CDOT Embarks on $85 million Statewide Curb Ramp Accessibility Initiative
STATEWIDE—The first CDOT construction projects supporting a statewide curb ramp accessibility initiative are now underway.
CDOT has implemented a program to ensure all curb ramps on the state highway system are accessible to persons with disabilities. The initiative is funded through the Colorado State Transportation Commission with the goal of providing functional accessibility to all travelers by 2021.
Over the next four years, every CDOT construction project involving curb ramps will re-construct or modify the ramps as needed to ensure accessibility throughout the state system. CDOT has created construction projects that will only address curb ramps to accelerate reaching the goal of functional curb ramp accessibility statewide.
"CDOT is committed to ensuring mobility for all travelers, regardless of ability. We are excited to take this significant step toward demonstrating that commitment by allocating considerable financial, programmatic, and human resources to the effort," said CDOT Executive Director Michael Lewis.
Between 2013 and 2017, CDOT staff and consultants visited CDOT's more than 20,000 curb ramps across the state to measure dozens of geometrics pertinent to accessibility. The resulting inventory was then grouped and prioritized by severity of key considerations like the steepness of the curb ramp and whether there was adequate space to turn a wheelchair.
The inventory, along with CDOT's Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance Transition Plan are available on the CDOT website; citizens can download Google Earth files to see the inventory by county and priority, and an ArcGIS database will soon provide real-time updates to the public regarding CDOT's progress.
Construction of curb ramps-only projects begins in Denver and Dolores this spring, and subsequent projects will continue to occur sporadically throughout the state over the next four years.
About Curb Ramp Accessibility
In 2017, CDOT embarked on an $85 million effort to bring all curb ramps into alignment with the ADA and PROWAG standards over the next five years. With more than 20,000 curb ramps statewide, CDOT is taking a "worst first" approach to upgrading curb ramps and addressing deficiencies. This approach has been reviewed and vetted by the Colorado Advisory Council for Persons with Disabilities, which provided a letter of support for CDOT's program. For more information, visit CDOT's ADA website.
