Construction to connect U.S. highways 550 and 160 using the Grandview Interchange, also called the Bridge to Nowhere, could start in late 2019 southeast of Durango, Colo.
The $98.6 million project will require about two years to complete. The new alignment will allow the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to abandon the steep and dangerous Farmington Hill to instead tie in with the Grandview Interchange.
The new alignment is about 1.5 miles long and will require two bridges to cross large drainages as it climbs the edge of Florida Mesa. CDOT also plans to rebuild about 3 miles of Highway 550 south to make it two lanes in each direction with shoulders to allow drivers to pull over, if necessary.
Two measures on the November ballot aimed at increasing funding for transportation across the state could allow CDOT to rebuild more of Highway 550 south. If voters approve one or both of the measures, it could allow CDOT to widen Highway 550 to four lanes (two in each direction) to County Road 302, about 4.3 miles south of the Farmington Hill intersection. Regardless of what voters decide on the two ballot measures, the $98.6 million in funding for the realignment project is secure.
The agency also expects it will spend between $15 million to $20 million to move 1.5 million cu yd of earth to connect Highway 550 with the Grandview Interchange.
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Source: The Journal (Cortez, Colo.)
