Highway 160 Safety Project Set to Start

Work consists of placing new rumble strips, guardrails, striping and 3.7-miles of snow fence along the 26-mile segment of Highway 160 between the west end of Walsenburg and the top of La Veta Pass.

Drivers can expect occasional delays up to 10 minutes as flaggers alternate traffic through the work zone, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Speed limits will be reduced to 40 or 50 mph, depending on the location.

“This is a comprehensive project that entails a number of safety enhancements,” said CDOT Project Manager Felipe “Junior” Rodriguez.  “We’re placing rumble strips in the center and along the highway shoulder and both are effective at helping prevent head-on crashes and run off the road-type accidents.  Adding snow fences help move drifting snow into off-road areas and minimize the amount of snowdrift on the highway. And, of course, replacing the guardrails keeps vehicles away from roadside hazards likes trees and ditches.”

Cruz Construction Inc., of Colorado Springs is the contractor for the $1.4 million project.  It is scheduled for completion in October 2014.

Weekly lane closure information about this and other projects is available at www.coloradodot.info/travel/scheduled-lane-closures.html or by calling 511.  To receive project updates via e-mail, visitwww.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.