Work on a traffic signal at Colorado highways 172 and 151 in Ignacio will start Monday.
The $1.6 million project includes the light as well as new sidewalks.
“They just want to make it inviting and safer and make traffic smoother,” said Nancy Shanks, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation.
To fund the project, the town of Ignacio is contributing $9,333 in money and in-kind services; the Southern Ute Indian Tribe is contributing $168,004; La Plata County is contributing $168,004 and CDOT is paying for the rest. Technology Constructors Inc will do the work.
This will be Ignacio’s second traffic signal light, and it is the first jointly funded project to come out of the Ignacio Area Corridor Access Plan, Shanks said.
The plan was finished in 2012 after six years of meetings.
The planning effort was started by the tribe, and it outlines what the community wants and how it wants the corridor along Colorado Highway 172 to grow.
Construction at the busy intersection is scheduled to be finished in May.
During the first week of construction, no lane closures are anticipated.
After that, work will be done Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., and motorists should expect lane shifts and periodic single-lane traffic, with some delays during working hours.
Colorado Highway 151, also known as Ute Street, will be closed to traffic for about 30 days.
For additional information or questions about the project, call the contact the contractor’s public information manager Michael Brennan at (970) 946-4932 or email alertroadinfo@gmail.com.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
