CDOT plans to make I-25 safer in southern Colorado

The Colorado Department of Transportation is going to make upgrades on I-25 in southern Colorado.

CDOT said it plans to add cable guards on I-25 from Fountain to the Rancho Colorado Boulevard exit in El Paso County to prevent crossover median accidents.

Shelia Glanville-Conlee has been pushing for more than a year to have the guards installed after seeing two people die on I-25 in a car accident last January from a crossover median accident. She has also lost neighbors and friends to that type of accident on I-25.

“I don’t want to witness anymore car accidents,” she said.

Her year long crusade has led to CDOT putting in the cable guards.

“I’m happy that they are finally helping this area,” Conlee said.

CDOT found the money in its budget to put up the guards.

Spokesperson Bob Wilson said the area crews will be putting in the guards is dangerous. That section had 12 crossover median accidents and killing two people from July 2009 to January 2015.

Even though Conlee is happy to know that cable guards will be installed, she feels there needs to be more.

“The other areas that aren’t covered easily could have a median crossover accident,” she said.

Wilson said there isn’t enough money in the department’s budget to install cable guards for all of I-25 in southern Colorado.

He said this project cost $1.3 million. If cable guards are installed on I-25 from Colorado Springs to Pueblo, it would cost more than $10 million.

“They have to pick the locations where there is a higher incident where we going to get a bigger bang for our buck,” Wilson said.

But that won’t stop Conlee from fighting to get more cable guards in southern Colorado.

The department plans to start this project in late spring or early summer.