Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
CDOT lays out Montezuma County priorities: intersection upgrades, wildlife underpass and culvert work
Loading...
Summary
Tim Funk, planner for Southwest Colorado at the Colorado Department of Transportation, presented long‑range and 10‑year projects for Montezuma County, identifying several unfunded corridor projects — including a $20 million intersection redesign at US 160 and SH 491 and a $30 million package for passing lanes on SH 491 — alongside strategic projects programmed for fiscal year 2031.
Tim Funk, planner for Southwest Colorado at the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), told the Montezuma County Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 31 that CDOT’s work this year focuses on projects identified specifically for Montezuma County in the agency’s 2050 long-range plan and the region’s 10-year program.
The presentation identified several large, currently unfunded long-range projects: a new signalized intersection at U.S. 160 and State Highway 491 on the west end of Cortez (estimated about $20 million); sidewalk extensions on the east side of Mancos (about $3 million); intersection improvements at SH 491 and Mike Wash Road (about $3 million); a multi‑mile set of passing lanes or slow‑vehicle pullouts on SH 491 from the state line to US 160 (about $30 million); and a possible bus round‑trip service between Durango and Dove Creek (about $4 million). Funk emphasized that placement on the long‑range list does not mean immediate funding: "the long range plan is kind of a wish list," he said.
CDOT also described strategic projects that made the 10‑year priority list and have funds or partial funds attached. Those include a wildlife underpass with associated fencing east of Mesa Verde on US 160 (estimated $6 million; $5.7 million in the current 10‑year program, with construction not expected until fiscal year 2031), pavement resurfacing on SH 145 (the "Dolores East" project, about $12 million with roughly $10.4 million programmed), County Road 30.1 at the entrance to Phil’s World (about $3 million, $2.7 million in the plan), and resurfacing of the Mancos business loop (about $2.5 million). Funk said some of the funded work is scheduled to begin in FY2031.
Staff reviewed locally executed and federally pass‑through projects: Cortez West Seventh Street Safe Routes to School (~$1.2 million, in design, construction expected 2027), continued work on the PaSaMesaVerde multimodal corridor (segments A–D; segments B–D require additional match funding), bridge scour repairs on structures north of the state line (about $2.6 million completed in 2024), and region‑wide chip seals and striping projects completed in 2024 (chip seal work about $5.5 million; striping about $2 million for FY24–25).
Asset and safety work described as underway or planned included cured‑in‑place (CIPP) culvert liners on several SH 491 and SH 145 culverts (work done with minimal lane closures), upgrades to traffic signals in Cortez (Mildred and Harrison, approximately $2.5 million in design with construction planning for 2026), a chain station project near Yellow Jacket to provide safe chain‑up locations for freight (~$3 million, targeted 2027–28 construction), and a culvert replacement package (~$7 million) that will replace multiple deteriorated culverts across the region. Funk said CDOT’s maintenance crews spent about $2.7 million in Montezuma County in FY25 on items including sign replacement, striping and localized resurfacing.
Commissioners pressed CDOT staff on specific safety and operational concerns: sight‑line trees on SH 184 near Aspen/Wallwood (possible removal of cottonwoods in CDOT right‑of‑way), rockfall mitigation and barriers along SH 145 (mile markers roughly 17–20), design details for Cortez bus shelters, and timelines for PaSaMesaVerde funding matches. Funk and other CDOT staff — including program engineer Kevin Curry and traffic and safety resident engineer David Peyton — said they would investigate site specifics and follow up with a written recap to the county via Linda Morshauser, CDOT planning administrator.
The presentation included cost estimates and schedule windows; many strategic funds will not be available until FY2031. CDOT emphasized that projects on the long‑range plan must be identified before they become eligible for funding and committed to providing written answers to technical questions raised by the commissioners.
Ending: CDOT staff closed by asking the board for questions and committed to a follow‑up letter summarizing outstanding items and answers.
