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January 23, 2025

Roberts and Lukens Urge Swift Action to Improve Safety on Highway 40

DENVER, CO – Today Senator Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, and Representative Meghan Lukens, D-Steamboat Springs, sent a letter urging the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Colorado State Patrol, and others to address the abnormally high number of crashes occurring on US Highway 40. In the last year Highway 40, which connects Steamboat Springs, Milner, Hayden, and Craig, faced numerous accidents resulting in significant delays, injuries, and six fatalities.


Roberts and Lukens, the legislators representing the corridor, strongly support pursuing increased enforcement and funding that can lead to improvements on Highway 40. Extra attention to this corridor can and will save lives. 


“The safety of drivers and passengers that commute along Highway 40 could not be more important and we must do more to make that stretch of road safer,” said Roberts. “Representative Lukens and I are committed to working collaboratively with the state to ensure necessary improvements are made for the wellbeing of everyone on the road. Addressing these issues quickly requires the investment and support of all those involved, including CDOT, CSP, the Northwest Transportation Planning Organization, Routt County and other local government partners, and more. Today we are offering our support to ongoing efforts and urge increased attention and focus so that the road can be made safer as soon as possible.” 


"My deepest sympathies go out to the families who have lost loved ones and to everyone who has been impacted by accidents on Highway 40. The safety situation on Highway 40 demands our immediate attention," said Lukens. "We must expedite short-term and long-term critical improvements like the Safe Crossings Project and the construction of more passing lanes. I remain committed to working alongside Senator Roberts, local elected officials, CDOT, CSP, and the Northwest Transportation Planning Organization to protect the lives of everyone who travels this essential corridor."


The full letter is below:

 

Dear Director Lew, Colonel Packard, the Transportation Commission of Colorado, and the Northwest Planning Organization:


As the legislators representing Routt and Moffat Counties, including US Highway 40, which connects the communities of Steamboat Springs, Milner, Hayden, and Craig, we write with an urgent request to direct all available resources and efforts to improve the safety of Highway 40 for our constituents. As you know, this stretch of state highway has seen an abnormally high amount of crashes resulting in fatalities and injuries which have taken a toll on the communities in heartache and hours of delays on an important commuter corridor. In 2024 alone, there were six fatalities as a result of crashes on this stretch of highway, and numerous other accidents that resulted in injuries and hours of delays for thousands of drivers. While no traffic corridor can ever be accident-free, the tragedy we are seeing on Highway 40 is abnormally high and should be addressed by the State of Colorado and local officials immediately. 


We are grateful that everyone involved, including you and your employees, know this situation is dire and needs to be addressed - and we are optimistic about all the efforts currently underway to address the problem. We write this letter at the urging of our constituents and to offer support and encouragement for what is being done.


For example, we offer our continued support for these existing efforts: 

  • Constructing more passing lanes throughout the US40 corridor. We know this takes some time and we add our support to CDOT to construct these as soon as possible. Further, we encourage the Northwest Transportation Planning Organization to specifically prioritize as much funding as possible for these new passing lanes as a proven way to reduce crashes and fatalities.

  • Increased law enforcement along the road in order to enforce speeding, traction, passing, and other already-existing laws that are in place to keep travelers safe. 

  • Lessening the number of cars on the road through projects like Mountain Passenger Rail and the possibility of more frequent bus service through the creation of a Regional Transit Authority in the region.

  • The Safe Crossings Project at Steamboat II & Heritage Park. We commend the local efforts by Routt County, and engaged citizens to conduct a study of safe crossing options that is currently under review by CDOT. We wholeheartedly support any and all grant funding being pursued to make this safe crossing a reality as soon as possible and encourage CDOT to continue its similar support for funding. 

  • Ongoing rockfall mitigation work through the corridor. 

  • City of Steamboat Springs and Routt County’s efforts to extend the Yampa River Core Trail west. 


We were pleased to see the approval of funding by the transportation commission to study avalanche mitigation and safety needs on Berthoud pass. We agree that this is needed and a good way to begin planning more significant safety upgrades to the Pass following resurfacing work last year. We would ask that the Commission consider expanding the scope of this study, before it is initiated, to include safety and hazard mitigation needs elsewhere on US40 from Denver through to Steamboat Springs and Craig. 


Further, we strongly encourage both CDOT and CSP to expend every possible resource to continue, expedite, and bolster these existing efforts with increased urgency. Whether it is relocating Troopers to the corridor to increase speeding enforcement, employing remote and autonomous speeding controls, expediting construction timelines, pursuing new federal grant opportunities, or anything else, any extra attention to this corridor could save lives - it is worth it. 


The state legislature in recent years has changed laws regarding vehicle traction, reducing distracted driving, directed historic funding to CDOT, and more. Should there be anything in addition that would be helpful in these efforts that would involve legislation, we stand by ready to assist in that way. Please be in touch with us should this be the case. 


Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the safety of our constituents and to the people of Colorado. We stand ready to support your work however possible and appreciate your attention to this dire matter impacting our constituents. 


Sincerely,

Dylan Roberts, Senate District 8

Meghan Lukens, House District 26



CC: 

Governor Jared Polis

Moffat County Commissioners

Routt County Commissioners

City of Craig

Town of Hayden

City of Steamboat Springs

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