Driving You Crazy: Why is the Bromley exit from eastbound I-76 still a three-way stop sign?

Rob from Commerce City writes, “What's driving you crazy? Why is the Bromley exit from eastbound I-76 still a three way stop sign? At rush hour this ramp backs up and infuriatingly some drivers do not know how a three-way stop works, so there's always a possibility you may get hit if you're not careful. Are there plans to upgrade this interchange?”

Yes Rob, there are upgrades planned here. It will, however, not come from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), even though this is an intersection maintained by the state.

There have been proposals made between the State of Colorado, Adams County and the City of Brighton to improve this area. One of the ideas from a few years ago was to create a couple of roundabouts on both sides of the bridge similar to the one on Bromley Lane at North Frontage Road. Since CDOT has jurisdiction over interstates I started there, asking what the agency would like to see happen here. I was told that CDOT has looked into adding traffic signals on both the eastbound and westbound ramps, however, funding has not been identified to add the signals.

The City of Brighton was basically told the same thing. Instead of not doing anything, I was told city leaders believe for safety and mobility reasons, they will still move forward with the installation of two new traffic signals — one at each end of the Interstate 76 off-ramps without CDOT and pay for it themselves.

“The City of Brighton has evaluated the I-76 interchange, and given that CDOT is responsible for the widening of the overpass and improvements to the ramps, the City has decided to move forward with supporting the design of replacing the stop signs and adding new signals to the interchange,” Director of Public Works Greg Labrie said.

MORE: Read more traffic issues driving people crazy

When talking with Labrie, I picked up on the same frustrations expressed to me by other public works departments in the past — about how CDOT seems to have shifted priorities away from funding certain roadway projects and toward funding transit or alternative transportation projects. I’ve had lengthy conversations with public works departments telling me, in some cases, even money for projects with final record of decision funding weren’t started as CDOT diverted the money to something else.

“It is important to note that other municipalities have taken similar steps, and I appreciate Mr. Luber for sharing this information,” Labrie said. “We're exploring the best path forward to ensure safety and improved traffic flow in our area. We hope to continue working collaboratively with CDOT on this project, but ultimately, local funding may be needed to make it happen."

This local funding of what should be state responsibilities, I’m told, is happening far more frequently. For years, CDOT had plans to finish widening Santa Fe (US 85) between Sedalia and Castle Rock which included adding a traffic signal at Daniels Park Road. After waiting and waiting and hearing the line that funding has not been identified for far too long, the County used their own money to install the traffic signal which has made the intersection dramatically safer.

I asked CDOT Communications Director Matt Inzeo about this, but he never really answered the question.

“As Colorado’s population continues to grow, particularly along the Front Range, maintaining our transportation infrastructure will need to be a coordinated effort between local communities, who approve new developments and maintain local roads, and the state," Inezo said. "In these cases, we often look for partnership opportunities with our local communities and developers to support needed improvements.”

As for the new traffic signals, the City of Brighton said it's planning on funding the re-design of the ramp intersections as well as the final design of the traffic signal configuration. However, city leadersare still talking with CDOT, looking for them to help with paying for some, if not most of the project. At this point, that appears unlikely.

“On average, it costs about $1 million to install a new traffic signal, other factors such as right of way acquisition can add additional costs,” Inzeo said. “This specific location at I-76 and Bromley would require modification to the interchange and re-alignment of the ramps in order to accommodate a signal, potentially adding several million dollars to the cost. CDOT is always willing to evaluate a specific area’s needs.”

“We plan to release a Request for Proposal for the design of this project in the next few months, with the goal of initiating the design of the signals in late summer or early fall,” Labrie said. That would mean the earliest the signals could be up and operating would be sometime in 2026 or 2027.

In the meantime CDOT suggests, “motorists need to abide by the rules of an all-way stop.”

Denver7 Traffic Expert Jayson Luber says he has been covering Denver-metro traffic since Ben-Hur was driving a chariot. (We believe the actual number is over 25 years.) He's obsessed with letting viewers know what's happening on their drive and the best way to avoid the problems that spring up. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or listen to his award winning Driving You Crazy podcast on any podcast app including iTunes, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Podbean, or YouTube.