Colorado Department of Transportation and contractor Lawrence Construction will build a new alignment for County Road 220 where it connects with U.S. Highway 550 just south of Durango, prompting a closure to through-traffic from Saturday to Aug. 21.
The construction of a new segment of County Road 220 will replace the two existing County Road 220 legs, which both connect with Highway 550 at acute angles, with an alignment that meets the highway at a right angle. This new T intersection will create a safer junction, particularly as the future U.S. Highway 550 alignment will have acceleration and deceleration lanes at County Road 220 as well.
To facilitate construction and accommodate the Highway 550 traffic switch onto the temporary detour, County Road 220 will close between County Road 301 and at Highway 550 for one week. Signage and a barricades in the westbound lane will be in place to direct traffic. Local traffic will be allowed at County Road 301 only. No public traffic may turn onto County Road 220 from Highway 550.
On Saturday, crews will stripe the new two-lane, 1,400-foot paved detour that was built adjacent to the Highway 550 southbound lanes at County Road 220. Traffic will switch onto this detour for about a year, while new lanes are constructed.
To tie in to the temporary Highway 550 detour, County Road 220 will close for construction of a 1,000-foot alignment that will extend across the existing Highway 550 alignment to connect with the detour.
County Road 220 will reopen the evening of Aug. 21. Traffic will switch onto the final alignment of County Road 220 at that time, which temporarily will connect with the Highway 550 detour.
County Road 220 will again close to through traffic on a future date for one to two days between County Road 301 and Highway 550, for construction of a temporary traffic bridge over the county road.
For more information, contact Nancy Shanks at 880-2800 or us550.us160connectionsouth@gmail.com.
dgladden@durangoherald.com
