Motorists urged to be aware of striping operations at two locations in Chaffee County

CHAFFEE COUNTY —  Motorists will encounter minor travel impacts at two locations in Chaffee County next week, Aug. 12 and 13. Two separate striping projects will take place, one project on US Highway 285 south of Nathrop and the other on US 50 in Poncha Springs. These access improvement projects are being privately funded by the developers, while overseen by CDOT traffic and safety staff.  

US 285 SOUTH OF NATHROP

Contractors for the new Centerville Subdivision south of Nathrop will perform restriping improvements of US 285. The new subdivision, located on the east side of the highway, has required a new access point at approximately Mile Point 137.9. A stretch of the current center passing lane, just north of the new development entrance, will be converted to a southbound turn lane for safe access into the subdivision. 

The restriping and installation of the turn lane will begin on Wed., Aug. 12 at approximately 9 a.m. Work is expected to take place over a short one-day period.

US 50 IN PONCHA SPRINGS 

Once the US 285 restriping project (described above) is completed, crews on Thurs., Aug. 13 at approximately 9 a.m, will then move operations to US 50 in Poncha Springs to restripe the highway at the junction of Poncha Springs Lane, near MP 218. US 50 will be restriped to create a right turn acceleration lane to accommodate additional traffic from the Tailwind subdivision located on the south side of the highway. It is anticipated that this work will take a day to complete.

TRAVEL AND ACCESS IMPACTS:  

At both locations, travelers should be aware of a reduction in speed to 40 mph. Slow down through the workzone and observe lane shifts. Only occasional traffic stops are anticipated to accommodate the movement of equipment and supplies. Work is weather dependent. 

QUESTIONS: Contact the project manager at 970-426-8103.

COVID-19  

Safe transportation infrastructure is essential for all of us, particularly for emergency first responders and freight drivers as Colorado navigates the COVID-19 pandemic. With that in mind, CDOT maintenance and construction crews follow social distancing and other health safety measures to reduce COVID-19 exposure on the worksite. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced guidelines for construction activities. The public is urged to join the campaign for #DoingMyPartCO by practicing social distancing and wearing face masks.  As traffic returns to normal levels, motorists must drive cautiously and heed the speed limit so all of us can return home safely. 

WHOLE SYSTEM. WHOLE SAFETY.  

To heighten safety awareness, CDOT recently announced its Whole System — Whole Safety initiative. This project takes a systematic statewide approach to safety combining the benefits of CDOT’s programs that address driving behaviors, our built environment and the organization's operations. The goal is to improve the safety of Colorado’s transportation network by reducing the rate and severity of crashes and improving the safety of all transportation modes. The program has one simple mission—to get everyone home safely.

ABOUT CDOT

CDOT has approximately 3,000 employees located throughout Colorado, and manages more than 23,000 lane miles of highway and 3,429 bridges. CDOT also manages grant partnerships with a range of other agencies, including metropolitan planning organizations, local governments and airports. It also administers Bustang, the state-owned and operated inter-regional express service. Gov. Polis has charged CDOT to further build on the state’s multimodal mobility options.