The city of Durango is slated to begin construction on Americans with Disabilities Act improvements on north Main Avenue in spring 2025, with the project going out to bid this fall.
The project, which has been on the city’s radar since at least 2016, will expand sidewalks, improve curbs and add shelters to about 17 transit stops along the high traffic corridor between 17th Street and Animas View Drive.
Darren Stewart, senior civil engineer with SEH, said at a public meeting at Durango Public Library on Tuesday the city will need to obtain easements from about 75 property owners and rights of way from about 15 property owners to carry out construction.
Access to the private properties could be temporarily impeded during construction. However, the property owners will be financially compensated for their trouble when the project wraps, he said. Field staking prior to construction will let property owners see what construction is planned and where.
“Right of way acquisition, that's where the city actually needs the physical space to build line sidewalk,” he said. “There are some very constrained areas where we are looking for a couple of extra feet along that right of way just to build a compliant sidewalk. In both cases, compensation will be provided to the property owners.”
Tuesday marked the beginning of the city of Durango’s public engagement with business and property owners about project impacts.
North Main Avenue is a high-volume corridor for pedestrian and transit traffic. With Durango High School, affordable housing and an abundance of businesses on the route, students walking to and from school and people traveling back and forth from bus stops is a common sight.
The city’s Main Avenue Trolley has the highest ridership of all city transit in town.
But the corridor’s sidewalks and curbs have long been out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as the city formally identified in a 2016 ADA Transition Plan, Stewart said.
Hill said much of north Main Avenue has remained untouched for decades.
Although some ADA improvements have already been made in the last six years, Durango Multimodal Manager Devin King said last fall.
Areas still most in need of improvements include the east side of 19th Street to 20th Street; the west side of 22nd Street to Brookside Park; the 27th Street transit stop and ramps; and the west side of 33rd Street to 34th Street, he said.
“We’ve got a lot of kids out on the sidewalk, so the city, I think, took the right step (when it) identified this as a high-priority area for replacements,” Stewart said.
He said examples of improvements to be made include expanding sidewalks to a minimum of 4 feet wide. Currently, light poles and other protrusions jut out of the middle of sidewalks, making it difficult or impossible for someone in a wheelchair or pushing a stroller to pass.
Improvements also include new concrete sidewalks where there previously were none, and curb ramps with appropriate width and grades, and the removal of some small obstacles stuck in existing sidewalks.
Regarding transit stops, improvements include “shelters, expanded landing pads, benches, and bike racks where possible,” according to a project summary on Engage Durango, an online hub for information about city projects.
Stewart said access improvements that are important to businesses include the removal of old, unused curb cuts and secondary access points to properties deemed too close to intersections; the reduction of excessively wide access points to reduce the distance pedestrians must walk through traffic zones; and the construction of new concrete driveway aprons, or paved roadways between street curb lines and property lines.
The Colorado Department of Transportation is providing the majority of funding for the ADA improvements. State senate bills 260 and 267 freed up $2.5 million and $2 million respectively. The city of Durango is contributing $1.125 million from its 2015 half-cent sales and use tax fund, he said.
Resident Sweetie Marbury said at the public meeting the ADA improvements will be “wonderful for pedestrians” and asked when various transit stops on north Main Avenue will receive shelters.
Hill said the city is actively pursuing a partner grant to fund the purchase and installation of shelters.
However, Durango Multimodal Manager Devin King added not all transit stops will accommodate shelters due to the shelters’ proximity to other buildings.
One resident said he “highly suggests the city consider … bollards or big rocks to protect corners of properties” because commuters frequently travel north Main Avenue 20 mph or faster above the speed limit, and some businesses and properties are located very close to the roadside.
cburney@durangoherald.com
