Residents and government officials gathered Thursday at the County Road 250 and 251 intersection in northeast Durango to commemorate the completion of a several-year multimodal construction project.
A ribbon-cutting and remarks from city and La Plata County officials, including Durango Mayor Dave Woodruff, marked the occasion.
“Thank you to the community and neighbors who have been patient with us throughout this process and working with us as we’ve worked to get this much-needed project finished,” he said. “… At the end of the day, these enhancements support a safer, efficient and more accessible travel corridor for all users.”
Woodruff said completion of the two-year, $9.7 million project was “some time coming.”
The county contributed $4.4 million to the project, which added dedicated bike lanes; a transit stop; a shared-use path adjacent to the road; a landscaped center median; additional streetlights; and stormwater improvements, including a 36-inch reinforced concrete pipe beneath the road.
It was previously a narrow, two-lane county road with no dedicated walking or biking paths.
Bikers, skateboarders and residents on morning strolls are already using the pedestrian and multimodal lanes.
City and county officials began a joint intergovernmental agreement on the CR 250 and 251 improvements in 2022 and 2023 – but the concept for the project dates back to 2012, when then-county commissioner Gwen Lachelt saw a man in a motorized wheelchair being forced to travel in a traffic lane at the intersection.
Residents were consulted that same year via public feedback forums, and many supported the safety overhaul, said County Commissioner Elizabeth Philbrick.
Despite general support for the safety improvements, some residents and nearby business owners were less-than-enthused about the lengthy construction process.
Janine Collins, former owner of Botanical Concepts Garden Center, which operated at 251 County Road 250 for 10 years, told The Durango Herald that the March 30 closure of the shop was due in part to disruptive construction associated with the project.
She said misleading signage and “hostile” traffic controllers kept customers and delivery trucks from reaching the business during crucial summer operating months over the course of several years, and that she felt unsupported by the city and county during the process.
“They had signs up that said the roads were closed on Florida for months before I could talk to anybody, and those months were crucial as far as me being able to make money,” she said. “So, it was frustrating – very frustrating”
Philbrick said balancing resident and business owner frustrations and new projects can be tricky.
“The unfortunate truth is leadership is dedicating your life to making people slightly uncomfortable for the greater good,” she said.
“We want everyone to thrive, which is why we build corridors like this,” she added. “This is discomfort temporarily with the intention of trying to make sure that we have an opportunity for real, sustainable, culturally relevant growth in our community.”
Woodruff emphasized the value of the city and the county’s collaboration.
“It’s just amazing to be able to work in partnership with the county, get something that has long been overdue (done),” he said. “… And to really create more resiliency in this corridor, I think, is really important. And then setting this place up for future growth is also really important.”
epond@durangoherald.com
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