Mancos officials discussed lowering the town’s speed limits at a recent Board of Trustees meeting.
Speed limits vary from 15-20 mph on town roads and go up to 45 mph on Colorado Department of Transportation roads such as the business loop and main stretch of U.S. Highway 160, according to town documents. Marshall Jason Spruell said at the meeting he would like to see the speeds lowered.
“I would like to see it dropped to 20 mph townwide,” he said at Wednesday’s meeting.
Board members authorized a payment not to exceed $750 for engineering work from Durango firm SGM. Trustees Ed Hallam and Cindy Simpson were absent from the meeting.
In September, trustees directed town staff members to conduct a traffic study to gather data on driving speeds around town. SGM will review the data the town collected. The trustees will consider SGM’s analysis and make any change to the town’s traffic code they see fit.
Spruell reported that most drivers in town average speeds of 15-23 mph, even when the posted speed limit is higher than that. Town staff members think 20 mph is an appropriate townwide speed limit for all roads except those controlled by CDOT, according to town documents.
Spruell also said the speed limit should be lowered to 15 mph in the Mancos school zone along Grand Avenue, but he would need approval from the trustees to recommend the speed limit downgrade to CDOT. Grand Avenue, also known as the Highway 160 business loop, is controlled by the state.
Mayor Queenie Barz pointed out that some school zones in Cortez have enforced speed limits of 15 mph, such as along Montezuma Avenue by Kemper Elementary.
Also at the meeting, Phillips reported that the proposed pedestrian crossing of U.S. Highway 160 at Beech Street is underway and the project is out to bid. The bids will be collected next week, she said.
