At an April 27 joint work session, the Pagosa Springs Town Council and Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) discussed progress on the Colorado Department of Transportation’s (CDOT’s) U.S. 160 reconstruction project and ongoing negotiations between private businesses to fix pothole problems on Country Center Drive, which serves access to the shopping center that includes City Market.
U.S. 160 reconstruction
CDOT spokesperson Meredith Greens explained at the work session that the CDOT main street road reconstruction project is “coming along.”
Greene added that crews from WW Clyde, contracted by CDOT to execute the project, will be “working very aggressively” to get disruptive work around the Lewis Street intersection finished before summer.
She added they are “scrambling” to get that section done before the busy summer season, but that the crew is on track.
Town council member Brooks Lindner asked if delays on the Lewis Street section would “have any impact” on the project as a whole being completed by the end of the summer work season.
Greene answered that there would not be any impact on the scheduled time for completing the project, which is scheduled to be completed this fall.
She added that WW Clyde would be bringing in a bigger crew over the summer and that they will be doing “whatever it takes,” including working nights and weekends, to get the project finished so that CDOT can “get out of people’s hair.”
Town Manager David Harris asked if the crews would be out of the way from the 4th Street intersection for Fourth of July weekend festivities, with Greene saying that crews would be taking that holiday off.
“We are working to not interrupt the parade,” she said.
Country Center Drive
On the issue of potholes on County Center Drive, Kroger Real Estate Manager Miles Pearson, representing City Market, was on hand to give the two bodies an update on ongoing negotiations between the private businesses along the route who depend on the road for access to their establishments.
It was Pearson’s first day in this position, he noted, adding that it was “in the best interest” of all the businesses to hash out a “shared maintenance agreement” for the road, but that, from what he could tell, “not much progress” had been made toward that end.
He said, “It’s tough to get a bunch of property owners to agree” on something like this, but that Kroger-owned City Market is dedicated to getting an agreement done.
He added that he would be available at next month’s joint meeting as well and that, hopefully, he would have better news.
Commissioner John Ranson asked if there was “something in the interim we could do” about the potholes.
”It’s getting really bad again,” he said, asking, “Is there a way to get these things filled?”
Pearson answered that each lot owner is responsible for the stretch of road accessing their parking lots.
Commissioner Warren Brown also stressed that the involved parties need to find a way to get it done “in the short-term,” before a formal agreement is reached, to fix the potholes.
“Not be hard-nosed, but the county can shut down that road,” he said.
Pearson noted that he would reach out to Kroger’s maintenance team to see what he could do in the short-term.
He ended by saying he would “work on a short-term solution” before the next joint meeting.
derek@pagosasun.com
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