Highway 83 to undergo major changes amid crash concerns

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A large stretch of a major state highway known for dangerous driving conditions will see several safety improvements in the coming years, with some projects already completed.

“I don’t think that Highway 83 has changed much from when I was a state trooper patrolling it, and it was dangerous then,” Commissioner Lora omas, one of Douglas County’s elected leaders, said in April. “So when people slow and make a left turn, whether they use their turn signals or not, that’s a recipe for disaster.” at includes changes near Franktown Elementary School and many other locations along the highway corridor.

A main tra c artery that runs through Douglas County, State Highway 83 — known in at least some areas as Parker Road — is set to see a laundry list of changes.

“ e safety analysis shows portions of this roadway that experience crash rates above average for this type of corridor,” a planning document for the improvements says.

Improvements will be made between Bayou Gulch Road — a short drive south of the Town of Parker — to Palmer Divide Avenue, the border between Douglas and El Paso counties.

“ e key goal is to improve safety, and by improving safety, this helps to ease tra c,” said Tamara Rollison, a spokesperson with the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Here’s a look at what changes drivers will see and what’s already been completed.

Addressing problems

What the 2022 planning documents for highway improvements call early packages 1 through 3 are already done, according to CDOT.

Project 1, for updates to tra c signs, was to increase the size of existing signs and add ashing beacons near schools, among other changes.

“Alerting drivers to (the) location of access points, road curvatures, and potential school zones will improve the safety of the corridor,” a planning document says.

Project 2 was to take a look at “signalized intersections” on the corridor amid increasing tra c volumes. It was planned to collect tra c counts at some locations to make recommendations for tra c signal timing improvements.

Project 3 aimed to address areas where drivers may be making “risky maneuvers,” by changing road striping, the planning document says.

e project was to install striped left-turn lane divider lines near the Castlewood Canyon entrance and revise passing striping near the Prairie Canyon Ranch entrance.

Concerns over ‘head-on crashes’

Other projects are named with letters, and package A recently started construction, CDOT said in midMay.

“ is corridor generated many comments and concerns regarding head-on crashes and vehicles crossing the centerline” of the road, the planning document says.

Package A was to add rumble strips in the center of the roadway to help address the issue.

SEE HIGHWAY, P23

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