The fourth week of work is underway on the McCabe Creek project to replace the culvert under U.S. 160 in downtown Pagosa Springs. The wall of a former grocery store was exposed by excavators. Operators had dug down 14 feet and hadn’t found the bottom of the wall when this photo was taken Tuesday afternoon. Beginning Sept. 7, the highway between Rainbow Gifts and Plaza Liquor will be one lane of traffic going in each direction until approximately Dec. 31 for road construction. Construction will resume in the spring.
By Randi Pierce
Staff Writer
Travel to, from and through Pagosa Springs will be further impacted in September and beyond due to ongoing highway construction projects in Archuleta County.
According to Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Southwest Regional Communications Manager (Region 5) Lisa Schwantes, tentative plans for the McCabe Creek project along U.S. 160 in downtown Pagosa Springs will mean “significant” 15- to 30-minute delays through the work zone Sept. 7-10.
Then, beginning Sept. 10, highway traffic will tentatively be limited to one lane in both directions (eastbound and westbound) through the work zone, according to Schwantes.
An email from Schwantes notes that construction activity will continue through the fall and early winter, as long as weather conditions allow. There will be a winter season suspension of the construction project, with work resuming in the spring of 2022.
Then, for five nights beginning Sept. 13, CDOT announced Wednesday, motorists can expect that U.S. 160 near milepost 127 will be shut down from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
A project map shows that the closure will be to the east of the U.S. 160/Colo. 151 intersection.
“Alternate routes are advised during this timeframe,” the CDOT announcement states.
randi@pagosasun.com
