El Paso County approves $11 million project for safety upgrades at 24 pedestrian crossings

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- With a recent increase in serious accidents at local pedestrian crossings, officials are placing a higher priority on improving safety at many of those locations.

Earlier this week, county commissioners approved spending $11 million to conduct safety upgrades at 24 crossings around several schools, fire stations and intersections.

Joshua Palmer, the county's chief engineer, explained why the selected crossings require upgrades.

"Really outdated crossing signals, wooden poles, span wires versus mast arms so that the cables that go across and hold up the signals, really outdated and out of our criteria, ADA improvements that are necessary," he said. "So, in some of the more urban areas."

The project is financed with $5.5 million in county money and an equal amount in federal pandemic recovery funds that the county received in 2022.

"The money has to be spent in its entirety by the end of 2026," Palmer said. "So, we have 24 intersections throughout the county that we've identified as having insufficient or inadequate pedestrian crossings, signals, crosswalks."

The work will start after the county selects a consultant to design the upgrades.

Here is the list of improvement locations:

1. Sunrise Elementary at Grand Valley Drive mid-block crossing
2. King Elementary at Defoe Avenue mid-block crossing
3. Jersey Lane at Bickley Street
4. Widefield Elementary at Widefield Drive mid-block crossing
5. Fontaine Boulevard at Dartmouth Street
6. Peterson Road mid-block crossing near Sequoyah Way 
7. Hallam Avenue at Leta Drive
8. Cody Drive at Spur Drive
9. Palmer Park Boulevard mid-block crossing near Winnebago Road
10. Security Boulevard at Willis Drive
11. Constitution Avenue at Piros Drive
12. Main Street at Norman Drive
13. Main Street at Leta Drive
14. Black Forest Road at Shoup Road
15. Tri-Lakes Firestation at Woodmoor Drive
16. Stratmoor Hills Firestation at B Street
17. Crestridge Avenue at B Street
18. Palmer Park Boulevard at Peterson Road
19. Piros Drive at Peterson Road
20. Galley Road at Hathaway Drive
21. Main Street mid-block crossing near Marquette Drive
22. Security Boulevard at Grand Boulevard
23. Fontaine Boulevard at Fountain Mesa Road
24. Fontaine Boulevard at Metropolitan Street