Highway 550 Traffic Lane Changes

New traffic patterns are coming to the US Highway 550/US Highway 160 interchange. Two new northbound lanes for US Highway 550 are completed. And beginning October 7th, traffic will be redirected on the new lanes as construction on southbound lanes begins. The project, which is slated to be completed in fall 2023, is the first full interchange in the region. Mark your calendars for the annual Community Recreation Center Maintenance Week closure. And the City of Durango approved the acquisition of land at Raiders Ridge for open space and trail purposes. You’re watching the “Local News Roundup,” brought to you by The Payroll Department and Serious Texas Bar-B-Q. I’m Wendy Graham Settle. CDOT and Lawrence Construction announced the completion of two new northbound lanes on US Highway 550 from County Road 302. Both north and southbound traffic was switched over to the new lanes from the shoo-fly detour next to the County Road 220 and US Highway 550 intersection. A shoo-fly detour is a temporary detour often constructed to allow traffic to continue around a project, enabling the construction project to happen all at once. North and southbound traffic on US Highway 550 will use the new lanes in addition to the 1,400-foot detour to enable continuous flow of traffic for the rest of the project. Construction of two southbound lanes will begin after the traffic transfer. The US Highway 550 and US 160 interchange project will be the first interchange project in the region. Construction on the interchange project began in 2020 and is expected to be completed by fall 2023. The speed limit through the construction area will remain at 40 miles per hour and drivers are asked to follow the speed limit for their safety and others’ until the project is finished. To find more information on the project, visit codot.gov/projects and search “US 550 US 160 connection south.” For information about travel impact updates, visit cotrip.org. The Community Recreation Center has announced the dates for its annual maintenance and repair closure. The aquatics center will be closed from October 9th through the 31st. The extended closure accommodates the replacement of the toys in the leisure pool, including the six-sided castle, and the resurfacing of the lap pool. The castle will be auctioned off to the public. The resurfacing of the lap pool will replace the current pool surface, which has not been replaced since the facility opened. The Recreation Center will be closed from October 16th through the 22nd for maintenance, updates, and repairs. The racketball courts will close a day early on October 15th at 3:00 p.m. for floor refinishing. The front desk at the Rec Center will remain open during the week-long closure. The facility, including gyms, racketball courts, meeting rooms, and upstairs workout area, will be open during the aquatics area closure. For more information on the Community Recreation Center, call the Parks and Recreation Department at 375-7300. The City of Durango has approved the acquisition of 10.2 acres of land from FGH Land Durango for open space and trail purposes. The area located above Eighth Avenue at the south end of Raiders Ridge is an important viewshed and trail corridor, linking the Powerline Trail and Horse Gulch. The area was identified for preservation as part of the Parks, Open Space, Trails, and Recreation Master Plan. The purchase of the land will help preserve the hillside and trail system. For more information about open space preservation, visit Durangogov.org and search “open space preservation.” That’s it for this week’s “Local News Roundup.” I’m Wendy Graham Settle.

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