In Libby’s letter, she states it is harder to turn left from westbound Eighth Street onto southbound Highway 550/160 (Camino del Rio) now that our project is complete and a center median exists. First, I should note that the center lane, which runs the length of Camino del Rio and Main through town, is not a merge lane. Rather, it is a two-way left-turn lane, or TWLTL, for northbound and southbound vehicles to turn off US 550/160. Indications of these TWLTLs throughout the state are denoted with both on-pavement painted left arrows and signs (view both near Eighth Street before construction on Googlemaps.com.)

While many motorists do use this TWLTL as a merge lane, doing so can make it difficult and unsafe for those who are using it properly, particularly during peak travel periods. The new median adds safety to this area; and if traffic is too heavy to make a safe left turn from Eighth Street, it is always best to use one of the signalized intersections instead, so you don’t have to “take a chance.”

Nancy Shanks, CDOT Region 5 communications manager

Durango