Dear Action Line: Recently county roads 203 and 234 have been nicely repaved and are smooth as a baby’s bottom! This is miles of new blacktop. So, what’s going on with the half-mile of 32nd Street between CR 250 and Holly Drive? This section of road is used by pedestrians and bicycles, and even a power wheelchair. Aside from the horrible condition there is virtually no shoulder. Hearsay gives me “city/county, 2023, easement issues.” Are easement issues more important than public safety? This section of road cannot be fixed quickly enough with new pavement and wide shoulders. What’s the story on this issue? – Public Safety Beats Easement
Dear P.S.B.E.: That is a strange name, but parents are getting so much more creative these days.
Action Line courted danger and walked along this stretch recently to check it out and click a photo. The hope was to get a vehicle seemingly bearing down on the photographer to illustrate the danger; the photographer then hoped to jump out of the way just in time, kind of like a bullfighter. Or maybe more like Billy Crystal in “City Slickers,” where he actually didn’t get out of the way in time during the running of the bulls in Pamplona. A great opening scene. Which was before Crystal and crew came to Durango to film the rest of the movie, of course.
What, you’ve never seen “City Slickers”!? That’s right, part of the movie was filmed right around here. One of the best movies of all time. You know what would be fun is a running of the bulls down that stretch of road. Maybe right before it’s improved and repaved.
And you’re still patiently waiting to find out when that repaving will be. Well, what you’ve been told sounds about right.
The first question Action Line needed to answer was who takes responsibility for this stretch of road: the city of Durango, or the county of La Plata? Turns out that they’re working together on this one with the help of a joint sales tax fund. Isn’t that sweet?
“While the design is jointly funded by city and county, the city of Durango Engineering Department is managing the project,” said Jim Davis, director of Public Works for the county.
Design plans are nearly complete and the city is working on those pesky land purchases. The first step in doing that is hiring an “ROW/easement acquisition specialist,” and the bids for that close this month, said Keith Dougherty, engineer with Durango Public Works. ROW is right-of-way, for those who don’t speak acronym.
“ROW/easement acquisition is slated for 2022 and, pending budget approvals for both the city and county, construction is anticipated for 2023,” Dougherty said.
It’ll be similar to the stretch of Florida Road improved in 2010. From the city’s website: “The proposed design will maintain a single lane of traffic in each direction, while adding bike lanes, a shared-use path adjacent to the road and a center landscaped median. The design includes improved landscaping and installation of streetlights. Pedestrian crossings will also be enhanced, and left turn lanes will be added where appropriate.”
The road will ultimately be annexed into and be the responsibility of the city.
Added Dougherty, “While I understand the position that public safety beats easement, the city/county cannot simply do construction wherever needed. I wouldn’t consider this an issue as much as following the appropriate process to keep moving forward.”
For more on design features, visit www.durangogov.org/CR250-251.
After last week’s questions and answers about green poop bags on local trails, several readers fired back in rapid succession, and Action Line was caught in the crossfire. After staggering to stand, brushing off the deepening Durango dust, and ignoring the oozing blood, Action Line reloaded with a simple response:
You all are obsessed over dog poop!
Two readers are adamant they have tried their darndest to open unopenable trailhead trash receptacles.
“I think one of the green bags on top of the garbage can in your article photo was from me,” wrote one reader. “The city has placed a garbage can there that cannot be opened. … Come on. We don’t need a bear smart container to hold dog poop.”
Another Dalla regular also took umbrage:
“I know that the trash can emits a terrible odor … but most of us can hold our nose for the few seconds it takes to make the transaction.”
This regular said he’s capable of operating a bearproof latch, but this one was broken in the locked position. Furthermore, he re-replied (notice, Action Line didn’t say “replied back”) and reported that the Dalla can is now functioning, and apparently had been freshly lubed.
One more:
“COMMENT – real funny except to those whose private cans are pummeled with extraneous trash, including poop, along our trails. Seems you feel there’s no real need to address the issue. … Perhaps you need to be the recipient of this to understand what the issue is.”
Hmm. Well, that’s pretty harsh, and Action Line is aghast at being accused of not taking something seriously. In any case, the reader makes a good point: Don’t throw filled poop bags or half-eaten burritos or condoms in any condition into private trash containers. Not a good solution.
Email questions and suggestions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. Next week there will be nothing about dog poop, or your money back.
