Drivers in Wheat Ridge are anxious about new continuous flow intersections on Wadsworth Boulevard designed to improve traffic flow.
WHEAT RIDGE, Colo — After four years of construction, a major project on Wadsworth Boulevard is nearing completion, and the final design is raising concerns among some drivers.
The first continuous flow intersection, or CFI, at Wadsworth Boulevard and 38th Avenue is scheduled opened Tuesday morning.
A second CFI, at Wadsworth and 44th Avenue, is expected to open in a week.
As the orange construction barrels come down, some nearby drivers say they are nervous about what comes next.
“I just see head-on accidents happening,” Carol Cortez said. “That’s what I see.”
The new design moves left-turning traffic across opposing lanes before vehicles reach the main intersection. By shifting those movements in advance, through-traffic and left turns can move at the same time. Transportation officials say the goal is to reduce delays, improve efficiency and lower the risk of crashes by eliminating extra signal phases.
Even so, some residents say the design feels confusing.
“It seems like you’re turning from the wrong lane, and you have to know how many intersections back you have to be to turn left, so yeah, it seems very confusing,” Cortez said.
She shared her frustration on a post announcing the changes on the Wheat Ridge government Facebook page.
“So you completely ruined Wadsworth,” she wrote.
Others echoed similar concerns online. Jeanne Malera said she has tried to understand how the new layout will work.
“I’ve looked at the diagrams, and I still don’t understand how it makes it easier,” Malera said.
City officials acknowledge the design might take time to get used to. Amanda Harrison, the city’s public information officer, said CFIs are intended to improve traffic flow and safety along busy corridors.
“People are learning, this is something new to learn, and hopefully once they figure it out, it’ll be a little bit easier,” Harrison said.
Some drivers shared positive feedback about similar designs elsewhere.
“I was one of the people against these intersections but have grown to like them as they get me through the intersection faster,” one driver wrote online.
Harrison said the city expects a learning curve but believes drivers will adjust quickly.
“I think they’re going to get used to it fairly quickly, and once they’re used to it, I think they’ll be very appreciative,” she said. “It’s going to make left-hand turns so much easier.”
For now, some drivers said they plan to avoid the area if possible.
“Honestly, I see myself just trying to avoid it as much as possible,” Cortez said.
“We’ll figure it out I guess,” Melara said.
The Wadsworth project stretches from 35th Avenue to Interstate 70, with the two new continuous flow intersections anchoring the improvements. The corridor will also include new raised medians, a continuous sidewalk on one side, a multi-use path on the other, additional through-lanes in both directions and extensive landscaping with more than 30,000 plants, shrubs and trees.
Construction on the project began in November 2021. City officials expect it to be substantially complete by the end of the year, with the full corridor upgrade finished by spring 2026.
303-268-3957
Service Areas
