US 50 Safety/Operational Highway Improvements for Freight and Travel Passing Lanes | Study Phase

About the Study

The US 50 Safety/Operational Highway Improvements for Freight and Travel (SHIFT) project consists of the installation of 12 individual passing lanes spread across five segments of the US 50 High Plains freight corridor between the urban center of Pueblo and the Kansas state line (Mile Point 317 to 467). Ten of the passing lanes are paired both eastbound and westbound along the same stretch of US 50, and two are independent in that passing lanes will be installed in only one direction. The project goal will be to provide safer passing opportunities for motorists.

Otero County and CDOT secured $40.5 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (MPDG) fiscal years 2025 to 2026 rural grant program for a $72.5 million project. The remaining $32 million will be covered by Southeast Transportation Planning Region (TPR) Regional Priority Project (RPP) and 10-Year priority project funds

Schedule & Important Dates

  • Study Started: Oct. 2, 2025
  • Study Ends: July 1, 2029
  • Industry Outreach/Information Virtual Meeting: Nov. 17, 2025 at 11 a.m.
  • Final Plans, Specifications and Estimate (PS&E) Package Complete: March 30, 2028
  • Project Completion: Sept. 30, 2030
Oversized load on US 50B prohibits traffic from passing easily and safely
Example of an oversized truck load on US 50B that prohibits traffic from passing easily and safely.

Oversized load on US 50B prohibits traffic from passing easily and safely
Example of a red semi truck hauling an oversized load on US 50B prohibits traffic from passing easily and safely.

 Project Overview & Benefits

The new passing lanes included in the US 50 SHIFT project will meet the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standard and improve travel reliability for personal vehicles, commuters, transit users, tourists and commercial freight to safely pass. Most notably, heavy agricultural equipment, trailers and tractors that frequent the Colorado plains.

Benefits will include:

  • Significant reductions in the occurrence of accidents, injuries and fatalities
  • Moderate travel times savings and operating costs savings
  • Faster flow of traffic due to the introduction of passing lane
 Project Locations

The following are the proposed work and project locations for this study:

US 50 SHIFT Proposed Passing Lanes from Pueblo to the Colorado/Kansas State Line
Map of US 50 from Pueblo to the Colorado-Kansas state line identifying areas of proposed passing lanes with detail areas Pueblo to Fowler, Fowler to Manzanola, La Junta to Las Animas, Las Animas to Lamar, and Granada to Holly (Colorado-Kansas state line).

US 50 SHIFT Passing Lanes Map of US 50 from Pueblo to Fowler
US 50 SHIFT Passing Lanes Map of US 50 from Pueblo to Fowler - Project Map 1 of 5
US 50 SHIFT Passing Lanes Map of US 50 from Fowler to Manzanola - Project Map 2
US 50 SHIFT Passing Lanes Map of US 50 from Fowler to Manzanola - Project Map 2 of 5
US 50 SHIFT Passing Lanes Map of US 50 from La Junta to Las Animas
US 50 SHIFT Passing Lanes Map of US 50 from La Junta to Las Animas - Project Map 3 of 5
US 50 SHIFT Passing Lanes Map of US 50 from Fowler to Manzanola - Project Map 4
US 50 SHIFT Passing Lanes Map of US 50 from Las Animas to Lamar - Project Map 4 of 5
US 50 SHIFT Passing Lanes Map of US 50 from Granada to Colorado-Kansas state line
US 50 SHIFT Passing Lanes Map of US 50 from Granada to Colorado-Kansas state line - Project Map 5 of 5
Procurement Information

US 50 SHIFT Passing Lanes Industry Outreach/Information Virtual Meeting
Date: Nov. 17, 2025 Time: 11 a.m. 
Visit the Public Engagement page for details.