MORRISON, Colo. (KDVR) — Highway 285 is one of the main connections between Denver and Colorado’s mountain communities, but locals say it’s becoming increasingly dangerous.
Longtime resident Josh Trask recently captured video of a semi-truck’s brakes smoking as it traveled down the highway.
“I got to Windy Point, which is a few miles back from where I took the video, and there was a wall of smoke. I could smell the burning brakes and so I just kept following the smoke down the hill, and then I sa,w as I got down to Hidden Hills, this truck just looked like he was on fire,” Trask said.
The winding road is notorious for its steep grades and sharp curves. Bill Bruner, with the 285 Improvements Committee, has spent the past decade pushing for safety upgrades.
“It’s a multi-grade road, so the grade changes all the time, and then there’s really some pretty good-sized curves besides that,” Bruner said. “If you don’t understand the physics behind that, the braking that it takes, you’re in trouble before you even know it.”
The Colorado Department of Transportation has added passing lanes and new signage in recent years. But Bruner said more enforcement — and potentially new legislation — is needed.
“In the statehouse, they are talking about passing a bill that would require a mountain driver’s license to be able to do stuff in the state, and I think that that’s a very good idea because you get people from Kansas or Nebraska or Texas that aren’t used to driving in these conditions, they have no idea what they are doing,” Bruner said.
Until more changes are made, advocates and locals say it’s up to every driver to treat 285 with caution.
“Watch your speed, because you just don’t realize how tight some of the curves are,” Bruner said.
“285, I mean, it kind of feels like NASCAR these days, people are always going very, very fast,” Trask said.
“Slow down, and prepare, just because you have four-wheel drive doesn’t mean you’re going to slow down any quicker,” Trask added.
Law enforcement continues to remind heavy truck drivers to monitor their speed and use runaway ramps if brakes overheat — because out here, one bad decision can be deadly.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
