PROJECT ANNOUNCEMENT - US 285 ELK CREEK

Please find below a construction announcement detailing the US 285 Elk Creek Safety Improvements Project at Shaffers Crossing, which is set to begin the week of August 24, 2015.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call or email the Public Information team. Our contact information is below.

Thank you,
US 285 Alamosa South Safety Improvements
Public Information Team

Highway 285 at Shaffer's Crossing is our entrance and exit off this main thoroughfare. It's been a problem for a very long time, and some might even go so far as to say the "improvements" made initially actually may have made it worse than it was before.

Since those "improvements" were made, we've had multiple fatalities, and several misguided "safety improvement measures" that have been implemented. None of them have lived up to their hype.

This new safety improvement measure may be better than previous ones, but they still do NOT address the issue of proper signage overhead as people near this very dangerous intersection from either direction.

I believe clearly delineated signage similar to what we see on our Interstate highways would be a tremendous help. Painting on the highway itself isn't the answer as it disappears during snowstorms and can be very hard to see during rainstorms. Signage, big signage, big signage with green background and huge white lettering with arrows pointing to show directions of each lane....THAT's something that would help more than just about anything else, IMO.

CONIFER, Colo. (CBS4) – In recent years a hill and a curve on Highway 285 outside of Conifer have contributed to several accidents, many of which have been fatal.

The location is on a stretch of the highway above Shaffers Crossing that is set to be under construction soon.

“I think it will help,” said Claire Hendrickson, a resident of the community of Pine. “People have been telling them for about two years to do something about that road.”

Jim Owsiany, also of Pine, told CBS4 congestion on the road has increased in recent years.