Two road projects will start Monday, one on U.S. Highway 160 east of Durango and another - which was postponed due to the 416 Fire - on U.S. Highway 550 north of Durango.
CDOT and Four Corners Materials will start highway resurfacing work on Monday, July 9. The project will take place on US Highway (US) 160, starting at the east end at Bayfield, mile point (MP) 102.3, and will progress westward to the US 160 Junction of Colorado Highway (CO) 172 MP 91.8, also known as Elmore's Corner. Work will include surface repair, a new overlay, guardrail replacement, installation of delineation posts, mailbox replacement and final striping.
"This will be a unique project for Southwest Colorado since we will be working at night," Jason Voorhees, CDOT project manager, said in a news release. "Nighttime work will reduce an inconvenience to the traveling public on this busy highway corridor between Bayfield and Durango, which sees a significant amount of traffic, as many as 26,000 vehicles in a day."
Nighttime work hours range from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday through Friday. Vehicles may be reduced to single lane, alternating traffic intermittently in either direction, while crews are working in the various locations. These closures may have 15-minute delays possible through the work zone. The speed limit will be reduced to 40 mph with a pilot car guiding traffic through the work zone. Traffic fines in the construction zone will be doubled.
There will be no travel impacts during the daytime at the start of the project, however minor daytime traffic impacts might take place the project advances to its later stages. The project is expected to last until the end of October.
Voorhees added, "We respectfully ask the public, especially area residents along the highway, for patience and understanding as we try to accommodate daytime commuters. Residents living in this rural area may experience some minimal construction noise at night."
Travelers are urged to:
Slow down - Higher speeds can cause road material or loose stones to scatter and damage vehicle paint and windshields.
Increase distance between vehicles - Space between you and other vehicles will help reduce the likelihood of rear-end collisions in the event of sudden stops.
Follow work zone signage - Consider the safety of other motorists and the safety of the work crew when traveling through the project construction zone.
Use caution - Bicyclists and motorcyclists should use extreme caution during construction operations.
The project website is www.codot.gov/projects/us-160-resurfacing-bayfield-elmores-corner. The project information hotline can be reached at 317-4354. Email the project team at alertroadinfo@gmail.com
Work will also resume on Monday on U.S. Highway 550 north of Durango from La Plata County Road 250 (north junction) to Electra Lake Road. This section of highway will receive a chip seal surface treatment and new striping, to include a new southbound passing lane and a new southbound left turn lane into the Rockwood Subdivision.
Daytime work hours range from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. The project website is bit.ly/550_62_ChipSeal_RumbleStrips with the same project information line and email, or at www.codot.gov.
