Colorado state officials have disclosed that a rural highway, U.S. 287 and Red Mountain Rd., was already earmarked for safety enhancements well before the recent tragic incident where three University of Wyoming student-athletes lost their lives and two others were injured. According to Jared Fiel, the communications manager for the Colorado Department of Transportation in northeast Colorado, the intersection's left turn onto Red Mountain had been a particularly worrisome spot.

In the last two decades, there have been nine significant safety improvement projects conducted along the Highway 287 corridor, which included the installation of rumble strips and cable rail. However, despite these efforts, an average of 62 crashes have occurred annually, prompting CDOT to undertake a comprehensive study which spanned 30 miles from Ted's Place to the Colorado-Wyoming border.

This study, which was nearing completion just before the fatal crash, will now have the incident factored into its final report before being released. Fiel mentioned that with the recent tragedy resulting in three fatalities, their focus has shifted to prioritizing the implementation of safety measures along the highway.