CO 83 Safety & Operations Analysis

About the Study

CO 83 (Parker Road) connects the Denver Metro area, Franktown and Colorado Springs in both Douglas and El Paso counties. Development in the region has caused remarkably high traffic growth along CO 83 particularly north of CO 86. CO 83 also serves as a reliever route when I-25 is heavily congested. The 24-mile segment between East Palmer Divide Avenue and Bayou Gulch Road varies from two to four lanes, with narrow paved shoulders, numerous accesses, steep side slopes and an abundance of wildlife — all of which are important factors when contributing to the severity of an incident.

This project will conduct a comprehensive roadway safety and operational analysis of CO 83 between Mile Point 30.20 (East Palmer Divide Avenue) and MP 53.88 (Bayou Gulch Road).

The roadway will be examined to determine where needs exist to add potential improvements such as:

  • Turning, auxiliary and passing lanes
  • Enhanced Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)
  • Add or increase shoulder widths
  • Wildlife mitigation
  • Improvements that would provide safety and operational benefits

The project team will work closely with Douglas County and other stakeholders to develop improvement recommendations. Engagement with the public and key stakeholders along the corridor will be utilized to identify issues and gather input on alternatives. The team will then prioritize improvements for the corridor and develop an implementation plan based on available funding.

Study Area

CO 83 safety study project map

Project map of the project limits on CO 83 (Parker Road) that connects the Denver Metro area, Franktown and Colorado Springs in both Douglas and El Paso counties.

 Study Goals

  • Gather and analyze existing conditions, focusing on safety, operations and future land development/growth
  • Identify improvements that address safety
  • Recommend prioritization of improvements
  • Develop access management plan (and support access control plan efforts on northern portion)

 Study Objectives

  • Identification of recommendations to address operational, maintenance and safety concerns with a focus on reducing crashes
  • Inclusive project that considers local, county, state and federal resource agencies, including CDOT R2 coordination to align and be consistent with existing projects and efforts
  • Inclusive project that considers public feedback
  • Identification and support of environmental concerns
  • Thoughtful approach of prioritized recommendations
  • Consideration to previous efforts and on-going projects, including development/growth