The realignment of U.S. Highway 550 south of Durango is nearing completion.
The 4-mile realignment is slated to be completed and ready to receive traffic at the end of May, said Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Lisa Schwantes.
Residents will have a chance to check out the new road from 10:30 a.m. to noon May 9 during an “open road” event hosted by CDOT.
Those interested in attending are encouraged to arrive anytime between 10:30 and 11:15 a.m. Participants will then have the chance to drive over the Grandview Bridge, through a new roundabout and over the two new bridges that are part of the realignment.
Drivers can park, walk around and ask questions of project team members.
At 11:30 a.m., representatives of the Federal Highway Administration, CDOT, Southern Ute Indian Tribe, city of Durango and La Plata County will deliver comments.
Thursday events
TIMELINE:
10:30 a.m. New highway alignment open to visitors.
11:30 a.m. Listen to speakers on Gulch A Bridge.
Noon: Event ends.
GETTING THERE:
- All visitors must enter via Highway 160 and Grandview Interchange at the north end of the project.
- Those traveling from Durango or the west will use the Highway 160 eastbound off-ramp just east of the Farmington Hill intersection.
- Those traveling from Bayfield or the east will use the westbound off-ramp located about ¾ miles west of Three Springs Boulevard.
- Event signage and flaggers will direct visitors to Gulch A Bridge.
- No entry from the south at County Road 220.
- After the event, visitors will leave the project by continuing south and exiting at County Road 220, with help from flagging staff.
Signs will guide participants through the Grandview Interchange with instructions on where to park and meet up with project team members at the Gulch A bridge.
The realignment spans from the Grandview Interchange near the Maverik gas station on Zyme Rock Road south to County Road 302.
The new alignment will be located just east of Farmington Hill and will connect with the existing interchange. That means drivers will no long use Farmington Hill.
“Vehicles will not have to come to a complete stop at an intersection,” Schwantes said. “They’re going to be guided through roundabouts.”
She said the realigned Highway 550, which will feature two lanes going each direction, is part of a larger effort to reduce rear-end car crashes, adding that signaled intersections – including the 550/160 east stoplight – increases the chances of such incidents.
“We’re looking forward to seeing what the data brings us in the coming years,” she said.
The north end of the realigned highway will begin at the roundabout about 100 yards from Maverik. The road then will curve upward and continue along the hilltop overlooking Farmington Hill.
“Farmington Hill is a steep slope. It’s much steeper than we would like it for vehicles to be coming down to a light – an intersection,” Schwantes said.
Because Farmington Hill is a north-facing slope, Schwantes said it is prone to icing during winter snowstorms. That has created safety hazards, especially for commercial vehicles coming down that “curvy road,” she said.
The $98.9 million realignment project, which began construction in fall 2020, also entails widening the existing 3.3-mile stretch of 550 between county roads 220 and 302, as well as removing and revegetating Farmington Hill.
Of the $98.9 million in funding, $54.4 million came from the state’s Transportation Commission, and $29.9 million came from CDOT Region 5 funding.
mhollinshead@durangoherald.com