DENVER — Commercial drivers now have access to improved truck-parking facilities at two Colorado rest areas along U.S. Highway 160, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and contract partner Four Corners Materials announced July 17. Work on the two sites — the Sleeping Ute rest area east of Cortez in Montezuma County, and the Shaw Creek rest area east of South Fork in Rio Grande County — began in April.
Part of CDOT’s Whole System-Whole Safety initiative, the project focused on safety enhancements to both rest areas with a goal of providing clearly defined locations for commercial truck and oversized recreational parking. When Wolf Creek Pass is impassable or closed due to inclement weather, vehicle crashes, rockfalls, avalanches or other emergencies that arise, the expansion at Shaw Creek Rest Area will provide safe parking off the highway for oversized trucks or large recreational vehicles. The additional big-rig and recreational parking spaces at the Sleeping Ute Rest Area also provide clearly defined parking spaces, allowing all vehicles, commercial trucks and passenger cars, to safely flow through the rest area preventing potential encounters or crashes.
Additional work included in this project included erosion control, widening of existing truck-parking areas, asphalt patching, chip seal, striping and lighting upgrades, including new poles and luminaries with improved technology and lower energy use.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
