Durango commuters encountered a new round of traffic delays this week on Florida Road where construction began on a stormwater system buried under the intersection with North College Drive.
The city of Durango is installing a maintenance hole that will provide access to a 36-inch storm drain under Florida Road, an arterial corridor that is already experienced traffic delays related to construction and road improvements on North College Drive between Richard Drive and Aquarius Place.
The city announced traffic delays will occur over the next two weeks while the maintenance hole is installed. The most noticeable impact to traffic will be at the intersection of Florida Road and North College Drive, according to a city news release.
Construction flaggers will guide one-way alternating traffic and the traffic light at the intersection of Florida Road and North College Drive will be disabled during weekday working hours. The traffic light will be reenabled and two-way traffic will resume during nighttime hours, according to the city.
The city said the project is complicated by the numerous utility crossings in the excavation area.
“This two-week period will have the highest traffic impact on Florida Road as far as the North College Project is concerned,” Durango Public Works Director Allison Baker said in the release.
Yet another construction project to rebuild county roads 250 and 251 just northeast of the Florida Road and North College Drive intersection caused heavy traffic congestion in April. Eventually, the city installed stop signs and speed bump strips at the intersection of Holly Drive and Florida Road to better control traffic in the corridor.
The maintenance hole installation is part of an underground infrastructure phase of the North College Drive construction project. Later phases will include traffic calming features and improvements to transit stops, according to the city.
Laura Rieck, spokeswoman for Public Works, said the storm drain will connect to a new 24-inch storm drain that will be installed on North College Drive, providing the road with new stormwater drainage.
She said the project is on schedule.
Capital Improvement Project Manager Justin Blair said in April he hopes to complete the project before Thanksgiving.
The release said the projects “are crucial to upgrade the area’s infrastructure.”
“The city understands the timing of these three projects and their impact on residents. However, the coordination on major undertakings like these is most effective when done simultaneously, from a funding, logistics and quality perspective,” the city said in the release.
cburney@durangoherald.com
