{"id":41922,"date":"2022-03-01T21:42:11","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T04:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-transportation-reopens-highway-160-west-bus-route\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T03:04:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T09:04:18","slug":"durango-transportation-reopens-highway-160-west-bus-route","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-transportation-reopens-highway-160-west-bus-route\/","title":{"rendered":"Durango Transportation reopens Highway 160 west bus route"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"About
About 30 people gathered at the Durango Transportation Department bus stop near the Westside Trailer Park on Tuesday to celebrate the return of the U.S. Highway 160 west bus route. The route was decommissioned in 2018 as a result of deep budget cuts. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

When the Durango Transportation Department was staring down a 54% decrease in state funding in 2018, it had little choice but to sacrifice services in favor of a balanced budget. The U.S. Highway 160 west route was one victim of the cutbacks, but on Tuesday, the city reopened the route for service seven days a week.<\/p>\n

Residents who live along the Highway 160 corridor, where workforce and affordable housing units are aplenty, are grateful for the bus route\u2019s return, said Transportation Director Sarah Hill. The corridor is also home to the Durango Tech Center and La Plata County Health and Human Services.<\/p>\n

During the route\u2019s absence, residents living along the Highway 160 corridor had to walk up to 30 minutes to reach another in-service bus stop, Hill said. She said the lack of public transportation was a huge burden and one too big for those residents.<\/p>\n

\"The
The U.S. Highway 160 west bus route was dropped in 2018 after the Durango Transportation Department suffered heavy budget cuts, Transportation Director Sarah Hill said. But on Tuesday, the route was resurrected thanks to COVID-19 relief funding and some creative recommissioning of a previously retired city bus, she said. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cI have received dozens of emails and phone calls at the Westside Mobile Park and along the corridor (from people) just thanking us for getting the service back out there,\u201d Hill said.<\/p>\n

She said balloons and \u201cthank you\u201d signs are tied to some of the Highway 160 west transit bus stops.<\/p>\n

The route will operate every day of the week in half-hour increments from 7:05 a.m. to 8:35 p.m.<\/p>\n

Hill said significant COVID-19 relief funding helped the Transit Department resume the route, despite numerous barriers to bringing the route back.<\/p>\n

Those barriers included staffing shortages and supply chain issues that prevented the city from purchasing buses.<\/p>\n

Durango City Council approved the hiring of additional staff members in October, Hill said, but the Transportation Department didn\u2019t receive a single transit driver application between September and January. COVID-19 relief funding allowed the department to offer sign-on bonuses and now the transit routes are fully funded and staffed.<\/p>\n

\"Some
Some of those gathered Tuesday at the Durango Transportation Department bus stop near the Westside Trailer Park celebrate the return of the U.S. Highway 160 west bus route. The route services the Highway 160 corridor, which includes workforce and affordable housing in addition to La Plata County Health and Human Services and the Durango Tech Center. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

A 2020 grant funded six bus orders, but those vehicles aren\u2019t expected to be received until June. A lack of materials has delayed the buses from being completed and delivered, she said.<\/p>\n

Because of the delay, the Transportation Department \u201ccame up with some creative problem-solving\u201d and was able to fix a bus that had previously been out of commission. The bus underwent maintenance and had more seats installed in order to service the Highway 160 west route.<\/p>\n

Hill said the route is here to stay.<\/p>\n

A community gathering is scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday at Westside Mobile Park to celebrate the bus route\u2019s return, she said.<\/p>\n

cburney@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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