Streetscape Improvements on North Main Ave.
Durango, Colorado | 2015
Project Details
The Challenge
Key Activities
Outcomes
Durango, Colorado, like many mountain towns, draws residents and visitors to the community through active lifestyle and outdoor recreation. With outdoor-centric residents flocking to the area, the desire for walking, biking, and access to the outdoors is high. Yet, the area experiences geographical difficulties due to the surrounding mountains. With limited room to get people from one place to another, the city relies heavily on the North Main Ave. corridor/state highway.
In 2015, the City of Durango felt challenged with creating a transportation system around this corridor that satisfied the multimodal needs of residents. Enlisting Community Builders for help, we worked together with the city and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to explore options along this corridor and create a streetscape plan.
The project required knowledge, input, and perspectives from a wide audience, including extensive public outreach to facilitate in-depth conversations with both the community and CDOT surrounding the current conditions of the corridor.
We proceeded by facilitating multiple conversations with the community and CDOT which pertained to the current conditions of the corridor. Because the North Main Ave. corridor is a state highway, CDOT needed to be heavily involved in discussion prior to the creation of a plan. These conversations were followed by a design workshop centered around streetscape that resulted in a streetscape design plan.
The plan included narrowing traffic lanes, adding a median, and making improvements to specific intersections. It resulted in the city receiving a $200,000 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Alternative Transportation Program (TAP) grant, which The City of Durango matched with $90,000. The $290,000 investment went toward execution of the streetscape plan.
On the heels of the streetscape plan for North Main Ave., Durango decided to create a district planning initiative for several other areas of town called the Durango Districts Initiative. The initiative focuses on land use around the community to assist with bettering transportation systems and connectivity. The initiative is still being carried out by the city today.