident Amy Haggart said she has saved the lives of two residents in the existing crossing who were oblivious to oncoming traffic.
One resident started to cross Camino del Rio when a pedestrian crossing signal turned green. But the person didn’t see a vehicle headed for the intersection. Haggart said she called, but the person was wearing ear buds and didn’t hear her, so she physically pulled him back before the car flew by “at probably 50 mph,” she said.
Another similar incident occurred, although the resident heard her and moved back on their own, she said.
She said she works with thousands of kids through the Powerhouse, schools and Durango Devo, and her biggest worry is that they get to and from their homes to school and activities safely.
“I think about all the thousands of children in Devo and our schools that have to figure out how they’re going to safely get across that road,” she said.
Transportation Director Sarah Hill said the Camino Crossing’s original design budget was $250,000. The additional $325,000 requested this year is to “fund the full utility scope, account for inflation” and fund updated surveying, in addition to covering administrative and contingency costs.
She said the city will resume designs in early January and begin community engagement in February. She expects to have a better understanding of the full design time frame early next year.
City Council is scheduled to conduct its final vote on the city’s 2026 operating and capital budgets at its Tuesday regular meeting.
cburney@durangoherald.com
