Staff Writer
Construction will soon be underway to finish Archuleta County’s planned work on the paved portion of Piedra Road (County Road 600).
Work to mill up the existing pavement and repave a portion of the road began last year, but was stopped for the winter before the work could be completed.
The work being completed is on a 3.89-mile portion of Piedra Road, stretching from about 500 feet north of Steven’s Lake Road to the cattle guard marking the boundary with the San Juan National Forest.
According to a news release provided by construction firm Skanska USA, “The work consists of providing a new and wider roadway surface, with guardrail installations, drainage pipe extensions, striping and seeding.”
According to the news release, work on the road is set to resume on May 5.
Through mid-May, the news release states that crews will work on the following:
• An asphalt overlay from Black Powder Place to the National Forest boundary.
In the area of the intersection of Piedra Road and North Pagosa Boulevard, the existing asphalt will remain in place and will simply receive an overlay.
Piedra Road on either side of that intersection was milled up and a first layer of road material was placed prior to the winter shutdown last year.
• Asphalt removal and roadway reshaping from Black Powder Place to just north of Stevens Lake Road.
Throughout this portion of the work, Piedra Road will be closed from Lake Stevens Road to Arbor Drive. Through traffic will be routed onto a detour using Aspenglow Boulevard, North Pagosa Boulevard and Arbor Drive.
For the second half of May, crews will be working on:
• Paving from Black Powder Place to just north of Stevens Lake Road.
The existing roadway will be milled up and, according to the Skanska news release, “the material will be reshaped to smooth out some of the hills and curves.”
• Guardrail installations, shoulder gravel, signage, striping and seeding throughout the project.
Throughout this portion of the work, Piedra Road will remain closed from Lake Stevens Road to Dylan Drive/North Pagosa Boulevard. Through traffic will be routed using the same detour noted above.
Only local traffic traveling to locations not accessible from the detour(s) will be permitted on Piedra Road during the closures.
Additionally, there will be flaggers for shorter lane closures and one-way traffic as needed for guardrail and other miscellaneous operations. Traffic will be periodically stopped and travel delays may be encountered in the work zone.
Construction is anticipated to be complete in June.
Funding for the reconstruction is coming from a $3.5 million grant from Public Lands Highway discretionary funding by the Federal Highway Administration, with the Colorado Department of Transportation administering the grant.
randi@pagosasun.com
