Durango's Parks, Open Space and Trails specialist Scott McClain said the project, which officially began Monday, will improve safety for bikers and pedestrians.

"The stairwell behind Albertsons doesn't provide good sightlines, so you can't see what's around the curve," McClain said.

"It's a dangerous situation we're trying to replace," he said.

The project will create a better sightline for trail users, repair erosion under the current trail and will be 10 feet wide.

"We realize that people are still using the trail during the fall, and we ask people to detour along Roosa Avenue from the Ninth Street bridge to the pedestrian bridge along Highway 160 to reconnect to the trail," McClain said.

The project will cost $469,120 and is being paid for by a quarter-cent sales-tax increase put into place in 1999 and designated for the Durango Community Recreation Center and improvements on the river trail.

Jags Enterprises of Greeley won the city's bid for the project.

Jags Enterprises is under contract for three months. McClain said most of the project should be finished before winter sets in.

"In the spring, they'll come back in and finish landscaping and trail irrigation," he said.

Click here to send an email to the author Warren is an intern at The Durango Herald.