US 287 Safety Improvements in Boulder County | Design Phase

About the Project

Safety is a top priority for the Colorado Department of Transportation, and every project and initiative is designed with the goal of increasing safety along Colorado’s roadways. CDOT is committed to implementing innovative solutions, enhancing infrastructure and promoting safe driving behaviors to protect all corridor users.

CDOT and Boulder County prioritize safety and are actively collaborating with communities, local stakeholders and businesses along US 287 to develop effective solutions that address this critical need.

In 2023, Boulder County evaluated crash patterns and roadway conditions from 2011 to 2020 along US 287 from West Boulder County Road 2 to US 36. The study found that the majority of serious and fatal accidents were a result of vehicles crossing into oncoming traffic. The most severe location occurred between Park Ridge Avenue to CO 56 and from CO 7/Arapahoe Road to Pike Road.

Schedule & Important Dates

  • Design Phase Start Date: June 2025
  • Construction Phase Start Date: Spring 2026

Project Area

The US 287 Safety project is located between Park Ridge Avenue to CO 66 (North Segment) and from CO 7/Arapahoe Road to Pike Road (South Segment). 

US 287 Safety Improvements Project location map
US 287 Safety Improvements Project location map highlighting the north segment between CO 56 and Park Ridge Avenue (CR 8), and the south segment between CO 7 and Pike Road.

 Goals

The US 287 Safety project aims to address safety concerns due to reoccurring accidents, particularly head-on collisions, over the last 15 years. The project team is developing potential solutions and analyzing traffic scenarios. As solutions are identified, they will be further refined and developed. Additional information will be added to the website as the project progresses.

 Project History

In 2020, the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) completed its Taking Action on Regional Vision Zero plan which provides a framework for local agencies to use as a template in completing their own Vision Zero safety plan. Utilizing vehicle crash data from 2013 to 2017, DRCOG identified that all serious injury/fatal crashes are occurring on only 9% of the 15,000 total roadway miles studied. These roadways were then defined as high-injury networks that are classified as critical corridors, which the North and South Segments are categorized as critical corridors.

In 2023, Boulder County completed the US 287 Vision Zero Safety and Mobility Study. The US 287 Vision Zero Safety and Mobility Study was conducted to analyze all intersection, non-intersection and driveway crashes from 2011 to 2020 to provide a comprehensive assessment of the existing roadway conditions. The US 287 Vision Zero Safety and Mobility Study reviewed the US 287 corridor from West Boulder County Road 2 to US 36 to identify where concentrations of vehicle crashes were located. From this analysis it was determined that:

  • 73% of all crossover collisions recorded for the entire Vision Zero Study limits were within the North/South Segments
  • 93% of all crossover collisions resulting in serious injury were within the North/South Segments
  • 100% of all crossover collisions resulting in fatalities were within the North/South Segments

A recent analysis from 2015 to 2024 shows that non-intersection crashes are steadily rising from the previous 10-year evaluation period. Of all serious injury/fatal crashes recorded for both North and South Segments, 66% were caused by crossover collisions. A crossover collision is defined as any vehicle crossing over the median line into the opposite lane of travel. This results in the following crash types:

  • Head-on collisions
  • Sideswipes in opposite directions
  • Median crossovers

The crash analysis graphic illustrates the importance of this project. CDOT and local agencies are committed to improving this corridor and providing users with a safe route to travel.

US 287 Safety Improvements Project Safety Data
This illustrates the number of total and serious crashes at each intersection in the project limits. The North Segment had 32 serious crashes, while the South Segment had 24 serious crashes. US 287 and CO 52, US 287 and Isabelle Road, and US 287 and CO 7 had the highest number of total crashes.
 Project Priorities

The project team is actively exploring potential solutions to address safety concerns along US 287. This phase of the project is expected to run from June 2025 through the end of 2026. During this time, the team will evaluate a range of scenarios and analyze traffic patterns in the area.

There will be multiple opportunities for public engagement, both through this website and at in-person events.

A graphic depicting a timeline from 2025 to 2026 showing project milestones from left to right starting with Existing Conditions, Concept Development, Stakeholder Engagement, Recommendation and Preliminary Design, Public Meeting (Fall 2025), Project Design, Public Outreach, and ending with Start Construction (Spring 2026). A sentence at the bottom of the graphic asks for any questions to be directed to the project team at US287SafetyProject@gmail.com
A graphic depicting project milestones from from 2025 to 2026 starting with Existing Conditions, Concept Development, Stakeholder Engagement, Recommendation and Preliminary Design, Public Meeting (Fall 2025), Project Design, Public Outreach, and ending with Start Construction (Spring 2026). A sentence at the bottom of the graphic asks for any questions to be directed to the project team at [email protected]