Paving Begins on US 160 Mancos Hill and Hesperus
LA PLATA COUNTY – The Colorado Department of Transportation and contractor Oldcastle SW Group, Inc., began a project in May to improve the surface of US 160 between Hesperus and Mancos Hill—a distance of about 9 miles--west of Durango. The contractor will begin paving operations this coming Wednesday, July 22. The work is expected to last through mid- to late-October.
With paving getting underway, vehicle traffic will be shifted onto the shoulder to enable two-way travel to flow unimpeded (except for occasional brief stops for equipment moving.) Therefore, cyclists will have no shoulder on which to ride and must travel along in the same lanes with vehicles. The speed is reduced to 40 mph.
“While the Colorado State Patrol strongly supports bicyclists and their legal rights to highway use, it’s necessary that we carefully weigh all of the safety factors involved in routing traffic, including bicycles, through some of our construction zones,” CSP Master Trooper Doug Wiersma said. “Cyclists must ride with vehicle traffic or avoid this stretch altogether until paving is complete. As with any active work zone, no driving or riding behind construction cones is permitted. We ask that motorists exercise patience and caution when driving near cyclists who are sharing the lanes.”
The work, with an estimated total cost of $7.3 million (design through construction), will resurface the highway from mile point (MP) 62 (Mancos Hill) at the Montezuma/La Plata county line east to MP 71.1, about two miles west of SH 140 in Hesperus.
Crews will be applying a one-inch leveling course to correct surface imperfections, followed by an inch and a half of new asphalt. Some deep patching will also be done at MP 70, where the pavement needs additional leveling. The work will greatly improve the surface condition of this stretch, which receives between 6,700 and 6,800 vehicles a day.
TRAVEL IMPACTS: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., weather permitting; no weekend work is anticipated at this time but may be necessary due to weather setbacks; drivers should anticipate some single-lane, alternating traffic in sections where only two lanes are present; traffic should flow in both directions where three lanes exist. Crews will minimize impacts to eastbound late afternoon peak period travel.
PROJECT INFORMATION: For information about this project or to leave a message, call the project information line at (970) 254-3288. For information on CDOT projects statewide, log on to www.cotrip.org or call 511 from anywhere in the state. To receive real-time updates about road conditions in your area, visit www.coloradodot.info and click on the envelop icon at the bottom of the page. Information about weekly lane closures will be available at www.coloradodot.info/travel/
