US 287 Ted’s Place to Wyoming Border Study

About the Project

In April 2023, CDOT initiated this study to assess safety improvement and mobility needs along US287 North of Ted’s Place. Study limits are US287 MP 355 (Ted’s Place) to MP 385 (WY Border), approximately 30 miles in length. Currently, some segments of the US287 corridor have a higher-than-average crash rate compared to other similar rural highways, making it a good candidate for safety improvement. Crash types being investigated include those occurring at intersections, involving passing maneuvers or along curves, and crashes involving wildlife.

From Jan. 1, 2017 to Dec. 31, 2021, a total of 309 crashes were reported along the corridor. Of these, 223 were property-damage only crashes, 78 crashes resulted in injury and there were eight fatal crashes. In addition, based upon preliminary data for 2022, 2023 and 2024, there were three additional fatal crashes during this period resulting in six additional deaths and four injuries.

The scope of the study is as follows:

• Assess the magnitude and nature of the safety problem within the study limits.
• Relate crash causality to roadway geometrics, roadside features, traffic control devices, traffic operations, driver behavior, wildlife, and vehicle type.
• Recommend cost effective safety and mobility projects to address identified problems.
• Prioritize recommendations based upon factors such as level of improvement and benefit-cost, and
• Inform the public about the study and take comments regarding existing safety and mobility concerns

Recognizing the importance of the US287 corridor, CDOT’s 10-year plan identifies the potential for passing lanes as well as other safety improvements to be constructed in the relatively near future. Once future design and construction funding is identified, the recommendations from this study may be used to identify those improvements most urgently needed. Public outreach and feedback from corridor stakeholders and the community will assist the project team to identify and prioritize possible improvements.