FASTER-Funded Safety Improvement Project Begins on Highway 12

November 7, 2011 - Southeastern Colorado/CDOT Region 2 - LAS ANIMAS COUNTY – Work is underway on several enhancements to increase safety along a 20-mile segment of State Highway 12 between Weston and Jansen.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) project includes widening the roadway at several locations to improve safety, new guardrail installation, tree removal and sign replacements.

Project hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.  A majority of the work will take place outside of traffic, requiring shoulder closures.  However, some operations require flaggers to alternate eastbound and westbound traffic through the work zone, with delays from five to 10 minutes.  The speed limit also is reduced to 35 mph.

“Widening the roadway in specific areas allows for safety enhancement, either by adding a lane at a school bus stop, or adding concrete barrier to help block rocks from rolling onto the highway,” said CDOT Project Engineer Brian Barrera.  “Other safety improvements include removing several trees that shade the highway and then create icy spots on the road, and the installation of new signs that will increase the visibility of the signs for drivers, especially at night.”

SH 12 is being widened at the following locations:

  • Near Reilly Canyon Road – Acceleration/deceleration lane at a school bus stop area
  • Trinidad Lake Dam Road – Acceleration/deceleration lane at the intersection
  • Long Canyon Road – Corner improvements, providing a wider turn radius, especially for large trucks
  • Just east of Valdez – Concrete barrier installation to help stop falling rocks from reaching the roadway

American Civil Constructors Inc. of Littleton, CO. is the prime contractor.   Work is scheduled for completion in December 2011.

The $1.7 million project is fully funded by FASTER (Funding Advancements for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery).  This legislation, developed to construct safety projects and address Colorado’s structurally deficient and poor bridges, is funded through rental car and vehicle registration fees.

Traffic information about this or other CDOT projects is on the cotrip.org website, by calling 511 or via subscription e-mail.  To subscribe, please visit www.coloradodot.info and click on the cell-phone icon in the upper right-hand corner.  The link takes you to a list of items you can subscribe to, including Southeast Colorado.