Here’s an idea worth exploring for the city-owned property on College Drive. How about a gondola that runs from the train parking lot, paralleling highways 550 and 160 before a stop at Durango Mesa Park, and continuing over to Three Springs and Centura Mercy Hospital?
The easement could most likely be done without much need for eminent domain and with cooperation from the county. Sales tax could possibly be used for funding, as well as being in line with the city’s goals of promoting multimodal transportation.
This infrastructure could alleviate any parking problems in the downtown area, traffic on Colo. Highway 3 and 8th Avenue (where the entrance to Durango Mesa Park and the new fairgrounds is proposed), while allowing train passengers and Three Springs residents to depart from Three Springs, take the gondola up and over to the train station, ride the train, enjoy downtown Durango (pedestrian mall?) for dinner and ride the gondola back to Three Springs.
The city could even coordinate with Mountain Capital Partners for a station at the former Mercury building to provide access to Ska Brewing, the Durango Mall, Walmart and other businesses in the Bodi Park area via the Animas River Trail (while eliminating the need for bus service south of highways 550/160 intersection near the Doubletree).
I actually had this idea when plans were made for Durango Mesa Park, but the only viable option for a Durango Station would have been Santa Rita Park. However, the land at the corner of College Drive and Camino Del Rio offers much better access to downtown, as well as providing access to appointments for community members to Centura Mercy Hospital, and improving access to Durango Mesa Park, bike trails and the fairgrounds’ future event center.
And no, I don't believe that would turn us into the next Telluride. I think it would alleviate the traffic problems in Durango, as well as encourage development in Three Springs, where there is actually room to build.
Michael Pfotenhauer
Durango
