One of the Most Dangerous Curves in Colorado Getting Upgrade

A project on Colorado Highway 550 will bringing a lot of relief to travelers who have to take a nasty turn. The $1.5 million put towards the project will go along way towards peace of mind and much fewer serious crashes.

Having such a pretty name for the curve, you would think it's a nice, meandering kind of turn; it is not. In 2024 alone, the curve saw two semis crash due to the curve, shutting down the highway.

Truckers will be able to breathe easier, along with their families, and other travelers who won't be detoured due to a big crash.

Colorado Highway 550 Near Purgatory Ski Resort Being Upgraded

Even if you're not an avid skier in Colorado, you've heard of Purgatory; maybe it's because of the haunting name. Purgatory Resort is located just north of Durango in the San Juan Mountains, along Colorado Highway 550.

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If you're traveling south towards the Durango area, or north up to Silverton, you need to take the Cascade Curve, named so because it's above Cascade Creek. That curve has seen a lot of crashes, mostly by semis trying to traverse the turn.

Safety Improvements to Cascade Curve in Colorado by December 2024

From September through November of 2024, CDOT will be installing new guardrails along the curve, a larger permanent concrete barrier that's anchored to the highway itself.

From CDOT about the project:

This stretch of highway has a steep grade and therefore requires extra measures of safety. Guardrails can operate to deflect a vehicle back to the roadway, slow the vehicle down to a complete stop, or, in certain circumstances, slow the vehicle down and then let it proceed past the guardrail.

CDLLife.com, a site dedicated to over-the-road truckers, calls Cascade Curve "infamous," so you know it's on their radar, especially recently, after two semis went through/over the existing guardrail system between April and June of 2024.