by Mark Reaman

A plan to keep pedestrians who are using the area near the new Whetstone Community Housing development safe that includes a temporary stoplight and reduced speed limits on Highway 135 will likely go into effect this January and carry through next summer. Gunnison County and Town of Crested Butte officials agreed to the proposal at the Monday, October 19 town council meeting. The county will apply to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) for a permit, but they have already given a thumbs up to the idea.

The issue came to a head when the county realized that due to some bureaucratic holdups the roundabout and accompanying pedestrian underpass to be located near Brush Creek Road and Whetstone would not be done or even start this year. Under a utility extension agreement with Crested Butte, the county cannot lease the Whetstone units until the underpass is completed. So, the two entities agreed to consider an alternative to the underpass that kept people safe when moving between the RTA bus stop and the 252-unit housing development. The county expects to start leasing units this January. The county explored several surface crossing options and chose to go with a Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (HAWK) traffic signal system.

The HAWK signal acts as a temporary stoplight that brings traffic to a complete stop. It is activated by a pedestrian push-button before the crossing is used, then returns to a flashing-red, stop-and-proceed when clear phase. As part of the county design the speed limit on Highway 135 will be reduced to 40 miles per hour in that area. The traffic lanes will also be narrowed, warning signs will be installed, rumble strips put down, and a crosswalk will be painted on the road connecting the bus stop and the area just north of the Whetstone entrance.

“We appreciate the county going for the gold standard of the temporary improvement to the surface crossing with the HAWK system and a reduced speed limit,” said town manager Dara MacDonald.

“The HAWK is by far the best option for a safe surface crossing,” said Gunnison County assistant manager for operations and sustainability, facilities and grounds John Cattles.

“It is essentially a stoplight. The sheriff said he will work with Mt. Crested Butte to enforce the 40 mile per hour speed limit. CDOT is concerned with people’s safety, so the HAWK was the preferred choice. We are close to submitting an application for a permit.”

Cattles said the county was also working with the school district to provide a temporary route for the school bus.

“I am happy with the solution. It is as good as it can be,” said councilmember Kent Cowherd. “I am glad CDOT is on board and safety has prevailed.”

“We are too,” responded Cattles. “We have developed good relationships with them and that helped.”

Mayor Ian Billick said a concern he has heard is that because the Whetstone entrance and Brush Creek Road are not directly across from one another it could cause confusion, especially with left hand turns at both locations.

“CDOT feels there are good sight lines,” said Cattles. “It’s not ideal but they are comfortable with the situation especially with the 40 miles per hour speed limit. While CDOT hasn’t made a final determination and issued us a permit, the engineers are aware of the situation.”

“It’s not perfect but it seems the safest alternative we could come up with,” noted councilmember Gabi Prochaska.

“It should be clear to drivers,” Cattles said. “It’s not perfect but it’s the best we could come up with for the area. The slow speeds should give people time to make slow decisions.”

Riverland resident John Murphy told the officials he was concerned where the new speed limit would start and asked for consideration for the people living and working in the industrial park. “It seems a year-round path between Riverland and the pedestrian crosswalk and eventual underpass would be good,” he suggested.

Cattles said there wasn’t time to include that in the temporary solution and probably not within the next year but said a path could be considered in the future and possibly be placed in the CDOT right-of-way.

The council agreed Monday to make an amendment to the utility agreement that will be officially approved at the next meeting. The county will pursue the CDOT permit and has already explored the cost of ordering the system. Ultimately, the roundabout and underpass will be constructed in the summer of 2027.