The city of Durango is removing “Malfunction Junction,” the intersection of Florida Road, 15th Street and East Third Avenue, from its MidTown Safety and Connectivity project.
Durango Multimodal Manager Devin King said the intersection where a mini roundabout has been proposed will instead be treated as its own separate project.
Splitting Malfunction Junction off from the rest of the MidTown project – which focuses on pedestrian and cyclist safety by redirecting motor vehicle traffic flow and introducing two-way bike lanes on East Second Avenue from 15th to 13th streets – will give the city more time to talk with property owners and continue engineering work, he said.
Two property owners near the Florida, 15th Street and East Third Avenue intersection weighed in on the status of the project at a meeting Wednesday, saying there are cheaper solutions than the proposed $3 million roundabout.
Jim Foster, Durango resident of 32 years who lives adjacent to the intersection, said he is glad the city is removing the difficult-to-navigate intersection that received an “F” for “Failing” rating from the Colorado Department of Transportation from the MidTown project. Doing so will give the city and residents more time to consider alternatives, of which three, including the roundabout, have been presented.
Foster said his concern is the proposed roundabout puts access to his property and his property value in jeopardy, just as the current iteration of the intersection in question did when it was constructed in 2012.
“At the time, I was a little worried about the layout that they showed us, but I was assured by staff there would be absolutely no adverse impact on my property or my access to my property. None whatsoever,” he said. “And then, partway through the project, they decided they had to lower the street a couple of feet. And with it went the driveway of 87 years.”
He said his driveway was “wiped out” right up to his property line. He asked the city to pave him a parking space and the city refused until he lawyered up.
The proposed mini roundabout would require lowering the street by 3 to 4 feet, which raises the question of what happens to trees and utilities. That could cause a “drastic devaluation of my home,” he said.
He said he only learned of the street lowering to accommodate the roundabout by talking to an engineer with SEH, an engineering firm working with the city on the MidTown project.
“But nevertheless, we have a little time now to take a look at that and see what some of the alternatives (are),” he said. “And yes, this is personally addressing me, but I’m not the only one in the neighborhood impacted by these plans. I’m not sure at all that it’s going to … solve anything.”
Resident Karen Anesi, who lives next to Malfunction Junction, also said the city never mentioned the roundabout as designed would require lowering the street by 3 to 4 feet and the removal of 26 trees in the path of the roundabout.
Those opposed to a roundabout at Malfunction Junction are vocal. But in surveys conducted by the city, respondents appear in favor of a roundabout over two other proposed alternatives: one, to install a left turn from East Third Avenue onto 14th Street, which is currently prevented by a median; and another, to do nothing.
At a July meeting, 15 of 21 respondents said they favored a mini roundabout over eliminating left turns near the intersection.
In an online survey following the meeting that garnered about 500 responses, 20% of respondents supported installing a left-hand turn from East Third Avenue onto 14th Street, just over 20% supported no major changes and the remaining respondents (around 60%) supported a roundabout, King said.
The left turn onto 14th Street alternative received strong pushback from the Durango Historic Preservation Board and would require the removal of up to 18 American elm trees.
cburney@durangoherald.com
