Traffic on South Camino del Rio will be pinched between Santa Rita Drive and Sawyer Drive as the city of Durango completes final repairs to the road surface after dealing with a sewage line break in July.
Crews are replacing temporary asphalt patches meant as a short-term fix to deal with heavy traffic on the highway during summer. Now that traffic has eased in fall, crews are replacing the asphalt with concrete panels on the southbound lanes, Assistant City Manager Amber Blake said.
Weather permitting, road work is expected to be completed Oct. 29. Once concrete is poured, it must cure before the lanes can reopen.
The city is encouraging commuters to avoid the area and seek alternative routes.
The sewer line broke July 27 near Santa Rita Park after an underground manhole caved in, causing an estimated 600 gallons of raw sewage to back up and spill onto South Camino del Rio and into the Animas River during a two-hour period.
Director of city operations Levi Lloyd estimates the total cost of repair work at $112,000.
During the current closure, the southbound lane of South Camino del Rio between Santa Rita Drive and County Road 210 will be closed. Southbound traffic will encounter a lane shift onto a northbound lane. Northbound and southbound traffic on South Camino del Rio will be separated by cones.
The westbound lane on Santa Rita Drive will be closed.
The frontage road intersection at County Road 210 and South Camino del Rio is closed on the west side of the highway. Lake Nighthorse, County Road 210 and businesses on the west side of South Camino del Rio can be accessed from the intersection of Sawyer Drive and South Camino del Rio.
Left turns are not allowed for southbound traffic at the South Camino del Rio and Santa Rita Drive intersection.
Businesses on the east side of South Camino del Rio can be accessed at Sawyer Drive.
No vehicle access will be available to Santa Rita Park for the duration of the project. Santa Rita Park is open, but vehicle access is restricted to construction traffic only.
Pedestrian crossing is not allowed at South Camino del Rio to Santa Rita Drive. The city suggests alternative routes. The Animas River Trail is open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
parmijo@durangoherald.com
