Council changes lanes on Patterson Road plan gjsentinel.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gjsentinel.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A proposed plan to improve safety and traffic flow on Patterson Road as the area develops over the next couple of decades is moving forward after a Wednesday evening vote of the Grand Junction City Council.
The Patterson Road Access Control Plan was presented to the City Council at its regular meeting Wednesday. The city, working with its consultant Stolfus and Associates, had previously presented the plan to the council last winter, but went back for further input from the community.
Public Works Director Trent Prall gave the City Council, which includes three new members, an overview of what the plan sets out to accomplish and why the city felt it was necessary.
Grand Junctionâs annual spring clean-up begins on Monday and city residents can start getting the items they want removed out on the curb for pick up.
Starting April 5, the city will be collecting trash from properties north of North Avenue and will move to properties south of North Avenue on April 12. The city can collect most household waste, but will not take e-waste, refrigerators, tires, or hazardous waste. A full list of what the city will and will not pick up can be found online at gjcity.org.
âThe way it works is that about a week in advance of the program, we ask residents to put out their yard waste and unusable items from their households,â Public Works Director Trent Prall said. âFirst week we concentrate (on picking up items) on everything north of North Avenue, second week we concentrate on everything south of North Avenue. In two weeks, the whole program is done.â
In an effort to improve safety and traffic flow on Patterson Road, the Grand Junction City Council is considering an access control plan that recommends significantly reducing access points onto the road.
Public Works Director Trent Prall explained at the Councilâs Monday work session that, as traffic increases on the road, implementing an access control plan would make the road safer and extend its life.
The plan is also meant to increase traffic flow so widening the road would not be necessary.
âAs we all know, Patterson Road has been one of the backbones of the Grand Valley since it was first constructed back in 1984,â Prall said. âOur reliance on it has increased substantially over the years. There comes a time in the life of a road when government agency needs to modify the corridor to improve safety, as well as ensure travel time reliability while maximizing the functional life of the road.â
Grand Junctionâs riverfront saw a lot of activity and development this year with construction projects at both Las Colonias Park and Dos Rios.
In May, a new river park amenity opened in Las Colonias that saw extensive use throughout the summer. The river park focused on providing an accessible experience for users.
âThere are a lot of whitewater parks in Colorado,â Grand Junction Parks and Recreation Director Ken Sherbenou said at the time. âThose parks really cater to a higher-end kayaker. Most people are kind of sidelined into being a spectator and watch those higher-end kayakers do their rolls and stand-up paddle boards do surfing on waves. Ours is really designed to be really accessible.â