Salida, CO- The City of Salida recently acquired a section of Colorado Highway 291 (CO 291) that traverses the community. A recent intergovernmental agreement between Salida and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) transferred ownership of CO 291 to the city. The two-mile section of highway devolved to the city stretches from the intersection of Illinois Avenue at the south end of Salida to the intersection of Chaffee County Road 175 (CR 175) and Rush Drive at the entrance to Heart of the Rockies Medical Center. The agreement and transfer of this section of roadway were approved by the Salida City Council on May 20th, 2025.
CO 291 is a key transportation corridor through Salida. The City of Salida will now have jurisdiction over the section of CO 291 that lies within the city limits. The jurisdiction includes the determination of regulatory items such as vehicular types and use, access control, special use permits, maintenance of signals and related infrastructure, and other administrative components. Although there are regulations concerning the size of vehicles on city streets, all streets within Salida will still allow for truck traffic providing in-town deliveries.
City of Salida Mayor Dan Shore stated, “Transferring ownership of the highway gives the City more control to better meet the needs of the community. People in Salida have shared that they want more flexibility to make changes along the CO 291 corridor. In the past, decisions about this stretch of road were made by CDOT and had to follow state rules, which made it hard to make local changes. Now, with the City in charge, Salida can take action on things like managing heavy truck traffic through this area.”
The entirety of CO 291 is a nine-mile highway that stretches from the junction of US Highway 50 (US 50) to the junction of US Highway 285 (US 285). CDOT will continue to maintain a seven-mile section of CO 291 from the HRRMC entrance at Rush Drive to the US 285 junction, northwest of the city. CDOT will continue to maintain CO 291 from the junction of US 50 to Illinois Avenue, a one block section of highway on the south side of Salida. Additionally, CDOT will continue to maintain and repair the light signal at F Street, as the city does not have the technicians or staff to maintain the signal.
“CDOT has been collaborating with Salida officials about this transfer of roadway for several years,” said CDOT Planning Manager Tony Cady. “CDOT recognizes that communities grow larger and may develop greater community-related needs. We are committed to working with local jurisdictions to consider a devolution process that could benefit them by taking over ownership and responsibilities of roadways in or adjacent to their community.”
