In response to neighborhood concerns, the City of Durango implemented a traffic calming pilot project for West Park Avenue in the fall of 2022. The pilot project is intended to address speeding and safety concerns by using paint and delineators to create curb extensions to narrow the roadway and help slow traffic. The pilot design can be found here. The pilot project is intended to be temporary and will be replaced by permanent infrastructure designed though this project.

This project proposes improvements along West Park Avenue from Main Avenue to West 3rd Avenue to provide cyclist and pedestrian infrastructure to improve connectivity and safety while also designing for traffic calming on the corridor. Improvements include improved bicycle facilities, construction of missing sidewalk segments, improving facilities to ADA compliance, and traffic calming treatments along the street.

West Park Avenue is a collector street with on-street parallel parking in an older neighborhood that has a popular park. The street is used daily by cyclists commuting North to South or vice versa through town, as this street connects West 2^nd Avenue to Roosa Avenue and the Animas River Trail creating a multimodal corridor on the West side of North Main Avenue. This street is also a popular route for children in the summer since it connects The Powerhouse to Fassbinder Park. Many motor vehicles use the street as a secondary connection route between West Highway 160 and North Main Avenue to avoid Camino Del Rio, especially during peak traffic times, which leads to higher volumes during the busy months. West Park Avenue is identified as a snow route and a primary response route for the Durango Fire Protection District creating the need for emergency access and snow storage. Lastly, safe and accessible connectivity along the street and to Fassbinder Park are lacking. There has been significant feedback from community members and residents about safety concerns and the need for prioritization of traffic calming and pedestrian improvements to the corridor.

Project design cost: $185,640

Project funding: 2015 Half Cent Sales and Use Tax Funds

The conceptual design was created based on input from the community at the July 30 neighborhood meeting, engineering best practices, and input from the Durango Fire Protection District. There are 3 alternatives for the Alamo St and West Park Avenue intersection which include a chicane, traffic mini-circle, and medians with curb extensions. A chicane is where the street shifts traffic horizontally and has a curve where it otherwise wouldn't. A traffic mini-circle is a small round feature in the middle of the road that requires vehicles to go around when traffic is present and allows larger vehicles to turn in front of the circle when necessary. Medians with curb extensions narrow the street and create protected space for pedestrians when they cross the street. Other components of the conceptual design improve the West 3rd Avenue and West 2nd Avenue intersections by creating 90-degree turns and creating cut-throughs or bypass connections for cyclists. Additionally, the design adds sidewalk along Fassbinder Park and complete sidewalks and pedestrian crossings along the corridor.