School zone will be added along Barnes in Colorado Springs after tragic crash involving teenage student

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Following a tragic crash that claimed the life of a 17-year-old student this week, D-11 and Colorado Springs city officials announced Thursday that a school zone would be added along Barnes Road.

The announcement was made during a news conference on Thursday. You can watch a replay of the news conference at the top of this article.

Officials said there is no timeline on the implementation of the school zone yet, but said they are working to take action as soon as possible. Officials added that they will also be reevaluating areas near other high schools in the city to see if a school zone might make a difference.

City officials told 11 News Wednesday that historically, the city’s approach was not to place school zones in front of high schools. Police said that there have been 22 crashes in the area of Doherty High School since 2021, two of which involved a pedestrian crossing Barnes.

“It’s terrible that we have this senseless tragedy that brings us here today,” D11 Superintendent Michael Gaal said, “but we will build on this opportunity in partnership, as a community, to ensure that all schools, not just District 11, but all schools within our county and our region are afforded the opportunity to know that they can get to and get from school in a safe way.”

Since Wednesday’s fatal crash, a petition requesting action to increase safety near Doherty--including a potential overpass or underpass walkway to the school--has gained over 500 signatures. D-11 officials said once the school zone is implemented, if safety needs to be enhanced further they will then have conversations regarding these measures.

Click here for more coverage on the deadly crash from Wednesday morning. The crash happened outside Doherty High School, which is located near Barnes Road and Austin Bluffs Parkway.

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