U.S. Highway 287 north of Ted’s Place has seen its share of traffic accidents. This month, the Colorado Department of Transportation will begin making safety improvements along that stretch of highway in hopes of reducing the number of accidents and fatalities.
The contract has been awarded to Cruz Construction and work should begin in mid-October, according to Mindy Crane of CDOT. Improvements will be made from Ted’s Place to the Wyoming border.
In the years 2007 through 2009, a total of 140 accidents occurred along the 30-mile corridor. Of those, 103 involved personal damage, 31 involved injuries and six caused fatalities. Those statistics, Crane said, are no higher than those of similar Colorado highways.
“One of the challenges with this corridor is that the accidents are spread out and it is hard to pinpoint specific problem areas,” she explained, so improvements will be made throughout the corridor.
The project will include installing centerline and shoulder rumble strips. There will also be new or modified signs, pavement markings, cable guardrail improvements and replacement of reflectors along the highway.