Greetings!
If you’re local, you’ve likely been using the now fully completed interchange of US 550 and US 160 in south Durango. While there remain a few minor work items that Lawrence Construction and subcontractors are wrapping up, we are officially signing off public communications on this multi-year project, retiring the phone line, email address and website.
If you do have State/US highway or transportation issues or questions in the future, please contact the Colorado Department of Transportation’s knowledgeable and responsive customer service representatives in our area at 970-385-1423 or access the CDOT webpage at www.codot.gov/topcontent/contact-cdot
CDOT’s wildlife biologist, maintenance and engineering staff will continue to monitor the project’s newly installed wildlife mitigation features (fencing, jump-out/escape ramps, deer guards, underpasses) to ensure everything is functioning properly. They ask that those of you with direct highway access close pedestrian gates and access gates – as provided under special conditions for some owners – to help maintain the wildlife and livestock exclusion system. We all know our furry friends may find their way onto the highway, particularly as they get to know where the new crossings are, but it’s all about making this corridor safer and minimizing the risk of animal-vehicle collisions as best we can.
Finally, CDOT and Lawrence Construction would like to extend our sincere thanks to residents, commuters and the Durango/La Plata County community for your correspondence and patience throughout this extended multi-year project. We are proud of the project and believe it to be a benefit to the community, making travel safer, more efficient and with enhanced mobility. Clearly, our region’s first Design-Build project was a monumental undertaking, and we could not have accomplished it without the support of residents, the City of Durango, La Plata County, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and our partners at the Federal Highway Administration.
Safe travels from the Communications Team,
Nancy Shanks, Project Public Information Manager
Lisa Schwantes, CDOT Regional Communications Manager
Adair Christensen, CDOT Communications Specialist