The intersection of College Drive and Eighth Avenue in Durango will close Monday through Friday next week for the installation of foundations for new traffic signals.
Traffic to and from Goeglein Gulch Road will be one-way, the city said in a news release. Detours will guide traffic around the intersection.
The construction will advance the city’s College and Eighth road diet and traffic calming project, which began in August and is scheduled to continue in 2026.
“We apologize to the public for the late notice, but we just found out the contractor who specializes in this work had an opening,” Tom Sluis, city spokesperson, said. “This will allow us to complete in one week what may have taken weeks or months.”
The intersection could open earlier than Friday if work is completed ahead of schedule, the city said.
Work consists of installing connections and equipment for lights to be installed in the springtime, requiring boring down 20 feet, and foundation work for the light poles.
New and improved sidewalks, ramps and traffic signals, bike lanes, curb ramps, and trees are all elements of the road diet project. College Drive will also be reduced from four to three lanes.
Road dieting – removing lanes – helps alternative modes of travel such as bike lanes and pedestrian flows and improves traffic flow, according to the city. College Drive has an average daily traffic of 10,558 vehicles and East Eighth Avenue has 13,629 vehicles daily on average.
cburney@durangoherald.com
