Construction on U.S. Highway 550 will begin Monday on a project to make travel safer and communications better near Purgatory Resort.
Drivers should expect single-lane closures and traffic shifts from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Colorado Department of Transportation said in a news release, although it expects to have one lane open in each direction at all times. The speed limit from just south of the resort to Cascade will be dropped to 40 mph.
The configuration of the road is going to be significantly different:
Beginning at mile marker 47.7 and continuing to mile marker 51, northbound lanes will transition from two lanes to one. Crews will convert the right-hand lane into a continuous right-turn lane from Engineer Drive to Tacoma Village. The goal is to make access safer in and out of subdivisions in the area.
For southbound traffic, the right-hand lane will be turned into a continuous right-turn lane between the entrance to Purgatory and the Gelande parking lot.
The chain-up and chain-down stations north of the entrance to Purgatory will be expanded, with lighting installed.
An overhead electronic variable message sign will be installed at the chain stations, replacing an aging message board at Cascade. The center left turn lane will remain.
“This segment of U.S. 550 has an annual average daily traffic count of 2,900, which is about 290 cars per hour during the busiest part of the day,” said Mike McVaugh, CDOT Region 5 traffic and safety engineer. “A single through lane can accommodate up to 1,200 vehicles per hour. Eliminating one lane will help to reduce traffic speeds and eliminate unnecessary passing as you approach the busy Purgatory entrance going north.”
The project cost is estimated at $790,000 from design through construction. CDOT partnered with Purgatory Resort and the Purgatory Metro District for financing. Those two entities contributed $38,500 toward the improvements.
abutler@durangoherald.com
For more information
Call the U.S. 550 near Purgatory project line at (303) 886-5315 for more information or with questions.
To sign up for Colorado Department of Transportation updates on projects in your chosen area, visit www.codot.gov/ and select the envelope icon at the bottom of the page.
The telephone number for more information has been corrected in this information box.
