As is often the case with earmarked money, state officials could revisit its list of priorities or pass overriding legislation in the future. Despite not having cash in pocket, local highway officials say they are confident the money is forthcoming, perhaps sometime in 2019.<\/p>\n
Other funds are more certain, including: $29.9 million from Region 5 project funding; $12.3 million in federal funding; $1.98 million from a Southern Ute Indian Tribe fee waiver; and $1 million in local funding, including $500,000 from the tribe, $250,000 from La Plata County and $250,000 from the city of Durango, according to CDOT.<\/p>\n
Does all this mean Highway 550 will one day connect with the Grandview interchange?<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d said Sidny Zink, chairwoman of the Colorado Transportation Commission and commissioner for CDOT District 8, which includes a 13-county region in Southwest Colorado.<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cIt all takes a lot of time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Major construction could begin as soon as summer 2019, she said. Full buildout is expected to take about two years. In the meantime, CDOT has already started collecting core soil samples, will begin formal discussions on right-of-way acquisitions and will complete project specifications to request a proposal for construction.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not going to see dirt move for a while, but the ball is rolling,\u201d Zink said. \u201cI think this demonstrates that the (Colorado) Transportation Commission does think statewide and it\u2019s not just the Front Range that gets the attention.\u201d<\/p>\n The two-mile realignment of Highway 550 would include four lanes (two in each direction), a couple of bridges and a de-icing system on portions of the road, said Durango City Manager Ron LeBlanc. The bridges will cross deep ravines and would be higher than the High Bridge just north of Walmart in Durango, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of that roadway will be in the shade, and in the wintertime, that is problematic, so the road will be constructed with a system that will automatically de-ice the road,\u201d LeBlanc said.<\/p>\n The realignment will connect with the $47 million Grandview interchange, which was completed in 2011 and includes the famed \u201cBridge to Nowhere\u201d \u2013 named because it lacks a connection with Highway 550, and therefore, receives minimal use. The interchange, which ties in with U.S. Highway 160, includes a roundabout, a partial footpath, four bridges (including two that span Highway 160), six retaining walls, and on- and off-ramps.<\/p>\n The realignment will allow CDOT to abandon Farmington Hill, a one-mile stretch of Highway 550 that is on a steep grade that hugs a mountainside to connect with Highway 160. The two-lane road can be dangerous during winter months.<\/p>\n Motorists arriving from New Mexico will instead drive through the Webb Ranch with scenic mountain views before connecting with the Grandview interchange.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople coming into Colorado from New Mexico will now be going over the bridge that we call the \u2018Bridge to the Future,\u2019\u201d LeBlanc said. \u201cThey will be looking at Three Springs. They will be looking at the new regional retail that soon, hopefully, will be coming to that area. So it\u2019s very exciting for us.\u201d<\/p>\n The city plans to eventually annex the entire Webb Ranch, which is in the city\u2019s Comprehensive Plan for future development.<\/p>\n Highway officials are unsure what will become of Farmington Hill. There\u2019s some talk of working with local governments or Trails 2000 to make it accessible to pedestrians and bikers.<\/p>\n