FORT COLLINS, Colorado – An intersection in Fort Collins will soon look very different.
On Friday, city staff and volunteers began applying paint for their asphalt art project at the intersection of Magnolia, Canyon and Sherwood. The paint is intended to be a cost-effective and quick way to make intersections safer.
The city chose this five-lane crossing after residents heard about its safety.
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“We are improving the intersection by adding curb extensions with asphalt art in this expanded area. With these curb extensions, we are effectively expanding the pedestrian space, creating the canvas for our art,” said Cortney Geary, Active Modes Manager for the City of Fort Collins. “It really helps shorten crossing distances for pedestrians, reduce their exposure to traffic, and make the intersection more usable for everyone.”
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This intersection was chosen by residents who complained about its size, the length of the zebra crossings and the confusing right-of-way rules.
“Fortunately, there have been no accidents here in the last five years, but we’ve heard a lot about perceived safety issues. When you walk, bike or drive through the intersection, you have to look around almost 360 degrees to see vehicles and other road users coming from four different directions,” Geary said.
Watch a time-lapse of the project in the video player below:
Time lapse: Asphalt art in Fort Collins
Bloomberg Philanthropies believes asphalt art can make intersections safer. The organization has awarded $25,000 grants to Fort Collins and 24 other cities to redesign unsafe or confusing intersections.
In a 2022 study, the company found that the use of asphalt art reduced the total number of accidents by 17% and the number of accidents involving pedestrians by 50%.
Certainly safer, but can the asphalt art of redesign also do some good?
Jess Bean, a local muralist, was the lead artist for the overall design of this 1,500 square meter street mural.
“Intersections can be beautiful. Public art changes the flow of things, the way people interact with them and the joy they experience throughout their day,” Bean said.
Something happy that was made possible by the hard work of community members.
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“I just think it’s great that this opportunity to get involved in the project helps people take ownership of our public space. Our streets are the largest public space in the city. And this opportunity for people to come out and participate with us in the redesign, I think, gives them a sense that the streets are there for the people and they can have an influence on their redesign,” Geary said.
Fort Collins is expecting 170 volunteers to help with the painting over three days, with the project expected to be completed on Sunday.
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