Roundabout among several CDOT options for junction of US 24 & Highway 67 in Divide

TELLER COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The recent trend of roundabouts on or near highways in Colorado could eventually come to the small but growing mountain town of Divide.

KRDO 13's The Road Warrior has learned that a roundabout could be built at the three-way junction of US 24, Highway 67, and County Road 5.

The possibility has sparked controversy over whether the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) approved a roundabout before seeking feedback from county officials.

"Initially, my office was contacted and told that it was non-negotiable," said Sheriff Jason Mikesell. "But I think it was probably done at a lower-management level. I think there's a lot of good things happening now, a lot of discussions."

Jason Nelson, a CDOT program engineer, clarified that a roundabout is just one of several options to improve traffic flow and increase safety at the junction.

"We do have some funding to address some intersection capacity concerns," he said. "But there are a lot of constraints to kind of work around. All the four corners have, you know, a development plan or already have established businesses. And we have some local access points, driveways. And we also have to kind of look at the corridor."

The next step is for CDOT to schedule and announce a series of public meetings where citizens can learn more about possible future upgrades at the junction.

Nelson said that CDOT is waiting to get on the agenda of the county's Board of Commissioners to present a meeting schedule.

Mikesell expressed several concerns about the roundabout possibility -- that signals at the junction no longer function as a rural crossing because of increased traffic, and that safety improvements should extend east on US 24, between Divide and Woodland Park.

"In the past, we've contacted them over the deaths in those areas, and the traffic accidents, and the serious concerns we had," he explained. "And they really fell on deaf ears because they said, well, there hadn't been enough deaths yet. Well, that's, to me, hard to understand. And in speaking with them -- the CDOT crew that's managing this part -- both are two people on that team that I talked to the other day, have experienced losses of family members or relatives along the highway."

CDOT also sees future growth in the small mountain town at an elevation of 9,000 feet as a catalyst to improve traffic flow and safety at the three-way junction.

The Road Warrior spoke with a landowner who said that 300 apartments and homes are under construction at the southwest corner of the junction, and just to the southeast, behind a new county services building, 100 homes will be built.

Roundabouts -- particularly on or near highways -- have become increasingly popular among highway departments for slowing traffic while keeping it moving, and reducing the severity of crashes.

Existing roundabouts on or near highways in the Pikes Peak Region are:

*At the interchange of US 50 and Highway 115, near Penrose in Fremont County

*West of the interchange of Interstate 25 and Santa Fe Avenue, in Fountain

*West of the interchange of I-25 and Baptist Road, near Monument

New roundabouts already planned are:

*At the intersection of US 24 & Judge Orr Road, in Falcon (construction to start next fall)

*At the intersection of Highway 83 & Stagecoach Road (no construction date yet)