WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 19, 2024
VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 41
Why more traffic signals are in the works for Parker BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
With so many road construction projects across Parker, drivers might not want to hear that more are on the way. The town, which says construction is necessary to improve safety, is moving forward with two new traffic signals. The traffic signals at the intersection of Dransfeldt Road and Parkglenn Way and at Hess Road and Tammy Way are estimated to cost almost $1 million. While that seems like a big price tag for two intersections, town Councilmember Brandi Wilks said it is a matter of looking at the costs of accidents over time versus the signals. “It’s a question of which one’s going to save us more in the long run,” said Wilks. “I think the traffic signals definitely save us in the long run.” Both intersections are high traffic areas. The Parker Police Department is located near the Dransfeldt Road intersection and Hess Road and Tammy Way intersection sees heavy truck traffic, with public works and a Douglas County operations center nearby. Although the intersections have been on the town’s radar for years, Chris Hudson, deputy director of engineering, recently told the town
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Academic recovery across school districts is mixed, with persistent achievement gaps BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
destrian volumes, accident history or safe gaps in traffic. Meeting one warrant from the manual does not obligate the town to install a traffic signal. “We’ve had kind of a rash of accidents at the intersection of Parkglenn and Dransfeldt over the past three to four years,” said Tom Williams, director of engineering and public works. He added that drivers tend to become impatient at the intersection,
The latest release of standardized test score results provide a glimpse into how well students across the metro area are doing. The data shows they’re still rebounding from the effects of the pandemic, and many students are struggling with the basics, including reading and math. For instance, the Colorado Measures of Academic Success, or CMAS, results show only a third of students at Adams Five Star Schools meet grade-level standards in math. And, a little more than half of third through eighth-graders in Jefferson County Schools achieved grade level or above in reading scores. In both examples, the scores are a little higher than the year before, a common trend in the tests, which measure proficiency in districts across Colorado. Growth scores are calculated on a 100-point scale based on their grade level. Numbers greater than 50 indicate that struggling students below
SEE SIGNALS, P8
SEE CMAS, P7
The Town of Parker will move forward with the construction of two traffic lights at two intersections: one at Dransfeldt Road and Parkglenn Way and another at Hess PHOTO BY HALEY LENA Road and Tammy Lane.
council that the two intersections finally meet the minimum federal requirements for a traffic signal to be installed. Traffic engineers in the town follow the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices to meet certain warrants for the appropriate use of traffic signals. It’s required by state law to compare each situation with national standards through traffic studies. Several factors go into a study, said Andy Anderson, communications director. Factors include vehicle, pe-
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