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Road damage on Columbine Drive raises ire among residents

‘It’s a little bit ridiculous’
‘It’s a little bit ridiculous’
A driver and a bicyclist attempt to pass through construction Friday on Columbine Drive in Durango. Residents have expressed safety concerns about the road damage done by two construction projects.

It’s just over a month before the start of school, and Columbine Drive – a well-traveled street in Durango between Needham Elementary and Miller Middle schools – is in “hazardous” disrepair, said resident Scott McClellan.

The city of Durango has undertaken two construction projects on Columbine Drive. Atmos Energy dug a wide trench to replace a gas line. As part of the Safe Routes to School project, which aims to provide more bicycle and pedestrian-friendly routes to school, the city is replacing sidewalks and traffic-calming infrastructure. For residents, the construction projects mean unusable sidewalks, potholes, broken asphalt and uneven surfaces.

“The whole reason this project got approved was for the Safe Routes to School, and now you have a street that’s unsafe,” McClellan said. “It’s a little bit ridiculous.”

Children use the street to travel to school during the academic year, which starts Aug. 25, he said. During the summer, it has been hazardous for skateboarders and senior citizens who have to walk in the street while sidewalk repair occurs. At night, the street is not well-lit, so it would be easy to miss potholes or other road damage, McClellan said.

Atmos was originally scheduled to replace the gas line in 2022 or 2023, but the city asked the company to do the job sooner because Durango planned to repave the street in the spring of 2021, said Mitchell Carter, city spokesman. The date change saved on costs and avoided a large scar with uneven pavement that would linger for up to 20 years, he said.

“The city has placed dust suppressant on the street and has been maintaining it in a drivable condition,” Carter said. “Our plan is to continue to do so until it is repaved. As the Safe Routes to School construction passes, we will be able to maintain it in better shape.”

A staff member told McClellan the coronavirus pandemic adds an element of uncertainty to city plans, McClellan said.

In response to the pandemic, city staff members regularly re-evaluate budget projections in city meetings, and staff members have limited capacity since partial furloughs started in April.

The Safe Routes project is scheduled to end in December 2020. Residents were understanding of the Safe Routes construction but were surprised to find out the gas line replacement damage would not be repaired sooner, McClellan said.

“I would like them to replace the Atmos strip. The road’s in disarray, I get that, and it’s slated to be repaved in the spring. But they should at least have to fix what they tore up,” McClellan said.

smullane@durangoherald.com



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