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Construction of a roundabout at the intersection of 32½ Road and E Road in Clifton is set to begin later this year and local residents came out Thursday to learn more about the project at an open house event at the new Mesa County Libraries Clifton Branch.
Mesa County staff were on hand to answer questions for residents interested in the project or who had concerns. Mesa County Senior Traffic Engineer Daniel Larkin said the county wanted to engage with the community as the project moved forward.
“With all this work going on, we wanted to get a lot of input from the community,” Larkin said. “(We wanted) to see if they had concerns, look at their individual properties if they are impacted and find out what some of their needs might be or their worries. Hopefully we’ll get some excitement. People are pretty happy about the project we did on 1st Street north of Front Street.”
The intersection project will extend 32½ Road south to connect it to the Clifton Community Campus and Rocky Mountain Elementary School from E Road.
“The campus that we’re in now with the library and the community campus, there is no connection with 32½ Road south of E Road,” Larkin said. “So that was a need.”
The project will also widen 32½ Road to the north up to and including the canal bridge. There will be closures to E Road during the roundabout construction and to 32½ Road during the bridge construction. The construction is expected to take around one year.
Some residents expressed concerns about the amount of construction, the time it will take to complete and the impacts on residents during that time. Clifton resident John Nelms, who lives north of the canal bridge, said he will need to take a different route to and from his home during the construction.
Rebecca Lamonica, who lives near the project area, said she came out because she was already being impacted by lane closures in that area of Clifton. She said she has concerns about the traffic impacts from the construction, but that the project sounded worthwhile.
“When they explained it to me it made a lot more sense what they’re doing,” Lamonica said. “They’re trying to improve and add sidewalks, which there hasn’t been for who knows how long. I see a lot of kids walking that road, so it would be a lot better with sidewalks.”
The roundabout that will be constructed at the intersection was a concern for Nelms, who said he thought drivers struggle to navigate them.
“I’ve never liked roundabouts because most people don’t know how to go through a roundabout,” Nelms said. “If you want to watch that just go up to the roundabout at 1st Street and F Road. Just stand by the post office and watch them go through it and you’ll see. Half the people don’t know how to go through one.”
Larkin said the county chose a roundabout configuration to accommodate the traffic in the area and provide a safer intersection.
“Roundabouts are very effective at providing traffic calming and reducing crashes at intersections,” Larkin said. “We found that to be the right choice for that intersection for those reasons.”
The intersection and road work around 32½ Road and E Road is the first of several phases of road improvements in the area, Larkin said. The county also plans to improve 32½ Road to the north, widening it and adding sidewalks. It also plans similar work on E Road from Green Acres Street east to 33 Road.
“I’m glad we’re doing this work,” Larkin said. “I think it’s been needed for a long time, especially with the pedestrian and bicycle usage in this area. A lot of people have mentioned that they don’t feel safe walking on 32½ Road.”