CDOT Region 5 Announces 2014 Construction Program
SOUTHWEST/SOUTH-CENTRAL COLORADO – The Colorado Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) Region 5* wrapped up a successful 2013 construction season just prior to the Christmas holiday. Work included roadway and bridge construction, traffic and safety projects (e.g., signals, intersection upgrades) and Transportation Alternatives Program projects (partnering with a local agency on projects that enhance the state’s transportation system, such as a bike path or downtown sidewalks).
Significant projects last year included US 160 resurfacing north of Towaoc, SH 62 and SH 145 bridges in Ouray and San Miguel counties, US 160 downtown improvements in Monte Vista (partnership project) and US 160 intersection improvements west of Pagosa Springs, to name a few. To view a brief of all Region 5’s 2013 projects, please see our regional 2013 Traffic Watchers brief here: http://www.coloradodot.info/travel/assets/ftrafficwatchersr5.pdf (this 2013 brief did not list the local agency projects, but the attached 2014 brief does).
In the upcoming 2014 construction season, CDOT Region 5 will have some 27 projects underway—currently most are in various stages of design or being advertised to contractors. This will result in an estimated $100 million in total project costs (including local agency funding). The 27 projects involve work on more approximately 64 miles of roadway, four bridges, seven culverts, six intersections and also sidewalks, multi-use paths, guardrails, traffic signals, signs and more.
A few of the projects noted in the attached 2014 Traffic Watchers project list will be receiving RAMP funding. RAMP, or Responsible Acceleration of Maintenance and Partnerships, is a short-term practice whereby CDOT will fund multi-year projects based on year of expenditure rather than saving for all phases. RAMP has provided for more than 40 partnership projects statewide totaling $580 million and an additional $66 million in operations projects. Partnership project funding was applied for and matched by local agencies to accelerate priority projects in their areas; operations projects are those identified by CDOT to address specific highway system needs statewide, such as highway shoulders, roadside fiber optics or signal upgrades.
“Through RAMP, our region will be moving forward on seven partnership projects and one regionwide signal project totaling $44 million over the next few years,” CDOT Region 5 Transportation Director Kerrie Neet said. “We are very appreciative of our local agency partners who’ve helped us leverage our RAMP funding to accomplish this.”
Also detailed in this year’s Traffic Watcher’s brief are the Local Agency projects, which are typically funded in part through the federal Transportation Alternative’s Program (TAP), administered by CDOT and matched by the local agency. As noted in the brief, some of these local agency projects, however, are funded through RAMP or FASTER (see details attached).
The 2014 Traffic Watchers project brief will be updated as projects are awarded and will be distributed again in April. Updated information regarding traffic impacts on this or other CDOT projects is available at www.dot.state.co.us/TravelInfo/currentcond/ or by calling 511. To receive project updates via wireless device or e-mail, visit www.coloradodot.info and click on the green cell-phone icon in the upper right-hand corner. The link takes you to a list of items you can subscribe to, including Southwest Colorado.
*CDOT Region 5 includes the counties of: Alamosa, Archuleta, Conejos, Costilla, Chaffee, Dolores, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Montrose (southwestern section), Ouray, Rio Grande, Saguache, San Juan and San Miguel.
