Project Background

Huerfano County is developing a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, which aims to identify solutions to reduce the potential for serious injuries on roads throughout the county. The Safety Action Plan uses a combination of data and community input to identify and prioritize roadway safety improvements that address safety challenges for all roadway users in Huerfano County. The county invites anyone who lives or works in Walsenburg, La Veta, Cuchara, Gardner, or elsewhere in Huerfano County to share concerns and ideas to improve roadway safety.

What is Safe Streets for All?

  • Federal Program

    The US Department of Transportation started the Safe Streets for All program to fund projects that prevent serious injuries and deaths on roads.

  • Grant Funding

    Huerfano County received federal grant money to develop a Safety Action Plan.

  • Public Input

    We need your input to identify safety issues on Huerfano County roadways.

  • Next Steps

    Once the Safety Action Plan is complete, Huerfano County will be eligible to apply for additional federal grants to implement identified safety improvements.

What We Heard

During the first round of public engagement, we heard from 136 people including conversations with people at community events, local stakeholders, and online respondents.

Top Safety Concerns
  • Driver speed
  • Pedestrian and bicycle safety
  • Oversized vehicle behavior (including trucks and trailers or RV units)
  • Line of sight – blind curves and visibility of oncoming traffic
Top Safety Priorities & Improvements
  • Speed limit enforcement and more law enforcement presence
  • Safer street crossings – including the addition of crosswalks in some areas and improved crosswalks, such as the addition of Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB)
  • Addition of sidewalks and multi-use pathways near downtown areas and schools
Top Roadway Concerns
  • Junction of US-160 & CO-12 (between La Veta & Walsenburg)
  • Highway 12 through La Veta – Downtown area
  • CO –12 near Cuchara (The Wall)
  • Highway 69 in Gardner
  • 7th & Main in Walsenburg

Safety Concerns

The project team heard from residents across Huerfano County including the communities of Walsenburg, La Veta, Cuchara, and Gardner. Community members shared their feedback on an interactive map, placing comments related to bicycle and pedestrian safety, roadway concerns, intersection safety, and areas where speeding vehicles is a concern. The map pins below reflect comments and concerns that were shared by the community during the first phase of public engagement for the project.


Overall there were 17 comments placed on the map in the following areas:

Intersection Concerns: 7 comments

Roadway Concerns: 4 comments

Speeding Vehicles: 3 comments

Bike/Pedestrian Safety: 2 comments

Other Comments: 1 comment