In early 2025, the Town of Castle Rock adopted its Transportation Safety Action Plan (TSAP), with the goal of improving safety on its roadways. The planning process lasted 18 months and culminated in early 2025, when the Town Council approved its formal adoption. The project was funded through a $240,000 Federal Highway Administration Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant, with Castle Rock providing a 20% local match to demonstrate its commitment to safer streets.
The stated goal of the TSAP is to “reduce fatality and serious injury crash rates over time on Castle Rock’s roads for all users – pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and drivers.” The TSAP recognizes that a small portion of streets account for a large share of severe motor vehicle crashes in Castle Rock — about 7% of roads accounted for roughly 73% of serious crashes from 2018 to 2022. Therefore, the TSAP targets these roadways for interventions.
The plan identifies the top crash types responsible for the most severe injuries, including Castle Rock rear-end collisions, roadway departures, pedestrian and bicyclist involved crashes, approach turns, and broadside collisions. These accident types contribute to over 90% of Castle Rock’s fatal and serious injury crashes.
Key Strategies for Improving Safety on Castlerock Roads
To address road dangers in Castle Rock, the TSAP is organized around five safety principles:
- Creating safer roads by updating design standards to support the Town’s safety principles, such as safer intersection layouts, pedestrian and bicyclist accommodations, clearer signage, and better lane delineations.
- Prioritizing safer speeds by evaluating and adjusting speed limits so they match roadway design, traffic, and other factors.
- Making safer people by launching education and outreach programs to raise community awareness about common crash types, safe practices, and behavior change. Likewise, the TSAP intends to enhance the Town’s enforcement capabilities, including increased traffic patrols and compliance checks for speeding and unlawful turning movements.
- Promoting safer vehicles by prioritizing safe vehicle technologies where practical.
- Improving post-crash care by strengthening systems such as emergency medical response, data collection, and feedback loops to mitigate injury and damage.
Transportation Action Plan and Prioritization
The Transportation Action Plan and Prioritization outlines the formal actions Castle Rock will embed into its policy framework and carry out through community programs. The plan focuses on putting its strategies into action by prioritizing specific projects, securing federal and state funding, carefully tracking progress, and engaging the community.
The TSAP highlights the following priorities:
- Targeting high-risk intersections and corridors with frequent serious injury crashes, including locations along Meadows Boulevard, Meadows Parkway, Founders Parkway, and Plum Creek Parkway.
- Allocating resources to projects that deliver the greatest safety benefits per dollar spent.
- Embedding safety considerations into all future capital projects and revising design standards accordingly.
- Leveraging federal grants, pursuing additional funding sources, and aligning local budgets with safety priorities.
- Building on the input of nearly 600 community members who contributed to the Safe Streets for All study.
- Monitoring crash data, setting measurable goals, publicly sharing results, and adapting strategies as needed.
The plan will feature collaboration across agencies and departments, including the Town of Castle Rock Public Works Department, Castle Rock Police Department, Castle Rock Fire and Rescue, the Douglas County School District, and the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The TSAP Going Forward
The plan acknowledges that infrastructure improvements alone cannot eliminate serious crashes. For example, some high-risk corridors extend beyond local jurisdiction but may offer opportunities for partnerships with state agencies. The TSAP also acknowledges that securing long-term funding and community buy-in will be ongoing challenges.
At the same time, the plan presents significant opportunities. Castle Rock’s approach is rooted in data and evidence, targeting the highest-risk locations and prioritizing cost-effective strategies. Through the TSAP, the Town is aligning itself with national best practices in roadway safety. The initial SS4A grant and local political commitment provide a strong foundation to make lasting change.