Intersection Safety Improvements

The Colorado Avenue and Regent Drive Intersection Safety Improvements project is complete. Striping modifications on the multi-use path and protected bike lane, and additional landscaping may occur in early to mid-2022.

Improvements

• Adding elements of a protected intersection to improve safety for cyclists traveling eastbound through the intersection.
• Adding protected bike lane to improve safety for cyclists traveling eastbound on Colorado Avenue toward 28th Street/US 36.
• Adding another vehicle lane to separate vehicles turning right on to Colorado Avenue from Regent Drive and vehicles turning right on to 28th Street/US 36 from Colorado Avenue from other traffic.
• Realigning the raised crosswalk and multiuse path in place of the existing southside sidewalk.

View the Colorado and Regent final planned design

Background safety data for this intersection

The intersection has a history of crashes involving turning vehicles and bicyclists.

Between 2012 and 2014, the city found that 48 crashes occurred at the intersection of Colorado Avenue and Regent Drive adjacent to the University of Colorado Boulder:

• 23 of the crashes were rear-ends
• 16 of the crashes resulted in injuries
• Eight crashes included cyclists
• Two crashes included pedestrians

All of these crashes involved turning vehicles. There were three eastbound crashes where a vehicle turned right directly in front of a bicyclist (known as a right-hook), and two crashes involving northbound right-turning vehicles hitting cyclists in the raised crossing. Most of the rear-end crashes (78%) occurred in the northbound right-turn bypass lane. Many involved vehicles getting rear-ended while yielding to eastbound traffic on Colorado Avenue, while some were related to vehicles yielding to pedestrians in the crosswalk across the right-turn lane. Ten crashes, including two bicyclists and one pedestrian, involved westbound left turns.

Most crashes seen at this intersection involved conflicts between southbound-turning vehicles and eastbound cyclists riding on the multi-use path.

Improvements

• Reorienting the intersection to create a right-angle intersection and better sight distances for southbound vehicles approaching Baseline Road from 29th Street.
• Installing a raised crosswalk across 29th Street, which slows vehicle speeds and improves the visibility of bicycles and pedestrians.
• Adding curb extensions to the east and west sides of 29th Street to shorten the crossing distance for bicycles and pedestrians and calm vehicular traffic.

View the Baseline and 29th final design

Background safety data for this intersection

From January 2012 through October 2016, 23 crashes occurred at the intersection of Baseline Road and 29th Street. Twelve of these crashes resulted in injuries and 11 were property damage-only crashes.

Over half (52%) of the total crashes and nearly all (92%) of the crashes that resulted in injuries involved cyclists. Most of the bicycle crashes involved conflicts between southbound-turning vehicles and eastbound cyclists riding on the north side of the multiuse path. Nearly all of the vehicles involved in the crashes were turning right onto westbound Baseline Road. Other crashes included five left-turn collisions, two sideswipes, two rear-ends and two crashes involving vehicles moving in reverse.

This intersection previously had crashes involving crossing bicyclists and southbound right-turning vehicles that were rear-ended while yielding to bicyclists in the west crosswalk.

Improvements

• Adding a right-turn only lane in the southbound direction on Broadway to separate vehicles entering the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) property from other southbound traffic.
• Adding a right-turn bypass (slip) lane with a raised crosswalk to slow turning vehicles.
• Signalizing right-turn movements in and out of the federal labs property, mitigating conflicts between vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.
• Reorienting the multiuse path to improve sight lines between vehicles and cyclists and slow cyclists as they approach the crosswalk.

View Broadway and Rayleigh Signal Phasing (Phases A and B)
View Broadway and Rayleigh Signal Phasing (Phases C and A - Overnight)

Background safety data for this intersection

Between November 2011 and November 2019, 16 crashes occurred at the intersection of Broadway and Rayleigh Road. Three crashes involved cyclists in the west crosswalk, and two of these crashes resulted in non-incapacitating injuries to the cyclists. Two of the crashes involved southbound right-turning vehicles that were rear-ended while yielding to cyclists in west crosswalk.