CDOT starts two-week road work on US 491 through Dove Creek Monday

Farm trucks, school traffic and routine errands through Dove Creek will all run into short but real slowdowns when CDOT begins two week-long rounds of work on US Highway 491 on Monday, May 4.

The project covers about one mile of highway, from roughly mile points 60 to 61, between County Road 8.2 and West 5th Street. During the active work period, crews will use lane shifts and flagging Monday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDOT says it will try to keep two-way traffic moving, but drivers entering or leaving the highway from driveways and side streets may face temporary closures, detours and traffic stops as equipment and materials move through the zone.

The first phase is paving and surface treatment on the main stretch of US 491 through town. The second phase shifts to the Dove Creek Bridge south of North Colorado Avenue, where one-lane alternating traffic is expected and delays could run as long as 15 minutes. The work is weather dependent, so the schedule could change if conditions do not cooperate.

For Dove Creek, the disruption lands on the corridor that carries daily life through town. US 491 is the main route past homes, businesses and local access points, so even a short queue can ripple into school drop-off, deliveries, agricultural traffic and trips that depend on getting through town on time. Drivers headed to or from driveways near the work zone should expect the tightest conflicts when crews are actively moving through the area.

CDOT is telling travelers to plan ahead, check road conditions before leaving and use the COtrip website or COtrip Planner app for live travel information and construction updates. The agency also urges motorists to slow down in work zones, obey posted speed limits, keep headlights on and watch for workers, cones and sudden stops.

Dolores County says residents whose access is directly off a highway should contact CDOT at 970-385-3626. That matters here because the driveway and side-street impacts tied to the project fall under state control, not county road maintenance.

The Dove Creek work is not the first time CDOT has resurfaced this stretch of US 491. In 2013, the agency announced an asphalt-overlay project on the highway from milepost 52 to 70, including Dove Creek, underscoring that the corridor has been targeted repeatedly for maintenance and safety improvements. This round is meant to do the same basic job now: smooth the roadway, address wear and keep the town’s main arterial usable for the traffic that depends on it.