El Paso County updates progress on increasing safety at intersections & crosswalks
Scott Harrison
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — One of the first Road Warrior reports when the beat started in February 2024 was on the county’s plan to spend nearly $11 million to make safety upgrades at two dozen crosswalks.
Joshua Palmer, the county’s head engineer, recently revealed that funding for the project is now available, that work should start soon in three phases, and that it should be completed by the end of the year.
“We’re adding or improving crosswalks,” Palmer said, detailing the nature of the upgrades. “Could be the crosswalks themselves. Could be signals at crosswalks, could be lighting at crosswalks. Could be speed mitigation going through those areas.”
The project’s cost will be split between the county and federal funds administered by the state.
Among the locations for crossing improvements are two fire stations, several schools, and a few mid-street crossings.
Palmer said that the crossings are not in what the county considers to be dangerous locations, and that no single location is a higher priority than another.
Meanwhile, the county has finished a separate project to improve safety at 63 intersections considered dangerous because of frequent crashes, injuries, deaths, and property damage.
Intersections were prioritized based on data from the Colorado Department of Transportation, and county commissioners allocated $1 million to the safety effort.
An interesting case is the intersection of Bradley Road and Bradley Lane; it wasn’t listed as a fatality location, but neighbors said that a motorcycle rider died in a crash there last fall.
David Wright, a neighbor, reflected on the tragedy while looking at the memorial on that corner from his home.
“There’s a lot of speeding on Bradley Road,” he said. “When I pull out of the driveway to get onto the street, it’s like pulling out of Pit Row at the Indy 500. You’d better punch it, or somebody’s going to be right on your tail. So, it needs some help.”
County officials said that safety upgrades ranged from new signs to fresh pavement markings to improved crosswalks and stop bars.
More complex safety changes addressed improved visibility, lighting, and pavement striping.
Falcon Highway led the list with four intersections receiving improvements.
However, Bradley Road topped the overall list with three intersection upgrades and three crosswalk upgrades.