The Colorado Department of Transportation and contractor Interstate Improvement Inc. will begin a project to improve the concrete driving surface Monday on U.S. Highway 160 in west Durango.
Project activity will then move through Cortez on Highway 160 and U.S. Highway 491 beginning in June. The preventive maintenance includes: replacing and patching damaged concrete pavement; applying a diamond grinding process to rehabilitate the surface of existing concrete; clearing and resealing concrete joints and cracks; a cross-stitching process to strengthen longitudinal cracks in concrete slabs; and installing inlaid striping and traffic markings.
“Performing maintenance on the concrete surface of the highway will provide several key benefits to travelers and Colorado taxpayers,” said Kevin Curry, CDOT program engineer. “Not only will the rehabilitation process restore and improve the roadway for mobility and safety, it will also give 15 to 20 more years of life to the existing concrete. The rehabilitation of the concrete will help us avoid reconstruction of the highway, ultimately bringing long-term savings to state taxpayers, for potentially 20 years. A complete rebuild of the highway could likely have cost tens of millions of dollars.”
The project will also upgrade several curb ramps at select intersections to meet mandated standards by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The project was contracted to Interstate Improvement for $5 million.
Travel near Durango will be affected through late July at the Highway 550/160 continuous flow intersection, near the DoubleTree Hotel. Work on the 2-mile concrete section of Highway 160 will occur during daytime hours. Drivers will encounter single-lane closures on Highway 160 west of town from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays to Fridays. Weekend work is possible, if necessary, to expedite the project’s completion.
Travel impacts in Cortez will occur from early June to late October on Highway 160 south at County Road G, north/south and including the County Road G intersection. Concrete repairs at the intersection may require some night work. Drivers will encounter single-lane closures from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, with weekend work possible. During night work, drivers will encounter single-lane closures from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Weekend work is possible.
For more information, visit www.codot.gov/projects/us-160-cortez-durango-concrete-repairs.
dgladden@durangoherald.com
