Alamosa, CDOT outline draft access-control plan and schedule March open house

Alamosa City officials and Colorado Department of Transportation staff presented a draft highway access-control plan at a Feb. work session, saying the plan would provide corridor-level guidance and parcel-specific "conditions" that take effect only when defined triggers occur. The presenters asked the council for consent to hold another public open house on March 26 where the full parcel conditions and the proposed intergovernmental agreement (IGA) will be available.

The plan is intended to supplement the Colorado state highway access code by offering a corridor-based, locally tailored approach, presenters said. CDOT Region 5 permits manager Randy Ryder told the council that the ACP is a conditions-driven tool: changes to access are implemented only if conditions are met—for example, redevelopment that increases traffic by 20 percent or safety/operational incidents that warrant a response. The team said the ACP is not a construction program and would not immediately close existing driveways; many changes would depend on funding, redevelopment activity or the construction of a local street to take access off the highway.

"This is a process that's defined in that state highway access code," said Andrew Raymond of Stolfos and Associates, the consulting firm helping the city and CDOT prepare the draft. He said adopting the ACP requires an IGA that will list conditions for each access point. Ryder added such conditions can include interim permits that allow current access until a local-street connection is built, at which point highway access could be closed.

Presenters described the study area as starting at Highway 105 on the west, running through the downtown one-way pair, then south on U.S. 285 to County Road 8 and east out to County Road 114. They said the Pike intersection is a near-term focus: CDOT engineers are already designing improvements there, and the ACP would help prioritize long-term turn-lane and signal investments.

Staff also explained map symbology and recent adjustments made after one-on-one meetings with property owners: a possible railroad crossing alignment near the Walmart parcel, preservation of dual access for gas stations as long as the use remains a gas station, and specific access arrangements for Alamosa National Bank until a public back-street can be dedicated. The team said they will refine conditions for the 7th- and 11th-street areas to address truck access and spacing concerns before the March open house.

CDOT and the consultant emphasized safety benefits as an objective: the presentation cited studies indicating access control plans can reduce injury and fatal crashes on a corridor by up to 31 percent. Presenters and city staff repeatedly told business owners that the ACP is meant to provide clarity up front about how future access decisions would be made, rather than leaving property owners surprised by a later, individual CDOT permitting decision.

City staff acknowledged gaps in outreach to some property owners. The presentation said 275 postcards were mailed to corridor property owners and 13 were returned; staff said they met legal notice requirements in local print and will increase social-media and Chamber outreach ahead of the March open house. The city’s development services page will host the ACP materials and a contact point for one-on-one meetings for property owners who cannot attend the open house.

Next steps: the team will hold an open house on March 26 (pending council consent); staff said they plan to post the full draft IGA and parcel-specific conditions for review and to request project acceptance and authorization to sign the IGA in early June. The council did not take a formal recorded vote at the work session; staff framed the March event as the next public engagement milestone.