Camino de Santa Fe and Main Street Projects Discussed
Russ Baldwin | Nov 06, 2014 | Comments 0
Lamar City Administrator, John Sutherland, is optimistic the city will be granted a full access road construction permit which will help complete the remaining gap between Camino de Santa Fe and East Highway 50. Asphalting and curb and gutter work was performed earlier this fall by the street department crews between Dollar General and Wal-Mart, but several yards of road work remain undone.
“I’ve spoken to our CDOT representative and re-applied for the permit, asking for full access from the street to the highway,” Sutherland explained during the city’s informal monthly meeting, held this past Wednesday at the Brew Unto Others coffee shop. He said this was what the city had wanted all along, the option for motorists to turn either east or west coming out of the street and onto the highway. CDOT had stipulated that only right hand turns would be allowed and concrete rails would be erected to prevent motorists from turning left, back into the city. “What we plan to do is just paint that area on the street, but we are moving ahead for the full access option,” Sutherland stated.
The administrator said he didn’t think the project could be finished in time to accommodate the holiday shopping schedule. “It’s getting too cold to lay down any asphalt, but we might install the culvert at the road’s edge and lay down concrete and compact the dirt work up to the road.” He said that would be as close as the city could get to extend the street to the highway at this point.
He commented that CDOT is going to keep the barriers up at the two entrances to the parking lot north of the Shore Arts Center on South Main Street. One faces the road while the other barrier blocks the exit from the lot onto the alleyway behind the businesses. “CDOT felt there were safety issues with the entryway from the street into the parking lot,” Sutherland explained. He said that although there haven’t been any definite plans or timetable for Main Street renovations, CDOT does plan to include curbing and extend the gutter along the entrance, permanently closing off the entry into the lot once the project begins. “We’re happy with the new parking lot off East Beech Street, and we’ll continue to plan for another community use for the smaller lot,” Sutherland stated. He noted that the painting project is continuing on the pedestrian lights between the railroad tracks, north to Maple Street. The lights from the tracks south to Oak Street were painted as part of a community improvement project. Those lights will have company next year, as CDOT does plan to remove the center median from Main Street and the overhead lights will be relocated to the sidewalks.
By Russ Baldwin
Filed Under: Business • community • Economy • Featured • Lamar • Prowers County • Public Safety • Transportation
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