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Lakewood joins Jefferson County Vision 0 effort, consultant outlines plan to target fatal and serious crashes
Summary
Consultants and Lakewood staff said a Federal Highway Administration planning grant is funding a Vision 0 Safety Action Plan focused on KSI crashes and vulnerable roadway users; the draft will be developed in 2026 with a final plan and implementation guidance in 2027.
Christian Barico, the consultant leading the Jefferson County and Lakewood Vision 0 Safety Action Plan, told the Lakewood City Council on Dec. 1 that the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) planning grant awarded in 2023 supports a data-driven, community-engaged effort to reduce crashes that result in death or serious injury.
“Vision 0 is a transportation strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serious injuries for people using all modes of transportation,” Barico said, describing the plan's safe-systems approach and a six-year crash review the team used to locate high-risk corridors and intersections. He said the analysis draws on crash records from 2019 through 2024 and will be followed by recommendation development, prioritization and community engagement in 2026.
The consultant said the plan will produce a Lakewood-specific Safety Action Plan that identifies prioritized countermeasures and tracks performance over time. Barico highlighted data showing vulnerable roadway users are overrepresented in severe outcomes: “If you combined crashes involving pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists, those accounted for 7 percent of all crashes in Lakewood last year, but 61 percent of KSI crashes,” he said.
Barico and Kelly Dunn, Lakewood's project manager in public works, pointed to major corridors — US 6, Colfax and Wadsworth — as areas where KSI crashes concentrate and described upcoming community touch points, including a virtual public meeting on Dec. 11 and a second phase of engagement tied to draft recommendations in 2026. The consultant said the final Safety Action Plan and implementation guidance are expected in 2027.
Dunn said Lakewood staff will use the plan to identify funding opportunities and conceptual designs for high-priority improvements and that the city will receive a stand-alone Lakewood plan within the regional process. Mike Whitaker, the city's transportation engineer, said staff and the consultant will return to council with interim updates and noted the plan is intended to complement, not replace, ongoing traffic-calming work.
Next steps: the consultant will complete project development and prioritization in spring 2026, produce a draft plan for public review in 2026, and present a final plan and adoption request in 2027.
