Residents and pedestrians will soon see slower speed limits on Animas View Drive in Durango in response to concerns raised by members of the public about safety and wildlife.

Durango City Council unanimously supported lowering the speed limit from 35 mph to 25 mph along the north Durango road, which passes through a predominantly residential area. The change could take place as soon as mid-February, city officials said.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Mayor Dean Brookie during a City Council meeting Tuesday.

Animas View Drive connects Main Avenue to Oxbow Park and Preserve (and the Animas River Trail), and has about 40-single or multifamily residential units and six businesses.

The narrow road has 10-foot lanes, minimal shoulders, no cycling infrastructure such as bike lanes, no sidewalks or other pedestrian accommodations, and almost no curb and gutter infrastructure, according to city records.

There have been an average of 4.7 crashes per year over the past decade, some involving deer and one involving a bicyclist. Residents riding the trolley must walk or bike along the road to reach a transit stop, records showed.

Durango staff members expect to see more traffic along the road. In the fall, the city completed a new river put-in and other amenities at Oxbow Park and a northern extension of the Animas River Trail.

Residents and homeowners associations have shared concerns with staff members about traffic speeds and safety along the road, city staff said. (No one spoke during a public hearing Tuesday to discuss the speed limit change.)

In June, the city’s multimodal advisory board recommended the road’s speed limit be reduced to 25 mph, and in December, staff members made the same recommendation after conducting an analysis of the road.

More work on the road is included in the 2016 Multimodal Transportation Plan, mostly regarding installing additional shared lane markings for cyclists and vehicles, as well as putting up bicycle route signage.

smullane@durangoherald.com