Durango advances Camino Crossing tunnel to link downtown and trail

Durango moved ahead with the Camino Crossing Project, a proposed tunnel under Camino del Rio that would connect downtown with the Animas River Trail. The city said it will brief the public on the project June 30 at the Powerhouse and walk through the current design, the conceptual alignment, the design process and the next chances for public input.

The update came in the city’s June 25 News Flash, along with word that staff have already included additional funding in the 2026 budget to keep design work moving. That push keeps alive a crossing idea aimed at one of Durango’s most persistent access problems: Camino del Rio separates the downtown core from the river corridor, and anyone trying to get between the two now has to deal with a busy traffic route that is far less welcoming to people on foot or on bikes.

The tunnel is not a brand-new concept. Durango said a feasibility study in 2020 identified an underpass near 12th Street as the most feasible long-term crossing. That matters because the Animas River Trail is one of the community’s most used recreation and transportation assets, and a grade-separated link would cut down on conflict points between pedestrians, cyclists, cars and the heavy daily traffic through the corridor.

The city has also applied for federal BUILD and Safe Streets and Roads for All grants to help finance construction. Those programs are competitive, so any award would not be immediate, but they could speed the project if Durango is selected later this year.

For trail users, commuters and riverfront visitors, the payoff is easy to picture: a more direct, safer way to move between downtown and the trail network along the Animas. Instead of treating Camino del Rio like a barrier, the tunnel would turn that crossing into part of the route, which is exactly why the June 30 public briefing is likely to draw attention from anyone who bikes, runs or walks that stretch now.