A new turn lane ramping traffic smoothly onto Highway 9 from French Street in Breckenridge is now open.

The turn lane was constructed by the owners of the Breckenridge Building Company as part of an agreement with the town of Breckenridge to redevelop the Colombia Lode subdivision, the former site of the Breckenridge Building Center.

Residential and single-family housing units are planned for the site.

“This property’s been in our family for 42 years,” Jon Brownson, president of Breckenridge Building Center Inc., said. “We’re looking forward to developing it into as nice of a development … as we can.”

The development will include 11 duplex buildings and four single-family homes, Brownson said. There is also the potential for workforce housing on the site.

Work is beginning on the first duplex this month. The development will be completed “as the market allows,” Brownson said.

The site at the entrance of Breck’s downtown core has belonged to the Brownson family since 1970. It was once the home of the BBC, which has sine moved to a new location north of town along Highway 9.