CDOT starts $2.8 million road, culvert work near Las Animas

Drivers crossing southeastern Colorado are now facing lane shifts, shoulder closures and reduced speeds as the Colorado Department of Transportation’s $2.8 million intersection and culvert project got underway June 1 and is set to run through October 2026.

The work centers on the CO 96 and CO 71 intersection in Ordway and includes culvert repairs along CO 96, CO 194 and CO 71. CDOT listed the nearest communities as Ordway and Las Animas, and said the work zone stretches across Bent, Crowley, Kiowa, Otero and Pueblo counties. For Las Animas County travelers, that means the effects will be felt not only on through trips, but on the daily routes that tie local roads to schools, clinics, farms, jobs and regional errands.

Crews from TLM Constructors are scheduled to work weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. throughout the project. CDOT said motorists should expect daytime lane closures, shoulder closures and 11-foot width restrictions in the work zone, with schedules subject to weather. Drivers moving farm equipment, trailers or larger service vehicles will need to pay close attention to the width limit, especially on the corridors where the project cuts through rural traffic patterns.

At the CO 96 and CO 71 intersection, CDOT is installing a new box culvert to improve drainage. The culvert replacements are designed to handle heavier rainfall accumulations, reduce flood risk, maintain roadway integrity and keep travel conditions safer during storms and runoff. That payoff is the point behind the inconvenience: the agency is trying to address the kind of drainage problem that can turn a normal rain into a washout or a long detour.

The work area includes CO 96 at mile points 82.3 and 130.5, CO 194 at mile points 15.6 and 18, and CO 71 at mile points 4.6 and 27.6. CDOT placed the project in its Southeastern Colorado, Region 2 portfolio. Motorists heading through the area are being told to slow down, stay alert and check CDOT’s real-time travel information before leaving, especially as the summer travel season brings more traffic onto these rural highways.