FORT COLLINS, Colo. — It's a well-known dangerous stretch of Colorado road — a new report explores why so many people are injured or killed driving on Highway U.S. 287, between Fort Collins and Wyoming.
In late February, three college students attending the University of Wyoming died in a single-vehicle crash along that road. Colorado State Patrol said five people were traveling southbound on Highway U.S. 287 in a Toyota RAV4 when the driver swerved to avoid a vehicle that had slowed in front of them and went off the road.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) began collecting data in the new report — published on CDOT’s website this week — years before the most recent crash, but included those recent crash details in its findings.
“We were looking at this [issue] far before that accident,” said Jared Fiel, a spokesperson for CDOT. “But an accident like that, a crash like that, really shows you that this is something that needs to happen and needs to happen now.”
CDOT data reviewed the 30-mile section of Highway U.S. 287, between Ted’s Place at milepost (MP) 355 and the Wyoming border, MP 385. Between Jan. 1, 2017 to Dec. 21, 2021, CDOT counted:
- 309 total crashes
- 223 crashes that only caused property damage
- 78 crashes that resulted in injuries
- 12 fatalities in those crashes, plus 6 more fatalities from 2022-2024 so far (totaling 18 deaths since 2017)
When looking at the cause of crashes between 2017 and 2021, CDOT found the vast majority were due to wildlife (103 crashes).
“This gave us several different areas to look at,” Fiel said. “Like where was the wildlife areas concentrated, that gave us some areas where we might put up wildlife fencing, maybe do a wildlife corridor down the road to be able to help with that as well.”
Other common crash causes were overturning (32), rear end (24), embankment or ditch (24) and sideswipe (16).
Using the findings from the crash data and public feedback, CDOT ranked the top 15 priority improvement projects along Highway U.S. 287. These include adding wildlife crossings and fencing, as well as adding passing or turn lanes. Problem intersections, like Red Mountain Road, where the Wyoming students recently died, are among the highest priority projects identified.
Several previous improvement projects have been undertaken along the stretch of road dating back years, including road updates like adding center line rumble strips to help prevent head-on crashes, as well as new guardrails, signage and lighting in some areas.
Some of CDOT’s newest recommendations were already included in the state’s 10-year plan, and Fiel says the state has some leftover money (about $8 million dollars) to work with — but this study should allow CDOT to now search for additional needed funding.
“The plan is to go find public safety money and cobble that together. Some money can be used for passing lanes, wildlife corridor — all those kinds of things. All the couches we go looking through cushions for!” Fiel said.
“If there’s an overall theme of the study, it's we need to get going on these and here’s the priority in what needs to happen first.”
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