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Railroad crossings to be eliminated
Two railroad crossings on Titan Road in northwestern Douglas County soon will be eliminated.
By By: Christine McManus
Two railroad crossings on Titan Road in northwestern Douglas County soon will be eliminated.
U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., secured $5 million earlier this month for bridges to be built over the tracks.
For $5 million, two bridges will be constructed on Titan Road. One bridge will go over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and the other will go over the Burlington Railroad tracks.
Every day thousands of cars go over the railroad crossings. Many Roxborough commuters and industrial vehicles cross the tracks. The county's worst fatal traffic accident occurred in April 1995 at the Titan Road/Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad crossing, said Douglas County Coroner Mark Stover.
"Ever since the tragic 1995 collision of a car and a train at the intersection of Titan Road that took the lives of six teen-agers, I have worked to find a solution that would make this area less dangerous," Campbell said in a press release issued last week.
Six teen-agers from Littleton were killed upon impact after 16-year-old driver Nathan Gladwin drove through the red flashing lights at the crossing. The teens allegedly had been at a beer keg party. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office had a difficult time finding witnesses who would talk about the alleged party, the News-Press reported.
The train was going 43 mph when it hit the car and pushed it 167 feet before the Volvo burst into flames, said the Colorado State Patrol. Most of the victims were burned beyond recognition.
For every new intersection over railroad tracks, two at-grade intersections must be separated from railroads by a bridge or underpass. Campbell's office could not be reached for a construction timeline or an indication of whether a new crossing was planned elsewhere.
The $5 million for bridge work is separate from $22 million that will be spent on a multi-year widening project where Titan Road and U.S. 85 intersect. The state and county are working together on plans for an expanded interchange at the busy intersection.
Of the $22 million for the U.S. 85 intersection, Douglas County will pay about $3 million, county officials said in February. Similar to trends throughout the county, property values along U.S. 85 are increasing rapidly.
The Colorado Department of Transportation is working on acquiring land for the expansion of U.S. 85 and the Titan Road interchange. The targeted completion date for the Titan/U.S. 85 reconstruction is 2004, CDOT said in February.
U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., secured $5 million earlier this month for bridges to be built over the tracks.
For $5 million, two bridges will be constructed on Titan Road. One bridge will go over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and the other will go over the Burlington Railroad tracks.
Every day thousands of cars go over the railroad crossings. Many Roxborough commuters and industrial vehicles cross the tracks. The county's worst fatal traffic accident occurred in April 1995 at the Titan Road/Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad crossing, said Douglas County Coroner Mark Stover.
"Ever since the tragic 1995 collision of a car and a train at the intersection of Titan Road that took the lives of six teen-agers, I have worked to find a solution that would make this area less dangerous," Campbell said in a press release issued last week.
Six teen-agers from Littleton were killed upon impact after 16-year-old driver Nathan Gladwin drove through the red flashing lights at the crossing. The teens allegedly had been at a beer keg party. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office had a difficult time finding witnesses who would talk about the alleged party, the News-Press reported.
The train was going 43 mph when it hit the car and pushed it 167 feet before the Volvo burst into flames, said the Colorado State Patrol. Most of the victims were burned beyond recognition.
For every new intersection over railroad tracks, two at-grade intersections must be separated from railroads by a bridge or underpass. Campbell's office could not be reached for a construction timeline or an indication of whether a new crossing was planned elsewhere.
The $5 million for bridge work is separate from $22 million that will be spent on a multi-year widening project where Titan Road and U.S. 85 intersect. The state and county are working together on plans for an expanded interchange at the busy intersection.
Of the $22 million for the U.S. 85 intersection, Douglas County will pay about $3 million, county officials said in February. Similar to trends throughout the county, property values along U.S. 85 are increasing rapidly.
The Colorado Department of Transportation is working on acquiring land for the expansion of U.S. 85 and the Titan Road interchange. The targeted completion date for the Titan/U.S. 85 reconstruction is 2004, CDOT said in February.
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