The Colorado Department of Transportation will begin a survey project on Tuesday that will cause traffic delays on a stretch of U.S. Highway 160 between Elmore’s Corner and Bayfield.
According to a news release from CDOT, commuters should expect to encounter traffic stops, alternating lane closures and a reduced speed of 40 mph throughout the work zone. The work will occur Monday through Friday and last from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Businesses along Highway 160 are not expected to be impacted by the work.
“The survey work includes some surveying as well as geotechnical drilling work,” said CDOT spokeswoman Adair Christensen. “This is an advance of a project that’s a few years out still. It’s the U.S. 160 Elmore’s East project, which will seek to improve safety and mobility along this corridor.”
Christensen said the work is meant to serve as preliminary data gathering for a larger highway improvement project planned for 2027. She explained that workers will survey the terrain around the highway and drill into the ground to take samples of the subsurface beneath the road.
“(Drivers) can expect to see our survey teams out there next to the highway over the next few years, just checking property lines and doing various tests,” Christensen said.
The highway will be widened to four lanes and receive more dedicated left turn lanes. Additionally, better wildlife fencing and underpasses will be added to decrease the amount of vehicle-animal collisions. Christensen said the project is high on CDOT’s priority list, because of the high rate of accidents involving wildlife.
“It’s one of the priority segments listed in Western Slope wildlife studies in the past,” she said. “It is one of the segments of highway across Western Colorado that has a significant amount of vehicle-versus-animal crashes. So we are definitely going to do some work to mitigate those issues, as far as the fencing and guiding the animals to safe crossing such as the underpasses.”
The U.S. 160 Elmore’s East project is still a couple years out, Christensen said. The survey work is meant to help in the planing of the improvements and no major changes will be made on the road.
Christensen urged motorists to be careful when driving through the work zones and to anticipate 15 to 30 minute delays.
“Watch for our messaging, watch for our workers, slow down in the work zone and stay informed,” she said. “Make sure that you’re planning your route to work or school well in advance.”
For more information on the survey work, such as work schedules and mapping, visit www.COtrip.org or www.CODOT.org.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
