THORNTON, Colo. — Following years of crashes on Interstate 25 between U.S. Route 36 and 104th Ave., the Colorado Department of Transportation plans to make some safety improvements to the area. But they want to hear from you first.
The five-mile stretch of road sees two crashes a day on average, mainly rear-end crashes, according to CDOT.
More vehicles on the road, as the area continues to grow, doesn't help the problem. CDOT said it's only going to get worse. The amount of traffic on the road is projected to keep increasing until 2050.
Buses serving the Thornton Park and Ride cause congestion too, as they merge into the express lanes.
CDOT started a study this spring, and is expected to wrap in 2026. During that time, they’ll conduct a series of open house meetings to get feedback from the community, the first of which starts this week.
From there, they'll take all the feedback they get from the public, as well as the study findings, with tentative plans to start work on these improvements in late 2026 or early 2027.
“The number one priority of this study is - what can we do to improve safety on this section of I-25? And it's incredibly important that we engage with the community so that we can hear from them. These are neighbors. These are businesses, other community members, motorists, local agency. Their input is absolutely critical during this phase of the project,” Tamara Rollinson, CDOT communications manager, said.
Some of the changes CDOT is considering include:
- Creating wider shoulders
- Widening the express lane buffer to allow more time to merge
- Adding auxiliary lanes in both directions between 84th Ave. and 104th Ave. to improve traffic flow between interchanges
- Adding a fourth lane on I-25 south between 84th Ave. and Thornton Parkway
The open house meeting will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Northglenn Recreation Center. Food and childcare will be provided.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.
