Trailers near M&M are properly parked, port supervisor says

Trailers near M&M are properly parked, port supervisor says

Jan. 29, 2001

TRAILERS CARRYING 130-foot steel beams are parked at the side of the highway near the M&M intersection Thursday. Although some residents have complained that the trailers limit visibility, the port of entry supervisor says they are properly parked in a pull-off area.

By Aspen C. Emmett
Journal Staff Writer

Some residents have raised safety concerns about the trailers parking at the side of U.S. Highway 160/666 near the M&M Truck Stop and the notoriously hazardous intersection with County Road G.

However, Juan Contreraz, Colorado port of entry district supervisor, said the trailers are actually properly parked in a special pull-off area designed for that purpose.

Originally built into the intersection of U.S. Highway 666 and County Road G 2 1/2 years ago, the large pull-off area serves as a resting spot for truckers carrying loads longer than 110 feet — a length that is also too great to allow them to make the turn into the port of entry on the east side of the four-lane highway.

The trailers are required to be parked completely off the roadway with safety reflectors to enhance visibility. Contreraz added that their presence has not been the cause for any traffic hazards that he was aware of.

The pull-off has also served as a safe haven for motorists with car problems, he said, offering them a wide enough spot to pull over and seek out help or change a tire in a congested area.

"They’re actually utilized for safety," he explained. More often than not, the trailers are parked without the truck cab, though either way is allowed, Contreraz said.

Most recently, the majority of trailers parked in the pull-off are carrying steel beams used as bridge supports for building overpasses in Texas. The extraordinary length of the beams (approximately 130 feet) makes tight corners and night visibility much more difficult, meaning that they cannot legally travel at night and can’t make the turn into the port.

Contreraz said the average length of a tractor-trailer is 70-75 feet and the port of entry can only accommodate lengths up to approximately 110 feet.

Contreraz said the frequency with which the trailers appear on the stretch of highway directly coincides with construction south of the port in Texas.

"It boils down to (truckers) using it when it needs to be used," he said.

Cortez is notoriously trucker-friendly, in comparison to many other area communities that do not have so much as a truck stop for parking the big rigs while a driver gets a wink of shut-eye.

The port of entry is located beside the M&M Truck Stop, which offers food, fuel, showers and phones as well as a spot for those hauling loads too long to transport after the sun goes down.