Yellow Flashing Left-Turn Arrows on US 160/US 550 Through Durango
DURANGO – Motorists on US 160/550 through Durango are becoming accustomed to the yellow left-turn arrows through town. The Colorado Department of Transportation’s project to upgrade 18 signals through town was completed in December. In early January, CDOT will have independent traffic engineering consultant conduct a signal timing “optimization run” to test and improve the efficiency of the system in operation. Any necessary adjustments will be made at that time to further improve signal coordination and traffic flow.
WHAT THE SIGNAL INDICATIONS MEAN
Between SH 172 and Animas View Drive (excluding the intersections at SH 3 and at 14th Street) here is a “how to” for navigating the new system:
GREEN ARROW: A green left-turn arrow gives the motorist a protected turn movement, meaning there will be no oncoming traffic during a left turn).
FLASHING YELLOW ARROW: A yellow flashing yellow is permissive, meaning the motorist can turn left when there is a safe break in traffic.
SOLID YELLOW ARROW: A solid yellow arrow means the traffic signal is about to turn red, and there is little time left…to turn left!
SOLID RED ARROW: Red means stop! A motorist is not allowed to turn left on a solid red arrow at any time.
MOTORISTS, TAKE NOTE: You will not see the same left-arrow sequencing among all the intersections; this is because each intersection has different traffic volumes, different turning movements, and different accident histories. Also, left-arrow sequencing will be different depending upon the time of day and time of year, as peak travel hours will vary from summer to winter. (Currently “peak” travel hours are 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.; these hours will likely change during the summer high-tourist season.)
For a full signal sequence breakdown, here is what motorists now see:
DAYTIME: YELLOW FLASHING/GREEN PROTECTED
NIGHTTIME: YELLOW FLASHING ONLY
9th Street, 17th Street, 22nd Street, 25th Street, 27th Street, 32nd Street (there are now two left-hand turn lanes for westbound 32nd Street) and Animas View Drive. Arrows will also indicate red and green – see below for details.
DAYTIME: YELLOW FLASHING/GREEN PROTECTED
NIGHTTIME: YELLOW FLASHING/GREEN PROTECTED
College Drive, Santa Rita Drive, Frontage at CR 210 and SH 172
DAYTIME: YELLOW FLASHING/GREEN PROTECTED PEAK HOURS ONLY
NIGHTTIME: YELLOW FLASHING ONLY
US 160/US 550 Junction (at Double Tree), and River Road (at Home Depot)
DAYTIME: GREEN PROTECTED ALL DAY
NIGHTTIME: YELLOW FLASHING/GREEN PROTECTED
Sawyer Drive, Dominguez Drive, Farmington Hill (at US 160/550 junction) and Three Springs Blvd.
NO SIGNAL CHANGES: 14th Street intersection (at Burger King) and SH 3: no changes were made; these left-turn movements are protected at all times.
IMPROVED TRAFFIC FLOW: In addition to adding left-turn signals for safety and mobility through town, the project has also improved traffic flow through the following measures: 1) altering the sequence of left turns at some major intersections, resulting in less wait time for queuing vehicles; 2) eliminating a turn cycle at Dominguez Drive (WalMart) by enabling opposing traffic to make left-turns at the same time; 3) removing the south-side pedestrian crossing at College Drive; 4) and enabling two left-turn movements from 32nd Street onto southbound Main Avenue (signs to indicate this new movement are being manufactured).
If the public has comments or questions about a particular intersection or signal along the US 160/550 corridor, they may call CDOT at (970) 385-8360.
For information on other CDOT projects statewide, sign up to receive FREE updates to your e-mail or cell phone by going to our web site at www.coloradodot.info and choosing the green phone icon in the upper right-hand corner. Or you can visit www.cotrip.org or call 511 from anywhere in the state. Thank you for going Slow for the Cone Zone!
