Key Takeaways:
- Founders Parkway between Front Street and I-25 is Castle Rock’s most crash-prone zone, recording 285 crashes and 42 injuries over five years.
- Between 2020 and 2024, the only fatal crash in Castle Rock occurred in the city’s second most crash-prone zone: Meadows Parkway between Santa Fe Drive and I-25, which recorded 235 crashes and 30 injuries over five years.
- Four Castle Rock zones with the highest concentration of crashes were found along Founders Parkway.
- The intersection zone at Founders Parkway and Trail Boss Drive ranked seventh in crash total, but had the highest injury share at 18.37%
Castle Rock is a growing community in Colorado located between Denver and Colorado Springs. It’s known for its scenic beauty and abundance of outdoor recreation, and has become an attractive home base for those seeking a quieter lifestyle with easy access to urban centers. Many residents commute north to Denver for work, taking advantage of the city’s proximity to I-25, a major interstate that connects Castle Rock to both metro areas.
But as the city grows and traffic volumes increase, so do the risks on the road. I-25 and its interchanges experience significant congestion, as it’s a critical road for daily travel.
To better understand how these traffic patterns affect road safety, we analyzed five years of Colorado Department of Transportation crash data (2020-2024) to identify high collision zones in Castle Rock. Using a geospatial analysis and focusing only on crashes with geocoordinates, we identified where crash concentrations are the highest.
[Interactive Map] Where Crashes Happen Most in Castle Rock
Use the interactive map below to explore the high-crash zones identified in our ranking.
[Table] The Highest Concentration of Crashes in Castle Rock
In the table below, we summarize these areas in Castle Rock with the highest concentration of crashes. Each entry includes a location description, the total number of crashes, the number and share of injury crashes, and any fatalities.
The Three Most Dangerous Areas for Motorists in Castle Rock
Our geospatial analysis revealed nine high-collision areas in Castle Rock that motorists should be aware of – three with more than 200 crashes during the five-year period.
A previous study of ours found that more than half of all crashes in Castle Rock are intersection-related. In this analysis, the three highest-volume crash zones encompass an area that spans several intersections, while the other six are concentrated at a single crossing.
1.) Founders Parkway between Front Street and I-25
The most dangerous, Founders Parkway between Front Street and I-25, saw 285 crashes and 42 injuries from 2020 – 2024. Among all crashes at this location, 14.74% resulted in injury. This area includes traffic from Front St, Allen Way, Meadows Parkway, and to and from I-25.
2.) Meadows Pkwy from Santa Fe Dr to I-25
Just past I-25 on Meadows Parkway lies another high crash zone between Santa Fe Drive and I-25, with 235 crashes, 30 injuries, and 1 fatality. This was the only fatality recorded in Castle Rock during the five-year period. A 49-year-old man died from his injuries after a semi-truck crashed into six cars on Meadows Parkway in February 2020. Authorities suspected alcohol may have been a factor.
3.) Plum Creek Parkway and I-25
Plum Creek Parkway and I-25 came in at third on the list and is the last of the zones we identified with over 200 crashes. This area includes on-ramps and off-ramps to I-25 in both directions as well as the I-25 frontage road and was the site of 233 crashes and 23 injuries – more than twice the crashes that of the next highest-ranked area.
Due to their proximity to I-25, all three of these zones experience heavy congestion, with vehicles frequently accelerating or decelerating to merge or exit, sudden lane changes, and additional traffic from drivers navigating toward nearby plazas.
Zones Concentrated at Single Intersections
Ranked fourth, the area around the intersection of Castle Rock Parkway and Promenade Parkway experienced 91 crashes. However, this zone had the lowest share of injuries at just 4.40%, suggesting that many crashes may be low speed.
In fifth place is the intersection at Fifth Street and Ridge Road, with 73 crashes and 13 injuries. In contrast, this area had a relatively high injury share of 17.81%.
Other high-crash intersections on our list include several located along Founders Parkway:
- The intersection at Founders Parkway and Crowfoot Valley Road, ranked sixth, with 52 crashes, 5 injuries, and an injury share of 9.62%.
- The intersection at Founders Parkway and Trail Boss Drive, ranked seventh, with 49 crashes and 9 injuries. This zone recorded the highest injury share of our ranking at 18.37%.
- The intersection at Founders Parkway and Woodlands Boulevard with 47 crashes, 8 injuries, and an injury share of 17.02%.
Lastly, in our ranking:
- The intersection at Wolfensberger Rd and I-25 with 47 crashes, 8 injuries, and an injury share of 17.02%.
Methodology
We collected all crashes with geocoordinates from 2020 to 2024 from the Colorado Department of Transportation. Using geospatial analysis to group crashes in close proximity, we ranked the Castle Rock zones with the highest concentration of crashes in the five-year period.
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