Entrance of County Road 320 at US 285 to Close

June 5, 2018 - Southwestern Colorado/CDOT Region 5 - Closure expected for two weeks

CHAFFEE COUNTY, CO – Starting on Monday, June 11, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and prime contractor, Sema Construction, will close the entrance of Chaffee County Road (CR) 320, off of U.S. Highway (US) 24 to install a new deer guard. The installation will take approximately 14 days. During the closure, CR 320 can be accessed at the northern end via US 24 at Steele Drive and CR 319.  

The upcoming closure, near the south end of the regional airport, is part of the wildlife underpass project on US 285 that began in March, between the US 285/US 24 junction and the community of Nathrop. The goal of the $3.5-million-dollar project is to enhance safety due to the numerous wildlife-vehicle collisions along this busy corridor every year. Studies have shown that wildlife crossings, coupled with fencing, can reduce collisions by over 75 percent.

The project also includes widening of the highway to accommodate a new left-turn lane for southbound US 285 traffic turning onto CR 301/Fisherman’s Bridge.

PROJECT SCHEDULE

  • Completion for the project has been extended to the end of August.

  • Normal working hours will be from 7 AM to 7 PM, Monday through Friday. In special cases these hours may be extended.

  • Weekend work is not anticipated.

TRAVEL IMPACTS

  • In addition to the entrance closure at CR 320, motorists can expect one-lane closures from mile posts 140 to 148 (Nathrop to the US 285/US 24 junction) with up to 10 minute delays.  

  • All lanes will be open on Fridays after noon to accommodate for summer travel.

CONTACT INFORMATION & NOTIFICATIONS

For more information or to be added to our public outreach list to receive construction updates, please contact: