A section of the Animas River Trail and west 12th Street will close to pedestrian traffic Sept. 8-26 while the city of Durango and the Durango Fire Protection District work on a joint project to install a 36-inch drainage pipe.
According to Rachel Hart, manager for Durango Parks, Open Space and Trails, the pipe is being installed proactively to better handle runoff per Durango’s building code.
“It’s catching water from a larger watershed and planning for the future,” Hart said. “We have had some recent flooding. But (the replacement) is just part of when we build a new project, we bring everything up to current code conditions and anticipated runoff from other projects or impervious surfacing.”
Hart said the project should not impact travel along the path too significantly. She added that the decision to completely close the trail and west 12th Street would keep users safe and expedite the project.
“If they close it all down for that period of time, they get it done much, much faster,” Hart said.
Hart said there will be multiple reroutes that people can utilize during construction.
“Although that section won't be passable, you can still get around by a one block detour,” she said.
To get around the closure, users can walk up to the sidewalk on Camino del Rio and back down to the river trail, or walk along the swinging bridge or the bridge near Schneider Park.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
