Accident could lead to guard rails on I-25
Sheila Glanville-Conlee was driving to Pueblo last Monday when she got stuck in a traffic jam that stretched over five miles.
Investigators say a Mustang was going too fast for the conditions, lost control, crossed the median and crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer. The accident killed the driver and his passenger. It closed the interstate for hours.
Two people were killed-maybe because one thing was missing.
“I’ve noticed for years there are no guard rails to speak of once you get past Pinon, heading north to Colorado Springs and I’ve wondered about that,” said Glanville-Conlee, a commuter who regularly drives that stretch.
Glanville-Conlee had lost her neighbors years ago to a similar accident where a driver had crossed the median and crashed head-on.
“I’m tired of seeing people die and people hurt. It could be any of my family or friends,” Glanville-Conlee said.
So she has started a Facebook page “Citizens for a safer I-25.”
“I’ll do whatever I can to make sure that those guard rails or cable rails are installed, soon, not 10 years from now,” Glanville-Conlee said.
A spokesperson for CDOT says they are studying that stretch of I-25.
“There hasn’t been a ton of accidents that we’ve seen through that area. Only 10 crossover accidents in the last six years,” said CDOT spokesman Bob Wilson. “But a lot of times because of an accident it will spur us to take a closer look at a particular section of roadway.”
Traffic engineers will determine if cable guards should be installed.
“It acts as a type of rubber band to where people will hit the cable but it keeps them in the roadway,” Wilson said.
If the engineers determine they are necessary and funding is secured, cable guards could be installed on I-25 south of Colorado Springs starting in 2016.
