CDOT Plans Safety Improvements For Dangerous Stretch Of Federal
DENVER (CBS4) - Less than a week after a serious street racing crash injured seven on north Federal Boulevard, the Colorado Department of Transportation said it is planning to remedy the dangerous stretch of road by adding concrete medians and additional lighting.
"As Denver had come and as Westminster had come with their projects, we really did see that there was a gap. And with that gap comes some issues, whether it's lighting or safety and the like. That's something we wanted to address," CDOT spokeswoman Amy Ford said.
Locals business owners and residents say deadly wrecks happen often on the stretch of Federal Boulevard between 52nd and 68th avenues.
The Colorado State Patrol says the driver of a Volvo involved in street racing on Friday night lost control of his car and swerved into oncoming traffic at 54th Avenue, striking another vehicle head-on. The speeds of the racing vehicles approached 100 mph.
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"Our signs been taken down twice. The mailbox -- we don't have it on the street anymore because they kept taking it out. Multiple people have been killed trying to cross Federal. It's real dangerous," Dr. Wayne Kurth, a business owner on Federal, said.
A 2011 safety analysis by CDOT engineers mirrored those concerns and found a high rate of auto and pedestrian accidents happening late at night and early in the morning. While surrounding areas have been improved over the years, several blocks along Federal have been ignored.
CDOT will break ground on the safety improvements as early as spring.
"Whenever you have a median, that certainly can help with some of the issues of oncoming traffic. At the same time, it also creates a barrier that someone can hit. While it does make some safety improvements, you can't say it's a cure-all," Ford said.
