Press Releases

DENVER—Today, U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded the City of Woodland Park $220,000 in federal funding to develop a plan to improve roadway safety for the Pikes Peak Region. This funding will allow local officials to identify the most significant roadway safety concerns in Woodland Park and the surrounding area and then develop a strategy aimed at reducing and eliminating serious injury and fatal crashes. 

“More people are dying on our nation’s roadways than ever before, and we must invest in safety improvements to prevent these senseless tragedies from occurring,” said Pettersen. “Whether people are driving, walking, or biking—Coloradans should feel safe when traveling in their communities. Asking drivers to slow down isn’t enough; the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides these specific funds to communities to build evidence-based safety features into our streets, sidewalks, and intersections, and I couldn’t be happier to see this grant going to the Pikes Peak region.”

“Through a generous Safe Streets for All Department of Transportation Grant, the City of Woodland Park, in partnership with Pikes Peaks Area Council of Governments and 14 local jurisdictions, is excited to embark on the planning process of creating a Safety Action Plan to reduce or eliminate injury or death caused by unsafe road conditions. As the lead applicant, the City was awarded $220,000, as well as a $55,000 State of Colorado Department of Local Affairs match grant, to complete the Safety Plan project,” said Kimberly Burleson, City of Woodland Park. 

According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado lost 754 lives to traffic fatalities in 2022 — the most roadway deaths the state has seen in the last 41 years. This is a 57% increase from just 10 years ago and includes a record number of pedestrians and motorcyclists. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) established the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary program, with $5 billion in appropriated funds over 5 years, 2022-2026. The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.

The City of Woodland Park, with the assistance of the Pikes Peak Council of Governments, identified the need for safety planning throughout the region and coordinated an outreach effort to discuss the potential of a regional plan. Ultimately, 14 jurisdictions came together to be part of the application, including the towns and cities of Alma, Calhan, Cripple Creek, Fairplay, Green Mountain Falls, Monument, Palmer Lake, Ramah, Victor, Woodland Park, Manitou Springs, and Fountain, and the counties of El Paso and Park