Construction crews will be working on a 9-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 145 from Roaring Fork Road to the north end of Rico until the end of October. Four other companies bid on the project. It will include asphalt overlay, guardrail replacement, new signage, and banking of curves for safer cornering. Although crews will also be replacing the Stoner Creek bridge, a detour will be built for motorists. The Colorado Department of Transportation will also be doing some spot patching from Telluride through Placerville from June 7 until June 10.
Travelers can expect some intermittent delays through the area.
In addition, CDOT will start work on a 13.8 mile section of U.S. Highway 145 north of Rico at the beginning in late June or after the fourth of July holiday. These projects will complete five seasons of construction from Dolores to Telluride that sees heavy tourist traffic. According to Nancy Shanks, a spokeswoman for CDOT, there is an annual average of 3,000 vehicles per day on the 60-mile stretch. Crews will be working Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and some Saturdays if necessary. Copyright 2000 the Cortez Journal.