Down with the old and in with the new was the motto on Friday as crews tore down mailboxes along Colorado 145 between Cortez and Dolores and put up 150 identical metal ones.

The new, fairly large, gray mailboxes are part of a Federal Highway Administration safety requirement, said Nancy Shanks, Colorado Department of Transportation Communications manager.

"We need to replace mailboxes in state right-of-way, with those that are called breakaway mail boxes, which have breakaway supports," Shanks said.

In 1998, the Federal Highway Administration mandated breakaway supports within the highway clear zones. CDOT replaces mailboxes after major road projects, partly because of liability.

"If a motorist were to hit someone's mailbox and got hurt because it wasn't installed properly, we would be held responsible," Shanks said.

The cost of the project is $15,000, which includes installation, or between $155 to $320 per mailbox or group of mailboxes.

The mailboxes are designed to break away at the bottom of the pole and the top, Shanks said.

Property owners were notified that to keep their mailbox, they had to move it off of the highway right-of-way and install the box on private property.

Previously, homeowners installed their own boxes, so everyone's box looked different. Shanks said people can decorate them it they want.

A similar mailbox installation was on U.S. 491 from Towaoc to Cortez and near Dove Creek.

When a few residents along the highway were contacted about the project, they hadn't noticed the change or were thankful for the new boxes because their mailboxes were getting pretty old.

"Mine was getting pretty rickety, so I'm not very upset," said Doug May.