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Timing prevents installation of light
The recent auto accident near Douglas County High School has focused attention on a traffic signal at Ligget Road and Front Street that has not been installed, despite town officials saying it would be installed before school started.
By By: Susan Dage-Ruby
The recent auto accident near Douglas County High School has focused attention on a traffic signal at Ligget Road and Front Street that has not been installed, despite town officials saying it would be installed before school started.
But law-enforcement officials said the light would not have prevented the accident.
"We had a different timeline to start work on Front Street," said Stan Brown, director of public works. "But we hope to [call for] bids on the project by the end of the year."
Putting a light at the intersection before construction began was not an option, Brown said.
"It's not as simple as that," Brown said. "We have to reconfigure Liggett before we can install the light."
The reconfiguration includes aligning Liggett Road with the driveway into the south campus of Douglas County High School.
"Liggett Road is still a part of the county, and Front Street is still a part of the state," Brown said.
The multijurisdictional ownership of the involved roads was a nightmare to even get an agreement for a light in the first place, Brown said.
More than two years ago, Laurel Kane, who graduated from Douglas County High School this year, began getting the county, town and the Colorado Department of Transportation together to talk about a light at Liggett.
After finally determining who had the right-of-way, the three entities agreed a light was needed last year, Brown said.
The light is still a part of the project, Brown said, but it won't be a reality until the Front Street reconstruction is under way.
The town is accepting bids to change Front Street to a four-lane road from Blackfeather Trail to Canyon Drive in its first phase.
The second phase of the project includes an overpass over the railroad tracks that will connect Front and Perry streets. That phase of construction isn't planned to begin until late 2001.
A four-car accident that involved a hit-and-run driver in front of Douglas County High School on Oct. 3 reintroduced the question of the promised light to members of town staff, Brown said.
But a light at Liggett Road probably would not have prevented the accident, Brown said.
"A signal can solve some problems and cause others," Brown said.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the accident, agreed.
There are too many assumptions to be able to determine if a light could have changed the traffic flow enough, said Sgt. Attila Denes, public information officer for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
"I don't think there would have been an impact on this accident had there been a light at Liggett," Denes said.
"After construction on Front Street is completed, the hope is it will be safer and easier to get on and off Front Street from the high school," said Bill Reimer, the Douglas County School District's chief operating officer.
But law-enforcement officials said the light would not have prevented the accident.
"We had a different timeline to start work on Front Street," said Stan Brown, director of public works. "But we hope to [call for] bids on the project by the end of the year."
Putting a light at the intersection before construction began was not an option, Brown said.
"It's not as simple as that," Brown said. "We have to reconfigure Liggett before we can install the light."
The reconfiguration includes aligning Liggett Road with the driveway into the south campus of Douglas County High School.
"Liggett Road is still a part of the county, and Front Street is still a part of the state," Brown said.
The multijurisdictional ownership of the involved roads was a nightmare to even get an agreement for a light in the first place, Brown said.
More than two years ago, Laurel Kane, who graduated from Douglas County High School this year, began getting the county, town and the Colorado Department of Transportation together to talk about a light at Liggett.
After finally determining who had the right-of-way, the three entities agreed a light was needed last year, Brown said.
The light is still a part of the project, Brown said, but it won't be a reality until the Front Street reconstruction is under way.
The town is accepting bids to change Front Street to a four-lane road from Blackfeather Trail to Canyon Drive in its first phase.
The second phase of the project includes an overpass over the railroad tracks that will connect Front and Perry streets. That phase of construction isn't planned to begin until late 2001.
A four-car accident that involved a hit-and-run driver in front of Douglas County High School on Oct. 3 reintroduced the question of the promised light to members of town staff, Brown said.
But a light at Liggett Road probably would not have prevented the accident, Brown said.
"A signal can solve some problems and cause others," Brown said.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the accident, agreed.
There are too many assumptions to be able to determine if a light could have changed the traffic flow enough, said Sgt. Attila Denes, public information officer for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
"I don't think there would have been an impact on this accident had there been a light at Liggett," Denes said.
"After construction on Front Street is completed, the hope is it will be safer and easier to get on and off Front Street from the high school," said Bill Reimer, the Douglas County School District's chief operating officer.
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