Chaffee County is developing a Safer Roadways for All Action Plan to make our roads safer for everyone who uses them—residents, commuters, visitors, freight operators, pedestrians, bicyclists, and wildlife alike. The goal of this Action Plan is to undertake a comprehensive traffic safety analysis, engage the Chaffee County community to understand their top traffic safety concerns, and develop an Implementation Plan to work toward safer roads for all. Recommendations will focus on State Highways and County Roads only in Chaffee County.
This effort is funded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program and represents a major, countywide commitment to reducing serious injuries and fatalities on our transportation network.
The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Planning Grant is a federal program led by the Federal Highway Administration that helps communities reduce serious injuries and fatalities on their roadways. Through SS4A, Chaffee County is developing a Safety Action Plan to identify key safety challenges and prioritize projects and strategies to address them.
Since 2022, SS4A has provided $2.9 billion in funding to more than 1,600 communities nationwide. Completing an SS4A Action Plan makes Chaffee County eligible to pursue future federal funding to implement safety improvements.
SS4A is based on a Safe System approach, which acknowledges that people make mistakes and focuses on designing roadways that reduce the risk of serious injury or death for all users.
Between 2020 and 2024 20 people were killed and 109 were seriously injured from vehicle crashes on roadways in Chaffee County. This included 11 people walking or biking. 69% of these crashes occurred on the state highways (US 24, US50, US 285, and CO 291). The goal of this Plan is to bring this number down to zero deaths by 2045.
Additionally, nearly 30% of all crashes in the County were vehicle-wildlife crashes. A key outcome of this plan will also be to significantly mitigate these crash types.
The final Chaffee County Safer Roadways for All Action Plan will include:
This project kicked off in January 2026. A final plan is anticipated by November 2026, with implementation beginning in 2027. There will be opportunities for the community to contribute to the plan during two primary touchpoints: in February/March 2026 and summer 2026.
The best way to participate right now is to complete our brief online survey, which includes an interactive map. Tell us what traffic safety concerns are most important to you and use the interactive maps to drop pins on the locations in the County where you are most concerned about traffic safety.
The project team will be on the ground at different locations throughout the county in February and March to spread the word about the project, direct people to the online survey, and gather input. Stay tuned for event locations.
Tell your friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues about this project. The more people in Chaffee County that complete the online survey, the more the recommendations will reflect the community desires. You can post this message [link] on your social media. OR share the online survey.
Already completed the online survey and spread the word to others? Thank you! Stay tuned for information about our second round of engagement this summer where we will share initial findings and solicit input on draft recommendations prior to completing the Plan by end of year.
In addition to broader public engagement, the project team will be engaging with a stakeholder committee to solicit input and guidance at important milestones throughout the project. The stakeholder committee will include representatives from several key organizations, including police and fire, Colorado State Patrol, schools, the agricultural community, outdoor recreation outfitters, and more.
