Montrose, CO — For the past ten years, City Councilor Judy Ann Files has been working to extend Hillcrest Drive between Sunrise Drive and East Oak Grove to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety. Now, her efforts and those of many others who have worked on the project, have paid off as the South Hillcrest Extension project is complete and the roadway is open to the public.
The roadway opened at about 5 p.m. Thursday afternoon. City crews are working to place signage in the area to familiarize drivers with the traffic change.
Files has been working with city staff and engineers for years trying to find ways to improve traffic flow in the area. The project included extending Hillcrest Drive over former agricultural land to connect with East Oak Grove Road. In the past, drivers have used Pavilion Drive, which cuts through The Bridges development, to connect with East Oak Grove Road.
“I am so excited about this project. That area has been a blockage in the whole city system for a long time,” Files said. “This will allow people on that side of town to access other parts of the city more easily. But more importantly, because of the sidewalks, kids can now ride to that area south and get to places like City Market or home more safely. They will be able to ride their bikes or walk, and that’s definitely going to help with safety.”
The project was completed on schedule and approximately $230,000 under the original budget. But most importantly the work was completed without incident and free from injury to workers.
The project is one of several the city is currently working on to improve and expand the city’s roadway network in order to ease traffic congestion, provide alternative routes to Townsend Avenue, and improve pedestrian and bicycle connectivity and safety. These efforts align with the city’s 2016 Community Survey, in which citizens identified improvement in “traffic flow & congestion management” and “condition of city streets” as their top priorities.
The city would like to express a special thanks to the residents of Montrose and adjacent landowners for their patience throughout the construction project. The city would also like to thank DOWL (project designer and surveyor), Williams Construction (general contractor), Bull-Basin Construction (primary concrete subcontractor), Rocky Mountain Aggregate, United Companies, Asphalt Specialists, Elam Construction, Stripe-A-Lot, San Juan Sweeping and Striping, GJ Pipe, DMEA, and Black Hills Energy for all helping to make this project a success.
Any questions regarding the project may be directed to City Engineer Scott Murphy at 970.901.1792.
For traffic information or to report road conditions visit: MoveMo.CO
For more city news visit: CityOfMontrose.org.