Lakewood West Colfax Safety Project

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Current Project Information

The West Colfax Safety Project is moving closer to initiating project construction in 2024. To efficiently construct the project, a two phased approach for project design completion and construction is being implemented. Phase 1 includes construction of the Colfax Avenue medians and associated elements. Phase 2 includes construction of the curbside and street edge treatment.

Check the monthly updates on the right for more information.

Phase 1:

This project phase includes final design, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) approvals and environmental clearances, and construction of the West Colfax median improvements. Project elements include a more continuous center median, roadway lighting, utility design and coordination, landscaping, irrigation system, and pedestrian 'Z' crossings mid-block between signalized intersections. The Z crossings will create designated areas for pedestrians to cross Colfax and make those crossings more predictable for motorists while providing greater protection for pedestrians. Construction of this phase is expected to be initiated in the first quarter of 2024.

Phase 2:

This project phase will include final design, CDOT approvals and environmental clearances, and construction. Project elements associated with this phase include curbside improvements focused on repurposing the outside traffic lane for pedestrian use from Sheridan Boulevard to Teller Street. This phase will also include installing continuous sidewalks along this segment of the street. Other improvements will include access management, a new traffic signal and pedestrian hybrid beacons at Z-crossings, utility design, new bus lane pullouts, pedestrian lighting, a pedestrian detection system, storm water system improvements, landscaping, placemaking elements, and public art. Construction of Phase 2 is expected to begin in mid-to-late 2024. Upon completion of Phase 2, the Colfax Safety Project will be complete.



Project Background

The West Colfax Safety Project is an opportunity to create a safer and more comfortable experience for pedestrians, transit users, and motorists along the iconic West Colfax Avenue in Lakewood, between Sheridan boulevard and Teller street. This segment of West Colfax has the highest concentration of traffic injuries and deaths in Lakewood; in a five-year period ending in 2019, there were six deaths, and in last two years, there have been an additional four deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities to 10.

Lakewood initiated efforts in 2017 to better understand safety issues along the corridor. In December 2020, Lakewood was awarded a $10 million grant from Colorado’s Safer Main Streets Initiative with support of a Lakewood City Council approved $2.5 million local match to advance the design and construction of improvements along West Colfax. This project, in fact, received the largest amount awarded under the program.

In mid-2021 Lakewood sought feedback from residents, business owners, transit users, and all who travel this section of West Colfax Avenue to help shape the future vision for the corridor and identify needed safety improvements. Community input clearly identified the three top priorities of improving safety, creating a vibrant community asset that incorporates art, and minimizing impacts during construction.

In December 2021 the detailed design phase began. The final design will seek to repurpose an underutilized travel lane to provide safe sidewalks comfortable for anyone regardless of physical abilities, to guide pedestrians to specially designated safe road crossings, to decrease the number of vehicle access points to Colfax in order to minimize conflict along the corridor, to improve roadway and pedestrian lighting, and to implement a pedestrian entry warning system that will be developed specifically for West Colfax to warn drivers of jaywalking pedestrians.

Public Participation Process

The community and stakeholders will continue to be involved to help us create a safer and more comfortable experience for pedestrians, transit users, and motorists on Colfax between Sheridan and Teller Street.

With a total of over 800 selections by residents and stakeholders the project team has heard your priorities of how art should be incorporated into the project. The visual preference summary document highlights what we heard from residents and stakeholders. The artist workshop summary provide a summary of what we heard from participants.

Past Events

  • On March 9, 2022, the West Colfax Safety project team attended the 40 West Summit hosted at WestFax Brewing. Hosted by 40 West Arts, the summit is an annual event for the community to network and provide the district feedback about goals, their mission, initiatives, and more for 2022. It was also an opportunity for the community to provide initial opinions about how artwork can be incorporated along the project corridor to improve safety. The project team was also available to answer questions about the project. A summary of the feedback received can be found under important documents.
  • On March 31, 2022, a group of approximately 20 artists joined the project team to brainstorm how art can be incorporated along the project corridor to improve safety. The artists gathered around project maps to discuss, collaborate, draw, and present ideas. A summary of the event can be found under important documents.
  • On April 15, 2022, the project team attended the Benefits In Action cleanup day along the West Colfax corridor. The team presented about the project and got feedback from the approximately 60 students from McLain High School.
  • During the late-afternoon of April 26, 2022, the project team set up a pop-up event at the Lamar Station. The pop-up event sought to get feedback from transit users and local community members using the paved multi-use path.
  • On May 6, 2022, the project team joined 40 West for the First Friday Art Walk. Community members were able to speak with the project team, ask questions, and provide input about art along the project corridor.
  • On May 18, 2022, the project team presented at the Ward 2 Councilor Meeting. The team provide a project update and answered questions from attendees.
  • During the week of May 23, 2022, the project team held a series of four property owner and business owner meetings. Each meet was hybrid, with the option to attend in-person or via zoom, and the same content was presented at each meeting. The presentation included information about each design element intended to help achieve the project goal of improving safety for vehicles, pedestrians, and transit users.
  • On June 7, 2022, the project team walked the project corridor and spoke to each business along West Colfax between Sheridan boulevard and Teller street. Each business was provided a postcard, in English and Spanish, that provided high-level project information and encouraged them to attend virtual office hours to ask specific questions.
  • Virtual office hours were held on June 15 and 20, 2022. All businesses along the corridor were invited to attend and speak directly with project team members. A Spanish speaking project team member attended on both days for those who preferred to speak Spanish.
  • On June 23, 2022, a second artist workshop was held. Participates were members of the Equity in the Arts Committee and the event focused on identifying ways the future corridor design can represent the diversity of communities that live on or near the project corridor.

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.

    • 75% of survey respondents felt unsafe walking on Colfax and 33% of respondents felt unsafe driving on 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 is providing 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 Teller Street. This segment is home to a wealth of commercial, transit, art and cultural destinations in Lakewood.

Current Project Information

The West Colfax Safety Project is moving closer to initiating project construction in 2024. To efficiently construct the project, a two phased approach for project design completion and construction is being implemented. Phase 1 includes construction of the Colfax Avenue medians and associated elements. Phase 2 includes construction of the curbside and street edge treatment.

Check the monthly updates on the right for more information.

Phase 1:

This project phase includes final design, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) approvals and environmental clearances, and construction of the West Colfax median improvements. Project elements include a more continuous center median, roadway lighting, utility design and coordination, landscaping, irrigation system, and pedestrian 'Z' crossings mid-block between signalized intersections. The Z crossings will create designated areas for pedestrians to cross Colfax and make those crossings more predictable for motorists while providing greater protection for pedestrians. Construction of this phase is expected to be initiated in the first quarter of 2024.

Phase 2:

This project phase will include final design, CDOT approvals and environmental clearances, and construction. Project elements associated with this phase include curbside improvements focused on repurposing the outside traffic lane for pedestrian use from Sheridan Boulevard to Teller Street. This phase will also include installing continuous sidewalks along this segment of the street. Other improvements will include access management, a new traffic signal and pedestrian hybrid beacons at Z-crossings, utility design, new bus lane pullouts, pedestrian lighting, a pedestrian detection system, storm water system improvements, landscaping, placemaking elements, and public art. Construction of Phase 2 is expected to begin in mid-to-late 2024. Upon completion of Phase 2, the Colfax Safety Project will be complete.



Project Background

The West Colfax Safety Project is an opportunity to create a safer and more comfortable experience for pedestrians, transit users, and motorists along the iconic West Colfax Avenue in Lakewood, between Sheridan boulevard and Teller street. This segment of West Colfax has the highest concentration of traffic injuries and deaths in Lakewood; in a five-year period ending in 2019, there were six deaths, and in last two years, there have been an additional four deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities to 10.

Lakewood initiated efforts in 2017 to better understand safety issues along the corridor. In December 2020, Lakewood was awarded a $10 million grant from Colorado’s Safer Main Streets Initiative with support of a Lakewood City Council approved $2.5 million local match to advance the design and construction of improvements along West Colfax. This project, in fact, received the largest amount awarded under the program.

In mid-2021 Lakewood sought feedback from residents, business owners, transit users, and all who travel this section of West Colfax Avenue to help shape the future vision for the corridor and identify needed safety improvements. Community input clearly identified the three top priorities of improving safety, creating a vibrant community asset that incorporates art, and minimizing impacts during construction.

In December 2021 the detailed design phase began. The final design will seek to repurpose an underutilized travel lane to provide safe sidewalks comfortable for anyone regardless of physical abilities, to guide pedestrians to specially designated safe road crossings, to decrease the number of vehicle access points to Colfax in order to minimize conflict along the corridor, to improve roadway and pedestrian lighting, and to implement a pedestrian entry warning system that will be developed specifically for West Colfax to warn drivers of jaywalking pedestrians.

Public Participation Process

The community and stakeholders will continue to be involved to help us create a safer and more comfortable experience for pedestrians, transit users, and motorists on Colfax between Sheridan and Teller Street.

With a total of over 800 selections by residents and stakeholders the project team has heard your priorities of how art should be incorporated into the project. The visual preference summary document highlights what we heard from residents and stakeholders. The artist workshop summary provide a summary of what we heard from participants.

Past Events

  • On March 9, 2022, the West Colfax Safety project team attended the 40 West Summit hosted at WestFax Brewing. Hosted by 40 West Arts, the summit is an annual event for the community to network and provide the district feedback about goals, their mission, initiatives, and more for 2022. It was also an opportunity for the community to provide initial opinions about how artwork can be incorporated along the project corridor to improve safety. The project team was also available to answer questions about the project. A summary of the feedback received can be found under important documents.
  • On March 31, 2022, a group of approximately 20 artists joined the project team to brainstorm how art can be incorporated along the project corridor to improve safety. The artists gathered around project maps to discuss, collaborate, draw, and present ideas. A summary of the event can be found under important documents.
  • On April 15, 2022, the project team attended the Benefits In Action cleanup day along the West Colfax corridor. The team presented about the project and got feedback from the approximately 60 students from McLain High School.
  • During the late-afternoon of April 26, 2022, the project team set up a pop-up event at the Lamar Station. The pop-up event sought to get feedback from transit users and local community members using the paved multi-use path.
  • On May 6, 2022, the project team joined 40 West for the First Friday Art Walk. Community members were able to speak with the project team, ask questions, and provide input about art along the project corridor.
  • On May 18, 2022, the project team presented at the Ward 2 Councilor Meeting. The team provide a project update and answered questions from attendees.
  • During the week of May 23, 2022, the project team held a series of four property owner and business owner meetings. Each meet was hybrid, with the option to attend in-person or via zoom, and the same content was presented at each meeting. The presentation included information about each design element intended to help achieve the project goal of improving safety for vehicles, pedestrians, and transit users.
  • On June 7, 2022, the project team walked the project corridor and spoke to each business along West Colfax between Sheridan boulevard and Teller street. Each business was provided a postcard, in English and Spanish, that provided high-level project information and encouraged them to attend virtual office hours to ask specific questions.
  • Virtual office hours were held on June 15 and 20, 2022. All businesses along the corridor were invited to attend and speak directly with project team members. A Spanish speaking project team member attended on both days for those who preferred to speak Spanish.
  • On June 23, 2022, a second artist workshop was held. Participates were members of the Equity in the Arts Committee and the event focused on identifying ways the future corridor design can represent the diversity of communities that live on or near the project corridor.

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.

    • 75% of survey respondents felt unsafe walking on Colfax and 33% of respondents felt unsafe driving on 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 is providing 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 Teller Street. This segment is home to a wealth of commercial, transit, art and cultural destinations in Lakewood.

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Survey #1 Places Map

about 2 years

Please use the map to identify and describe locations along the corridor that you feel are particularly unwelcoming, unsafe or need improvement, and please consider the following items:


  • sidewalk or lack of sidewalk.
  • crosswalk availability, distance and spacing.
  • lighting, blank walls.
  • auto-pedestrian conflict areas.
  • missing connections.
  • difficult to reach or problematic bus stops.
  • any area that needs special attention (please explain why).
CLOSED: This map consultation has concluded.
Page last updated: 25 Mar 2024, 10:43 AM