Various city of Durango departments are holding a neighborhood meeting Wednesday for residents of Animas View Drive, where a Durango pedestrian was struck and killed by a passing vehicle in September, to collect feedback about safety and pedestrian improvements for the roadway.
Durango Transit multimodal manager Devin King said the neighborhood meeting was spurred by residents’ concerns related to a lack of sidewalks, speeding and insufficient lighting on Animas View Drive.
Neighbors’ concerns were punctuated by the death of 27-year-old Katie Siegrist, who was hit by a jeep on Sept. 14 while walking along Animas View Drive. She died from her injuries on Sept. 19.
“After the tragic event of Katie's death, we heard a lot from the neighborhood just about their concerns,” King said. “We're just kind of having that neighborhood meeting to hear more from the residents.”
King, Durango transportation director Sarah Hill, city engineer Keith Dougherty and Public Works director Allison Baker will lead the meeting. The Durango Police Department will also participate.
King said the city has some small improvements in mind for Animas View Drive, but the neighborhood meeting, which will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Durango Community Recreation Center, is mainly for residents to voice their concerns, review traffic and speeding data collected by the city and make their proposals for improvements.
“We have quite a bit of speed data on that which will be presented (Wednesday),” he said.
In 2021, the city adjusted the speed limit on Animas View Drive from 35 mph to 25 mph, and speeding data demonstrates the changes in driver behavior since the new speed limit was implemented.
“We just kind of want to hear from the folks that live on that corridor because they know it best, and (we) want to hear what improvement ideas they have for the corridor or what their needs are,” King said.
The driver of the jeep, Olivia Burkhart, told investigators she didn’t see Siegrist until the last second. Police said it was raining when the crash occurred, and the section of road where it happened is poorly lit at night.
Neither drugs, alcohol or excessive speed are considered factors in the crash, according to Durango police.
The Durango Herald previously reported that Siegrist’s family started a GoFundMe account to raise $15,000 to hire an investigator to perform a reconstruction of the crash. As of Tuesday, the GoFundMe account had raised $8,720.
The GoFundMe is available online at https://bit.ly/49j68LK.
“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Katie Siegrist, and to all the residents on Animas View Drive who have been impacted by this devastating event,” said a city news release announcing the neighborhood meeting.
The release also says the meeting will focus on short-term solutions, with long-term capital improvement projects such as sidewalks and bicycle accommodations on deck for Animas View Drive for later down the line.
cburney@durangoherald.com
