Fort Collins, Boulder net nearly $24 million for bike, pedestrian safety improvements
Cyclists and pedestrians in Fort Collins, Boulder and surrounding areas will benefit from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with millions of dollars to be implemented toward safety measures.
Data from the state of Colorado shows that 754 people died in traffic incidents in 2022, the most roadway deaths the state has seen in four decades. Of those deaths, 36% involved pedestrians, motorcyclists or bicyclists.
Heavily active in outdoor recreation, Coloradans in cities like Boulder and Fort Collins have called on local governments to install safety measures to ensure safe commutes. Now, Congressional officials including Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colorado, believe funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help ensure safety.
"This funding helps protect local cyclists, takes action to improve community welfare, and ensures that everyone can navigate the city safely,” Neguse said.
More than $23 million from the Infrastructure Law will go to Boulder to address intersection and corridor safety issues. Boulder's project will focus on pedestrian safety at marked, non-signalized crosswalks, crashes affecting vulnerable road users on priority arterial segments and severe-injury crashes at intersections.
Planned safety implementations include installing pedestrian intervals, rectangular rapid-flashing beacons and protected intersections. Project components also include adding traffic signals and retroreflective backplates, building protected bike lanes and bus lanes, completing missing segments of an existing multi-use path, increasing all-red clearance intervals and prohibiting right turns on red lights at key intersections.
“We are thrilled and honored to have been selected as recipients," Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett said.
"The grant will have an enormous impact on our ability to realize Boulder’s Vision Zero Action Plan and contribute to our goal to reduce traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries to zero. We are eager to make the most of this opportunity," he said.
In addition, $964,480 will go toward Fort Collins to conduct supplemental planning and demonstration activities including a study on 27 miles of arterial roadways for solutions to maximize safety and cyclist comfort, according to a news release. The funding will also go toward corridor safety audits, analysis, stakeholder engagement and a demonstration activity to test the effectiveness of flexible posts.
“For our community, this funding will kick-start supplemental planning and development efforts needed to not only improve cyclist safety but ensure our bike-friendly city remains top-ranked,” Fort Collins Mayor Jeni Arndt said.
In addition to this announcement, $120,000 was awarded to Lyons to develop a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan with the aim to reduce and eliminate serious injuries and fatal crashes.
"We’re looking forward to the planning process to enhance pedestrian, cycling and vehicle connectivity, and safety while reducing greenhouse gas emissions," Lyons Mayor Hollie Rogin said.
The Infrastructure Law is also funding multiple other projects around the state including $500,000 for the Front Range Rail, $22 million for the construction of a wildlife overpass between Denver and Colorado Springs, and $9 million for wildfire mitigation efforts.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins, Boulder net nearly $24M for bike, pedestrian safety
