State rep pushing for changes on I-25 near Monument

Southern Colorado drivers saw even more delays on Friday, following a deadly crash that happened on Thursday in Monument.

Traffic was backed up for hours as troopers investigated the scene further.

Crashes like these are prompting a response from Colorado lawmakers, calling for safer roads.

Republican State Representative Paul Lundeen says our money should go toward much-needed improvements on these roads.

The Colorado Department of Transportation approved $3.75 million for an environmental study back in August, and the project to widen that stretch of road has moved forward.

It would include a 20-mile stretch between Monument and Castle Rock, increasing from four lanes to six.

However, the study won’t wrap up until May of 2018. A second required study, per the National Environmental Policy Act, will follow the first study and give the all-clear for construction.

Lundeen says action needs to be taken sooner to fix roads that are not up to par for drivers, making them safer. He believes the studies should be done simultaneously.

“A big part of the problem we face right now is those roads were built in the 1960s, 1950s, and they were built for different types of vehicles,” said Lundeen. “They are outdated dramatically and the fact that we haven’t kept up with improvements on a timely basis puts us in a deeper pinch and tighter bottleneck.”

Drivers agree: the roads aren’t conducive to the high volumes of traffic they see, which can mean more accidents.

“I always notice there’s accidents or stoppage or blockage of the bottleneck between here and Castle Rock,” said Sierra Zamora, who drives the road often to her Black Forest home.

Suzanne Rorrer, who lives in Larkspur, says she also sees the dangers daily. “People rubberneck, they see an accident and it makes it even more difficult because it’s even more congested because people get distracted.”

There will be an opportunity for the public to weigh in on future plans next month.