I’m writing in response to Sherri Libby’s letter, “Explain difficulty of left turn in Durango” (Herald, Oct. 8).

In Libby’s letter, she states it is harder to turn left from westbound Eighth Street onto southbound Highway 550/160 (Camino del Rio) now that our project is complete and a center median exists. First, I should note that the center lane, which runs the length of Camino del Rio and Main through town, is not a merge lane. Rather, it is a two-way left-turn lane, or TWLTL, for northbound and southbound vehicles to turn off US 550/160. Indications of these TWLTLs throughout the state are denoted with both on-pavement painted left arrows and signs (view both near Eighth Street before construction on Googlemaps.com.)

While many motorists do use this TWLTL as a merge lane, doing so can make it difficult and unsafe for those who are using it properly, particularly during peak travel periods. The new median adds safety to this area; and if traffic is too heavy to make a safe left turn from Eighth Street, it is always best to use one of the signalized intersections instead, so you don’t have to “take a chance.”

Nancy Shanks, CDOT Region 5 communications manager

Durango