Crews began scheduled night work of the concrete surface improvements on U.S. Highway 160 and U.S. Highway 550 last week to get the project completed by the end of May, weather permitting.

The project area includes stretches of U.S. Highway 160 and U.S. Highway 550, from Tech Center Drive to Animas View Drive.

“Night work is allowing the contractor to significantly speed up production so we can finish on time,” said CDOT project engineer Charlie Franklin. “While daytime work inhibits travel and often business access, night work certainly has challenges of its own, namely the noise. We do realize the disturbance night work causes to nearby residents, but the benefit is that we can get our work done before summer traffic volumes make it nearly impossible.”

Work hours and travel impacts through May will include:

Day work 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday, to include saw cutting and sealing along the right side of the road in each direction, surface upgrades of the short concrete sections at each side-street approach to U.S. Highway 160 and U.S. Highway 550, and ADA corner-curb ramp work at intersections at the southwest and northeast corners of 21st Street, the northwest corner of 26th Street, the northwest corner of 30th Street, and the southwest corner of 31st. Work and lane closures over Junction Creek Bridge are scheduled to be completed by May 19. Motorists are asked to be patient when following machinery.Night work 6:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. Monday-Saturday, to include saw cutting and sealing concrete panel joints between 31st Street and the U.S. Highway 160 junction in the 500 block of Camino del Rio, at the DoubleTree Hotel.The project is expected to prolong the life of concrete pavement, enhance highway safety, smooth roadways and restore skid resistance of the pavement surface.

Work to be completed includes replacement and repair of damaged concrete pavement, removal of conflicting stripe- and pavement-marking “shadows” and installation of new pavement markings with the addition of bike lanes.

Colorado Department of Transportation and contractor Acme Concrete Paving expect to have the project completed before Memorial Day weekend, May 27-29, weather permitting.

For more information, call 903-5745 or visit www.codot.gov/projects/us-160-550-durango-concrete.

fstone@durangoherald.com