Broomfield updates safety plan, eyes Vision Zero alignment and federal grant eligibility

Broomfield City staff on Tuesday updated the City Council on a Transportation Safety Action Plan that uses 2021–2023 crash data and a “safe systems” approach to prioritize street-level improvements and programs.

The plan, presented by Bryce Hammerton, Broomfield traffic engineer and project manager, and consultant Alicia Zimmerman of Fox Tuttle, is being prepared to meet requirements of the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) planning grant and to make Broomfield eligible for future federal implementation funding. City staff asked council for direction on aligning the plan with regional Vision Zero targets and on next steps, including roadway safety audits and targeted intersection screening.

Hammerton and the consultant team emphasized that the plan focuses on severe outcomes — fatal and serious-injury crashes — and combines multiple data sources to identify locations and countermeasures. The analysis uses Broomfield’s crash reports plus Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) data, and applies Colorado-specific safety performance functions to prioritize intersections by “excess crash cost,” a monetized measure that helps compare improvement potential across sites. “If there’s anything to walk away with from this presentation, it is to start thinking about what direction Broomfield should be going and how we can get there when it comes to addressing transportation safety,” Hammerton said.

The presentation showed several early findings: severe outcome crashes rose in 2023; about 50% of severe crashes in Broomfield occurred on state highways or arterials (which will require coordination with CDOT); 74% of crashes occur at intersections; vulnerable road users — pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists — are overrepresented among severe outcomes (for some groups the share of severe outcomes is many times their share of all crashes); and behavioral factors such as distracted and careless driving are common contributing factors. “Crashes aren’t just statistics,” Alicia Zimmerman said. “Every crash is impactful to those who it occurs to, their families, and also our community.”

Council members asked for more specifics. Councilmember Leslie urged interim numerical targets so progress can be tracked, noting the presentation included an average of about 5.5 traffic fatalities per year and recommending a stepped reduction (for example: 5 to 4 to 3 to 2 to 0) rather than an open-ended “eventual zero.” Councilmember Henkel asked how the SS4A grant works; Sarah Grant, Broomfield transportation manager, explained SS4A is a federal U.S. Department of Transportation program with planning and implementation categories and an 80/20 cost share for most planning awards. Councilmembers also pressed staff for follow-up on specific trends the team flagged, including a cluster of alcohol‑related crashes on Sheridan at 120th Avenue; consultant Joe Olson (Next Phase Engineering) confirmed that location “jumps out” in the data and will be examined further during roadway safety audits.

Staff described next steps that will feed the final plan: more intersection screening, roadway safety audits at prioritized locations, development of a project/prioritization list tied to potential federal implementation grant eligibility, and continued public engagement. Staff said the draft plan will return for council adoption in October, at which point council will see recommended strategies, proposed safety targets and proposed measures of effectiveness.

Council members were broadly supportive of aligning Broomfield’s mission with regional Vision Zero goals but sought more granular interim targets and clarification of where Broomfield can act without CDOT partnership. Multiple members recommended that staff bring back location-level recommendations and anticipated costs so council can prioritize funding and grant applications.

Staff will continue community outreach through the Broomfield project webpage and public events and proceed with roadway safety audits and targeted engineering reviews. The Transportation Safety Action Plan will be refined with audit results and programmatic recommendations before returning to council for adoption in October.

Notes: The SS4A program referenced is the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All program; CDOT and the Denver Regional Council of Governments’ Vision Zero targets were discussed as alignment points; staff emphasized that many high‑severity locations are on state highways and will require CDOT coordination.