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Commissioners close Redwing Avenue for good
After looking at many other alternatives for the past two years, the Douglas County Commissioners unanimously voted Sept. 2 to permanently close Redwing Avenue, a neighborhood street near Cresthill Middle School that is plagued by traffic problems.
"I think it's an excellent decision," said Redwing resident Jennifer Tinucci, who has worked for years to find a solution to the street's traffic problems. "It's going to secure the safety of our children in the future, and it's also going to make the residential neighborhood what it was meant to be."
By By:Tamra Monahan
After looking at many other alternatives for the past two years, the Douglas County Commissioners unanimously voted Sept. 2 to permanently close Redwing Avenue, a neighborhood street near Cresthill Middle School that is plagued by traffic problems.
"I think it's an excellent decision," said Redwing resident Jennifer Tinucci, who has worked for years to find a solution to the street's traffic problems. "It's going to secure the safety of our children in the future, and it's also going to make the residential neighborhood what it was meant to be."
Redwing Avenue is a neighborhood street that runs east and west between Cresthill Lane and Colorado Boulevard. From the time the street opened about six years ago, Redwing has been used increasingly often as a cut-through street for drivers trying to get from Cresthill to Colorado Boulevard.
Douglas County Traffic Engineer Manager Larry Corcoran said maximum volume on a residential street should not exceed 1,500 vehicles per day, but the number of vehicles on Redwing Avenue has swelled over the years to between 2,500 and 3,400 per day. This level of traffic, which far exceeds the allowable limit, has caused many problems for the residents who live on or near Redwing.
"I can't believe leaving Redwing open was even a consideration," said Redwing Avenue resident Greg Glenn.
"People repeatedly speed up and down Redwing with no consideration for the safety of our children and a total disregard for the quality for the people on Redwing, Aberdeen and Cresthill."
Corcoran said closing public streets is always the last resort when dealing with traffic issues, but in this case no other alternative, such as additional stop signs, speed bumps or increased police enforcement, was sufficient to solve the problem.
"The conclusion we came to on this issue was that almost every other alternative we looked at just diverted the traffic and put it in front of somebody else's house," Corcoran said. "The only solution that truly took the traffic off this street and didn't put it in front of someone else's house was the closure."
Redwing will be permanently closed to through traffic by January, according to Corcoran. He said a gate will be installed that will have a keypad control system to allow public safety personnel, such as firefighters, police officers and road-maintenance workers, to get through the street in an emergency.
Corcoran acknowledged that public safety issues are always a concern when a street is permanently closed, which is why these closures are so rare. In the case of Redwing Avenue, however, there didn't seem to be any other course of action.
"I don't like closing public streets," Corcoran said. "But unfortunately we ended up with a situation here that we don't often get into. With the traffic volumes that high and the potential for a safety problems, we had to do something. Closing Redwing was the best solution available, even though we don't really care for this as a solution."
The county commissioners' meeting Sept. 2 was filled with residents advocating Redwing's closure, but there was an equal number of people, mostly from the senior gated community of Glen Eagles, who said it was a bad idea.
"I am a resident of Glen Eagles Village. I'm also a Highlands Ranch resident. I'm also a Douglas County taxpayer and I would like to know why a public street is going to be closed when our tax dollars are paying for it," Sue Osborne asked the county commissioners during the meeting.
Although the commissioners understood arguments both for and against the closure of Redwing, all three voted to permanently close the neighborhood street for reasons of safety. They, too, acknowledged that closing a public street is a last resort and rarely done in the county, but in this case they saw no viable alternative.
"I am a Highlands Ranch resident," Commissioner Melanie Worley told the audience at the meeting. "I have lived there for close to 19 years, so I was there when it was only 3,500 people in the Ranch. I understand what it means to live with growth and to see people cutting through your neighborhood ... My issue here is the safety of the residents who live on this street and the safety of the children. I think that we tried to find alternatives to closing the street but found none."
By By:Tamra Monahan
After looking at many other alternatives for the past two years, the Douglas County Commissioners unanimously voted Sept. 2 to permanently close Redwing Avenue, a neighborhood street near Cresthill Middle School that is plagued by traffic problems.
"I think it's an excellent decision," said Redwing resident Jennifer Tinucci, who has worked for years to find a solution to the street's traffic problems. "It's going to secure the safety of our children in the future, and it's also going to make the residential neighborhood what it was meant to be."
Redwing Avenue is a neighborhood street that runs east and west between Cresthill Lane and Colorado Boulevard. From the time the street opened about six years ago, Redwing has been used increasingly often as a cut-through street for drivers trying to get from Cresthill to Colorado Boulevard.
Douglas County Traffic Engineer Manager Larry Corcoran said maximum volume on a residential street should not exceed 1,500 vehicles per day, but the number of vehicles on Redwing Avenue has swelled over the years to between 2,500 and 3,400 per day. This level of traffic, which far exceeds the allowable limit, has caused many problems for the residents who live on or near Redwing.
"I can't believe leaving Redwing open was even a consideration," said Redwing Avenue resident Greg Glenn.
"People repeatedly speed up and down Redwing with no consideration for the safety of our children and a total disregard for the quality for the people on Redwing, Aberdeen and Cresthill."
Corcoran said closing public streets is always the last resort when dealing with traffic issues, but in this case no other alternative, such as additional stop signs, speed bumps or increased police enforcement, was sufficient to solve the problem.
"The conclusion we came to on this issue was that almost every other alternative we looked at just diverted the traffic and put it in front of somebody else's house," Corcoran said. "The only solution that truly took the traffic off this street and didn't put it in front of someone else's house was the closure."
Redwing will be permanently closed to through traffic by January, according to Corcoran. He said a gate will be installed that will have a keypad control system to allow public safety personnel, such as firefighters, police officers and road-maintenance workers, to get through the street in an emergency.
Corcoran acknowledged that public safety issues are always a concern when a street is permanently closed, which is why these closures are so rare. In the case of Redwing Avenue, however, there didn't seem to be any other course of action.
"I don't like closing public streets," Corcoran said. "But unfortunately we ended up with a situation here that we don't often get into. With the traffic volumes that high and the potential for a safety problems, we had to do something. Closing Redwing was the best solution available, even though we don't really care for this as a solution."
The county commissioners' meeting Sept. 2 was filled with residents advocating Redwing's closure, but there was an equal number of people, mostly from the senior gated community of Glen Eagles, who said it was a bad idea.
"I am a resident of Glen Eagles Village. I'm also a Highlands Ranch resident. I'm also a Douglas County taxpayer and I would like to know why a public street is going to be closed when our tax dollars are paying for it," Sue Osborne asked the county commissioners during the meeting.
Although the commissioners understood arguments both for and against the closure of Redwing, all three voted to permanently close the neighborhood street for reasons of safety. They, too, acknowledged that closing a public street is a last resort and rarely done in the county, but in this case they saw no viable alternative.
"I am a Highlands Ranch resident," Commissioner Melanie Worley told the audience at the meeting. "I have lived there for close to 19 years, so I was there when it was only 3,500 people in the Ranch. I understand what it means to live with growth and to see people cutting through your neighborhood ... My issue here is the safety of the residents who live on this street and the safety of the children. I think that we tried to find alternatives to closing the street but found none."
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