A plan to smooth and resurface U.S. Highway 160 and north Main Avenue sparked some questions Thursday evening at a Colorado Department of Transportation meeting about conflicts with business and the accessibility of the corridor.
The $6 million project will improve four miles of road from Tech Center Drive on U.S. Highway 160 to Animas View Drive on U.S. Highway 550.
Acme Concrete Paving expects to start road construction near Animas View Drive and U.S. Highway 550 on March 6. The project is expected to be completed by May 19, project manager Kevin Schnieder said.
“It prevents us from having to go into the most costly and more time-intensive reconstruction,” CDOT resident engineer David Valentinelli said.
In response to questions, Schneider said Acme will have three to six people directing traffic, signs to direct shoppers to businesses, and road closures are expected to be only a quarter of a mile long.
Once the pavement is patched, the contractor expects to grind it, creating a texture designed to prevent skidding.
The grinding process should start the first week in April, and crews will work 24 hours a day on the project Monday through Saturday, Schnieder said.
They will likely spend one night only in front of an area, he told the crowd.
Crews will stripe the roads during the final two weeks of the project. This will include narrowing the lanes to make way for bike lanes in both directions.
Two lanes should remain open in each direction for vehicle traffic during the day, while crews focus on the outside lanes.
From 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., crews will work on the inside lanes and there will be one lane open in each direction.
Martha Mason, executive director of the Southwest Center for Independence, asked whether the project would include sidewalk work to make it more accessible and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“This law is more than 25 years old,” she said.
CDOT did design some sidewalk ramps and other improvements for the area, but that is a city project and attempts to hire a contractor have been unsuccessful, Valentinelli said.
Sarah Rose, a client of the center who uses a wheelchair, said the bike lanes will be a small safety improvement when trying to navigate the north Main Avenue traffic.
“At least the bike lanes would give me a buffer,” she said.
To sign up for updates on the project, visit www.160-550durangoconcrete.codot.gov
mshinn@durangoherald.com
