Amazon plans to open a delivery station in Grand Junction later this year to speed local deliveries.

A 38,000-square-foot building is under construction on Saccomanno Road near the Grand Junction Regional Airport.

“This last-mile facility will allow us to better serve customers in Grand Junction and the surrounding area,” said Sam Bailey, manager of economic development policy in Colorado for Amazon.

The Grand Junction Economic Partnership worked with Amazon on the project and joined with the City of Grand Junction in announcing the opening of the facility.

“This investment in our community underscores our vibrant and dynamic economy, capable of supporting significant projects like this,” said Curtis Englehart, executive director of the organization. “GJEP has collaborated closely with Amazon and its partners since the project’s inception, and we remain committed to ensuring Amazon’s success in the Grand Junction area.”

Cody Kennedy, a member of the Grand Junction City Council, also praised the new facility. “This delivery, long referred to as Project Roadmap by the Grand Junction Economic Partnership, brings an Amazon facility to our city that will provide jobs while further solidifying our position as a regional hub for economic development. I’m thankful to GJEP for the work they have put in to make our community the first in western Colorado to welcome Amazon.”

The delivery station will accommodate the last mile of the Amazon fulfillment process by enabling fast delivery directly to customers’ doorsteps. Packages are transported to delivery stations from fulfillment and sortation centers and processed for delivery. Most Amazon employees in customer fulfillment and transportation earn between $17 and $28 an hour.

Since 2010, Amazon has created a total of more than 20,000 full- and part-time jobs in Colorado and invested more than $11.3 billion in wages and infrastructure across the state. Those investments have contributed an additional $11 billion to the economy and helped create than 33,000 indirect jobs.

More than 8,500 independent sellers in Colorado — most of them small and medium-sized businesses — sell goods through Amazon, creating still more jobs.