Residents had a variety of reactions to new conceptual designs for the proposed Camino Crossing underpass at 12th Street and Camino del Rio that would connect the Animas River Trail with downtown Durango.
The city held an informational meeting at the Powerhouse at 1333 Camino del Rio on Tuesday where residents had the chance to speak to city staff after a short presentation and question-and-answer session.
Concerns included how construction could impact nearby businesses, how the underpass could eliminate already limited parking spaces and whether the approximately $13 million price tag is really justified when the city hasn’t tried reducing the speed limit in the project area.
Other residents said they are hopeful for the project, but it’s been talked about for 20 years and they have reservations about whether it will actually break ground.
Durango Joes founder and CEO Joe Lloyd said the project area is just feet from his building at 40 Town Plaza and he just lost $10,000 to $15,000 due to the city’s College Drive and Eighth Street safety project, and the city hasn’t talked to him or asked for his feedback.
He said he attended a meeting with the city and other business owners about the Camino Crossing, but the city isn’t asking for community feedback for direction on the project so much as it is telling residents what direction has already been decided.
Residents had the chance to provide feedback on some design elements on Tuesday. Poster boards showing the current design concept, general project road map and other options such as lighting, materials, landscaping and public art were on display around the Powerhouse. Sticky notes and writing utensils were offered for attendees to leave their thoughts.
Multimodal Manager Lily Oswald said the project has been planned for a long time and aims to address safety concerns.
“That includes people getting hit by cars, that includes cars getting hit. Just a few months ago, we had a kid on a scooter get hit,” she said.
The project must balance complexities involving underground utilities, street level design elements and business owners’ needs, she said.
The project is expected to cost about $12.4 million and is slated for construction in 2029. The city is somewhere between 30% and 60% design completion. Oswald the city is applying for grants before construction is scheduled.
She said the city held a meeting with a number of organizations in early May, including the Durango Fire Protection District, Town Plaza businesses such as Durango Joes, the Colorado Department of Transportation, Backcountry Experience and Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
She also met with the Durango Business Improvement District about offering incentives to business owners impacted by the project, and the city is considering phasing for the project to ensure access remains open.
She said the design downsides include a tight-looped entrance into the crossing on the east side of Camino del Rio which may pose sharp turns for cyclists.
The crossing will also likely feature landing zones every 30 feet or so, creating a “wave” for riders traveling along it. The underpass is planned to be about 14 feet wide and will narrow at the connection to the sidewalk on the west side of Camino del Rio.
Powerhouse Executive Director Jeff Susor said he worries a 14-foot width would impact traffic lanes on Camino del Rio and parking. He said more than a dozen spaces disappeared from public parking along the Animas River Trail with construction of the new Station 2 building, and trail users have begun parking in the Powerhouse’s lot.
Oswald said the design concept presented Tuesday does not necessarily mean the crossing will extend into the public right away, only that there are options to make use of the right of way. Enhancing the existing sidewalk and retaining wall options to maintain parking are being considered.
Matthew Scott, Public Works capital improvements program manager, said the crossing as depicted in the conceptual design would encroach onto 12th Street but would not impact the ability for 12th Street to have two travel lanes.
When asked why Camino del Rio’s speed limit can’t be reduced in the project area, Oswald said the road design contributes more to speeding than the posted speed limit. Further, any change to the speed limit would require revising an access control plan by working with CDOT – which “has not been something CDOT has been in favor of changing.”
Some residents said perhaps the city needs to push back against CDOT.
Resident Bill Carver said the presented design is the best he’s seen yet, and his hopes for the Camino Crossing is that the community finally gets good, safe connectivity between the Main Avenue business corridor and the Animas riverfront.
He said the crossing would alleviate downtown parking issues by promoting more pedestrian and bike traffic.
“It alleviates a lot of parking issues when you’ve got an easy commute to downtown,” he said.
“Not to mention the residents’ quality of life where they can just zip into town without taking their life into their hands trying to cross Camino,” he said.
The Hawk crossing at 12th Street and Camino del Rio is confusing to drivers who are often slow to stop or blast through red lights when pedestrians are looking to cross, he said.
“As a parent, I don’t think I would let my kids cross at that intersection by themselves. Now you know this (Camino Crossing) will be safe,” he said.
Resident Joel Bratsch said he expects the crossing to be very expensive, but he’d love to see it implemented.
“Will it or not?” he said. “There’s other people that have control over real estate more than I do, a community member. But yeah, I think it’d be great. We need something that makes it easy for flowing from this side.”
Resident Terryl Peterson said she’s a regular bike commuter but wouldn’t let her kids use the 12th Street crossing by themselves if they were still young. She said everyone runs the red light at the crossing, and it’s not a question of if someone will get hit, but when.
cburney@durangoherald.com
