SILVERTHORNE – A deceleration lane required by the Colorado Department of Transportation at the junction of Bald Eagle Road and Colorado Highway 9 has received a year extension.

In mid-October, developer Tim Crane submitted the request to defer the lane development until Nov. 1, 2011 rather than Nov. 1, 2010. The Silverthorne Town Council approved the request last week.

“Since we are nowhere near our projected sales to date, I would submit that the turning lane based on our original traffic count assumptions is still not required,” Crane wrote in a letter to community development officials.

According to CDOT correspondence, the state department has agreed to “one final extension.” However, Crane must obtain a new state highway access permit, because the existing one expired on July 18, 2008. CDOT has also asked that final plans for the deceleration lane project be submitted for review and approval.

This is the fourth amendment to the site improvements agreement for timing of installing public infrastructure, Silverthorne Planning Manager Michael Johnson said. The deceleration lane received an earlier extension, as did the connection to Hamilton Creek Road from Bald Eagle Road. The other amendments also permitted building prior to the completion of the required public improvements.