Dear Action Line: Farmington’s airport is not currently serviced by a commercial airline. Therefore, most northwest New Mexico citizens use the Durango-La Plata County Airport. This is OK during daylight hours, but it is a problem at night that could lead to a serious vehicular accident. The turnoff from state Highway 172 onto County Road 302, which leads to U.S. Highway 550, is difficult to see at night. It probably would not cost much to put up reflective signage and/or lighting at that intersection. I am not sure if this request for signage should be addressed to the Colorado Department of Transportation or La Plata County. This might save a life. – Anita Light
Dear Anita: Action Line remembers the days when Southwest Coloradans drove to Farmington’s Four Corners Regional Airport because it was often cheaper or more timely. How times change.
For an answer we contacted CDOT’s regional communications manager, Lisa Schwantes, who spelled things out. Not her fault, but the answer gets a little messy. In changing signage, both CDOT and the county get involved. You’re about to learn some things:
“Signs on U.S. and state highways belong to CDOT,” Schwantes said. “However, CDOT cannot install signs directing people to turn onto a county road without county officials’ buy-in or approval. As well, CDOT cannot implement a detour pushing traffic onto county (or city) streets, without first getting the entity’s thumbs-up. Why? The added traffic, directed by such signs, can have a negative impact … and increase … maintenance costs due to added wear and tear on the roadway.”
Schwantes said that CDOT records show that in April 2021, the county’s Road and Bridge Department raised and moved the CR 302 sign closer to Highway 172 and added a second sign. Just a few months ago, in November, a CDOT traffic supervisor advised that the current sign placement was sufficient.
Now, if you take umbrage with this assessment, and don’t feel like giving that umbrage back, then maybe you shouldn’t have taken that umbrage in the first place because that umbrage obviously belonged to someone else. OK, sorry about that. Sometimes Action Line just has too much fun.
But seriously, if you think that more signage is necessary – there, or at any other place where state or federal highways come together with county roads – you should submit a request to La Plata County officials – commissioners or county administrators. (The county’s homepage is www.co.laplata.co.us. Hover over the “departments” tab to access contact links.) The county will consider a request and decide whether this is a priority and whether to make a request to CDOT.
In this case, Action Line may have already done your work for you, although it wouldn’t hurt to follow up. Action Line contacted the county, and Jim Davis, public works director, checked out the situation and has already made a request to CDOT.
How about that?
Davis not only requested signage along Highway 172 for CR 302, but also on CR 302 at this intersection to direct drivers the correct way to the airport.
“Thanks for bringing this to our attention,” Davis said.
Davis said he’d keep Action Line in the loop. And it’s always nice to be in the loop.
And here’s some bonus information, courtesy of Schwantes and CDOT’s traffic division: There have been two intersection-related accidents there in the last five years. She added that there are “very long, sufficient turn lanes in this area which help drivers to realize that there is a turn coming up.”
Personally, Action Line loves that sweeping highway turn at that spot because it signifies that there’s just one more straightaway ahead to reach U.S. Highway 160 – and after a long day of checking bags, fighting for elbow space on the shared arm rest, delayed flights and keeping your bladder at bay, home is near.
Columbine Pass miscue
There are towns named Springfield in just about every state, Sheep Mountains in seemingly every western Colorado county, and now we learn that there are at least two Columbine Passes around these parts. Well, the columbine is the state flower after all.
The March 5 edition of Action Line discussed snowpack moisture amounts and the Herald’s San Juan Basin Snow graph. It was noted the Columbine Pass Snotel site in the Weminuche Wilderness showed over double its median average.
Bzzzttt!!! Error!!!
“I thoroughly enjoy your column and look forward to it each week,” Dave Harris kindly started before pointing out that Action Line can be a dunce. “Like you, I thought that station was located on Columbine Pass at the south end of the Chicago Basin. But then I noticed the station is located at only 9,121 feet. As a weather geek, I felt compelled to find out where this station is located. I discovered it’s in Montrose County many miles northwest of us.”
Yep, sure enough. It’s in the Uncompahgre National Forest about equidistant from Nucla, Norwood and Montrose. There’s a Columbine Campground nearby, and the view of Mount Sneffels must be spectacular.
Another weather geek – we’ll call him Matt, because that’s his name – piped up and noted the Herald is using a 30-year average from 1980-2010, which is 4 inches higher than a 1990-2020 average used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Using the latter would make this year’s snowfall look even more higher than “normal.” However, it should be noted that the Herald’s graphic includes only sites in the San Juan Basin, which is different. (The Herald, by the way, is looking into tweaking the graphic and possibly using a newer average.)
Anyway, thank you, weather geeks!
Email questions and suggestions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. It’s raining as Action Line writes, and even more snow is piling up in the hills and mountains. We’re going to need some patience this wet and muddy spring.
