County residents have persuaded the county commissioners to leave the intersection of U.S. Highway 491 and County Road BB alone.
That’s well and good as a political decision. Elected officials should respect the will of their constituents. It does nothing, however, to mitigate the safety hazard that the intersection presents.
Montezuma County is fond of its historic roads, which were laid out when many fewer long-haul trucks, with drivers who cannot be expected to be familiar with every mile of highway, were barreling southward over the hill toward that intersection.
Energy traffic has ebbed and flowed. So has tourism traffic, drawn by Hovenweep and Canyons of the Ancients to the west and the San Juan National Forest and the recreational areas of the lower Dolores River to the north and east. Overall, though, traffic is increasing.
The state Department of Transportation can’t work miracles. A right-on/right-off restriction would come with problems of its own, including inconvenience for local drivers but also increased traffic in a school zone.
A wider highway with turn lanes, which wouldn’t solve the visibility problem, simply isn’t in CDOT’s budget any time soon. Shaving down that hill never will be. Different signage may help, but it won’t solve the problem.
The people have spoken, and the commissioners have voted in their favor. Now it’s up to those drivers who are aware of the risk to minimize it for all those who drive through that area. Be aware that Highway 491 is a major north-south highway, and the sight distance from the north to the BB intersection is not adequate.
The distance a loaded tractor-trailer requires to stop is not governed by local preference.
