Lakewood West Colfax Safety Project

Join the conversation to build a safer West Colfax for pedestrians, transit users and motorists in Lakewood.

The West Colfax Safety Project is an opportunity to create a safer and more comfortable experience for pedestrians, transit users and motorists on iconic West Colfax Avenue in Lakewood between Sheridan and Wadsworth boulevards. This segment of West Colfax has the highest concentration of traffic injuries and deaths in Lakewood, and safety improvements, particularly for pedestrians, are urgently needed. The safety issues on this segment resulted in the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), which manages Colfax as a state highway, to award a $10 million grant to Lakewood to make improvements through the state’s Safer Main Streets Initiative, which is designed to address safety and accessibility along urban corridors. This project, in fact, received the largest amount awarded under the program.

We will keep businesses, community groups, neighborhoods and residents informed during this project, and please scroll through this project page to learn more. Help us keep you updated by signing up to receive updates through the sign-up box in the upper right corner.

Your participation is important

There are many design decisions to be made for making improvements, and we are asking for your input on the look, feel and location of elements such as these:

• Pedestrian lighting and signage
• Pedestrian crossing signals (such as a HAWK signal)
• Sidewalk improvements
• Landscaping amenities/greenery
• Art and visual elements
• Other amenities (such as trash cans, benches or bike racks)
• Wayfinding
• Bus pullouts and bus stop design
• Bus stop amenities (shelters, trash cans and benches)

Safety data

Data and planning efforts demonstrate that it is imperative to improve the safety for everyone walking, using transit and driving along West Colfax.

• West Colfax from Sheridan to Wadsworth has the highest number of vehicle vs. pedestrian collisions in the city, resulting in a significant number of pedestrian fatalities. Lakewood Transportation Engineering identified 820 total crashes in this 1.5 mile segment from January 2015 to December 2019. These crashes have caused 283 serious injuries and six fatalities.
• Ninety-eight of the crashes involved a pedestrian or cyclist. Of the 98 crashes, 74 resulted in serious injuries and five resulted in death. These statistics indicate that a crash occurred every other day in the project area.
• The Lakewood Police Department has identified West Colfax as a high priority area for addressing pedestrian safety.
• The West Colfax Vision 2040 Action Plan, developed in consultation with the community, contains goals for West Colfax Avenue over the next 20 years. These goals include exploring ways to build attractive and safe pedestrian infrastructure along West Colfax and identifying critical pedestrian connections and crossings as well as intersection improvements. The 40 West Arts District Urban Design and Mobility Concepts also addressed these needs.

Project components

This project will create consistent sidewalks through repurposing the outside lanes of traffic; add designated pedestrian crossings in specific locations; establish pullouts for buses and provide bus stop amenities; improve street lighting for safety; and enhance driver safety by increasing sight-distances, reducing conflicts with turning vehicles, updating intersection traffic signals and lengthening turn lanes – all of which will improve safety for everyone while reducing driving stress.

Working with partners

In addition to working with CDOT, the city's key partners on the project include the Lakewood-West Colfax Business Improvement District, the Regional Transportation District, the organizations that supported the Safe Main Streets grant application, businesses and community members.

Lakewood will provide matching funds for the project, creating the opportunity to build a safer and better functioning West Colfax that will also be an asset to the community and local businesses.

Project area

The project area includes West Colfax from Sheridan to Wadsworth. This segment is home to a wealth of commercial, transit, art and cultural destinations in Lakewood.