What’s Up With the Hellish I-225 Corridor in Aurora?

The death merge. Hell on Earth. The worst-designed road in the Denver metro area. Those are just a few of the things drivers have called the half-mile stretch of South Parker Road in Aurora that merges onto Interstate 225.

When driving northwest on Parker, the road quickly splits off into four directions. The lucky few continuing on Parker can simply stick to the left three lanes. But if you’re looking to go onto I-225 north or south, you have a matter of seconds to cut across up to four lanes of traffic to make the on-ramps, all the while dodging drivers from East Hampden Avenue who are funnelled into the right lanes to make the same mad dash. If, God forbid, you’re turning onto Vaughn Way, you have about half the distance to make the move.

The wild gauntlet has long been well-known to locals, but frustrations flared this past weekend.

A three-vehicle crash occurred at the junction at around 11 a.m. on November 22. Despite the sunny, low-traffic conditions, two of the vehicles collided so violently that one ended up on top of the other. It was the third major collision within just sixteen hours on I-225 in Aurora.

Many residents on social media were quick to blame the road for the calamities. However, officials aren’t so sure. The Colorado Department of Transportation notes that despite the bad weekend, general crash data does not indicate that the junction is especially hazardous.

“The last three years of crash data for this area reflect trends we typically see on congested urban highways,” says Maddie Garbalagtys, spokesperson for CDOT. “Safety is CDOT’s top priority, and we review crash data regularly to understand trends and identify places where improvements could help.”

Notably, only one of the three weekend collisions actually occurred within the South Parker Road junction; the other two happened miles north on the interstate. This fact was confused by the Aurora Police Department posting a stock image of vehicle wreckage at the junction on social media, though the department was announcing an entirely separate collision.

Looking at Each I-225 Crash

The first crash occurred at 7:30 p.m. on November 21 on southbound I-225 near East 17th Place, around six miles from the junction, according to APD. Three vehicles were involved and two people were taken to the hospital.

The next crash happened in approximately the same spot, at around 8:30 a.m. on November 22. Two vehicles were involved; three adults and one ten-year-old child were injured. The child remains hospitalized in critical condition as of November 26, according to APD.

The junction crash came less than three hours later, on South Parker Road, shortly ahead of the I-225 on-ramps. No one was injured, according to APD.

Neither CDOT nor APD have any immediate plans to adjust the I-225 corridor or traffic enforcement in the area following the crashes.

“We will continue to monitor the corridor closely. If our analysis identifies opportunities for enhancements, we’ll evaluate potential safety improvements as part of that process,” Garbalagtys says. “Congestion often contributes to situations where behaviors like following too closely, distracted driving, and aggressive lane changes lead to crashes.”

Gabby Easterwood, public information officer for APD, says the I-225 corridor “is already a regular focus for our officers.”

“We’ll continue to adjust enforcement as trends or problem areas emerge,” Easterwood says. “APD continually reviews where our traffic enforcement efforts are most needed. …At the same time, there’s an important element of personal responsibility in these crashes. We’re asking drivers to slow down, stay alert, and always wear a seatbelt.”

APD has not revealed the specific circumstances that contributed to each of the crashes.

APD directed Westword to file an open records request to get more information. An automated response to the request said it would take approximately six to eight weeks to process.