US 50 reroute in Grand Junction CO?

[usends]

Riverside Parkway has been open to traffic for a couple years now.  It was built by the City of Grand Junction to relieve BL-70 (which is a congested route connecting I-70 and US 50), and to keep that traffic out of the downtown area.  So has anyone heard whether CDOT has considered rerouting US 50 traffic to follow Riverside instead of BL-70?  Seems like that would help the City to realize its goal.

[The High Plains Traveler]

Riverside Parkway has been open to traffic for a couple years now.  It was built by the City of Grand Junction to relieve BL-70 (which is a congested route connecting I-70 and US 50), and to keep that traffic out of the downtown area.  So has anyone heard whether CDOT has considered rerouting US 50 traffic to follow Riverside instead of BL-70?  Seems like that would help the City to realize its goal.

Only thing I've heard is CDOT considering turning BL I-70 back to the city, thus eliminating some state highway mileage in the city. That would require "extending" U.S. 50 up to U.S. 6 since only the primary route is generally marked on any segment of state highway. I have not seen anything suggesting Riverside Parkway would become U.S. 50, though I usually use it going through there to avoid downtown.

[thenetwork]

Riverside Parkway has been open to traffic for a couple years now.  It was built by the City of Grand Junction to relieve BL-70 (which is a congested route connecting I-70 and US 50), and to keep that traffic out of the downtown area.  So has anyone heard whether CDOT has considered rerouting US 50 traffic to follow Riverside instead of BL-70?  Seems like that would help the City to realize its goal.

Only thing I've heard is CDOT considering turning BL I-70 back to the city, thus eliminating some state highway mileage in the city. That would require "extending" U.S. 50 up to U.S. 6 since only the primary route is generally marked on any segment of state highway. I have not seen anything suggesting Riverside Parkway would become U.S. 50, though I usually use it going through there to avoid downtown.

Being a resident of "Junction", here is what I can tell you on US-50 through downtown GJ:

1) When you come into Grand Junction from the (South) East and cross the Colorado River, US 50 is only listed (occasionally) as "TO US-50" on pole-mounted assemblies along with the BL-70 and US-6 shields, while the 3 BGSs between Downtown and I-70 West recognize US-50 as an actual route (as WEST US-50).

2) At the intersection of US-50 and Riverside Parkway, there are also "TO US-50" trailblazers directing traffic onto Riverside Parkway West between South 5th Street (US-50 East) and "Highway 6 & 50" aka BL-70 West.  Unfortunately, when you reach the 25 Road connection from the Parkway back to Highway 6 & 50, there is a lack of official "TO US-50" signs "officially" directing traffic back onto BL-70 and no shield assemblies denoting the junction of US-6 -- only BL-70.  The only hint of US-50 is the pole mounted, lit street signs denoting "Highway 6 & 50" -- and that is if you take the 25 Road connection to BL-70 (the only route shield which is properly signed).

3) Coming from the west, the "TO US-50" signage makes more sense if you take the Parkway, since US-50 East is well-marked at the S. 5th Street ramps.

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The only possible route change I have heard about is having US-6 follow BL-70 through downtown instead of the current alignment along North Avenue, which will probably mean US-6 could/will be "unsigned" either as a hidden duplex -- or signed as "TO US-6" -- from Clifton (near BL-70's eastern terminus with I-70) all the way to BL-70's western terminus with I-70. 

The only proposed change for BL-70 through GJ is to make both Pitkin and Ute Avenues two-way streets, with BL-70 routed both ways along either Ute or Pitkin roughly between 1st & 17th Streets.

There is a proposal in the works for relocating US-50 on some sort of bypass around Downtown Delta to the west so they can route US-50 traffic over the BNSF railroad tracks via a bridge just north of Downtown.  Currently, when a train passes through/is stopped in town, the only 2 vehicle crossings linking Downtown/and points North and West are blocked, making emergency vehicles travel up nearly 15 miles to get around the train via other crossings.

I believe the Delta Bypass is still in the early planning stages.

[Milepost61]

The "Delta Truck Route" is actually a lot farther along than that. The city already has a contractor on board but is finalizing ROW acquisition before construction can start. Don't believe there are currently any plans to route US 50 around town.
http://www.deltacountyindependent.com/component/content/article/24994.html
http://www.deltatruckroute.com/


I haven't heard anything about a US 50 reroute in Jct either but I do remember hearing something a while back that CDOT would abandon the North Ave portion of US 6. That hasn't happened though.