CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — As Douglas County continues to grow, some residents are concerned about the county's plan for road infrastructure.
Following a fatal crash on I-25 on May 15 that shut down the highway for hours, many people expressed frustration and concerns. More than 100 people commented on a story about that crash on the Denver7's Facebook, and several emailed Denver7 Douglas County Reporter Tyler Melito directly, with comments sharing their experiences waiting in the traffic and voicing concerns about the county's growth plan as traffic was diverted into nearby neighborhoods.
▶️ WATCH: Denver7's Tyler Melito takes community concerns over development to officials
Rachel Pellersels was one of those residents who commented online.
"What if there's a medical emergency and somebody needs help? What if it's traffic is so backed up that nobody can move over far enough," Pellersels said.
She has watched Castle Rock change significantly since she first moved there at age 11.
"When I first moved here, coming south on I-25, coming over the hill into Castle Rock, you had that small town feel," Pellersels said.
Now, as she raises her kids in the community, she says the growth has become overwhelming.
"It just feels like it's overpopulated, it's over-built," Pellersels said.
Denver7 took Pellersels' and other resident's concerns directly to Zeke Lynch, Douglas County's assistant director of public works.
Lynch told Melito the county's 2050 Transportation Plan is part of a broader effort to improve infrastructure as more and more people move there.
The main priority is to ensure the county's roads are able to handle more cars using them and provide options for residents to get to other parts of the state.
"Our 2050 transportation plan is a component of our comprehensive master plan, so we start with looking at the land use and what likely growth patterns might be developing in the future," Lynch said.
Lynch said the county follows a careful process when deciding where to invest.
"We have a very deliberate planning process for transportation investment," Lynch said.
Public input has also played a significant role in shaping the plan.
"Twenty-five percent of this is public comment, and so any resident that has made a comment during the planning process over the last 14 months, you can see how we addressed your comment," Lynch said.
You can see the various comments the county received for the plan on their website.
Lynch said the county is also focused on building a system that can adapt over time.
"We really want to look at how can we provide a transportation system that's resilient not only to future growth, but also to changes in travel patterns," Lynch said.
Part of that is also through transparency, with websites dedicated to current projects as well as funding.
Lynch told Denver7 they receive emails constantly and try to respond as quickly as possible.
The county also has a page where residents can send questions, comments or concerns to a specific department.
For Pellersels, the planning process is welcome — but she remains concerned about the financial impact on residents.
"If they can fix it without, you know, like, significantly raising taxpayers, great, but if they're going to raise our taxes, it's not fair," Pellersels said.
Lynch said the county is working to strike the right balance.
"Our best intentions are to have a good prioritization of projects, and have a good funding stream that matches those priorities," Lynch said.
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