Thanks to a new federally funded analysis, the city of Fountain is running the numbers on which of its road features contribute most to traffic accidents.

However, some of the worst offenders are not under the city’s jurisdiction. Of the 13 intersections with the highest crash numbers, nine are operated by the Colorado Department of Transportation.

“I think it’s step one for them to really realize that they are unsafe,” said Abha Dwivedy, a deputy engineer for the city of Fountain, at a presentation on the study Wednesday night.

The study is part of a Federal Highway Administration grant program called Safe Streets for All, which funds local safety plans and implementation to reduce crashes. Tim Roberts, a consultant on the project, said the program methodology was to find ways to mitigate harm.

“It’s not about no crashes,” he said. “It’s about people surviving and having minimum injury and damage.”

According to data compiled for the study, 60% of Fountain crashes occurred at intersections. The worst intersection from 2020 to 2024 by almost a factor of two was Mesa Ridge Parkway and Fountain Mesa Road, with 179 total crashes. Of those, 62 produced injuries, and two were fatal.

The report identifies “approach turn” crashes, or crashes between left-turning vehicles and oncoming traffic, as the most common problem at the intersection. It recommends installing backplates on traffic signals that reflect light, as well as “near side” signals that are to the side instead of overhead.

Dwivedy said that CDOT has made some adjustments on the intersection based on local input.

Decisions about funding and priority are still up to the state.

Of the city’s other high-injury intersections, three are on Mesa Ridge Parkway and five are on Highway 85/Santa Fe Avenue.

Fran Carrick, a Fountain resident, said she wasn’t surprised by the findings. She said the city’s layout creates stressful, highly congested areas around peak travel times.

“Our traffic here in Fountain is wild,” she said.

Mesa Ridge Parkway and Fountain Mesa Boulevard, for example, intersect near Fort Carson Gate 20, an Interstate 25 exit and Mesa Ridge High School.

While the majority of logged crashes happened between two vehicles, crashes involving pedestrians, motorcycles and bicycles were overrepresented in severe injuries and fatalities. Project consultants called them “vulnerable users.”

Only 4% of total crashes involved a motorcycle, but those made up 30% of deaths and injuries. Pedestrians were in just 1% of crashes but represented 11% of deaths and injuries.

The Safety Action Plan will be presented at the Fountain City Council on March 17. The next step would be grant applications to cover identified improvements to city-operated roads.

Expanded results and recommended actions can be found on Fountain’s dedicated Safety Action Plan page.