A project to widen highway 287 to two lanes in each direction between Broomfield to Laporte is finally nearing completion after getting its start back in the 1990s. The last leg of the project will take another two years and will include a vastly expanded 287 between Terry Lake Road and 287B, culminating in a ginormous roundabout at the Laporte Bypass intersection.
The proposed roundabout for the Laporte Bypass intersection.
From the looks of it, all right turns will avoid the roundabout entirely. Because a lot of trucks travel this route between Fort Collins and Laramie, Wyoming, the left hand turn along 287 south from Laramie will be large and easy to navigate in a big rig.
What’s not at all clear is what the sidewalks will look like at the roundabout.
CDOT description of the sidewalk along highway 287.
The available documentation for this project shows that sidewalks will be included. What it doesn’t show is how those sidewalks are going to intersect with the roundabout. Given the number of big rigs passing through the Laporte Bypass, and the fact that there won’t be a light there to stop them, it’s a little unclear how pedestrians will safely navigate the intersection. Flashing lights might be in order.
It may also be a little unsettling as a bicyclist to travel through the roundabout. While it is always safest to travel through a roundabout by riding in the center of the travel lane, having a big rig bear down on you while you’re within the circle could be pretty nerve rattling.