JEFFERSON COUNTY – The Colorado Department of Transportation said Monday it would make changes to a dangerous stretch of US Highway 285. That’s after two people died in a crash Saturday and then a second accident Sunday briefly closed Highway 285 at the same location: Shaffers Crossing.

Sunday’s accident occurred about 3 p.m., according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. It was not immediately clear whether there were any injuries.

The crash came a day after two people riding a motorcycle collided with an SUV in the same area. Both motorcyclists were killed, and the road was closed for several hours on Saturday.

People living in the area said they’ve been fighting for years to get CDOT to make some kind of safety improvements to that stretch of highway. “No one wants to see anyone get injured and we want to keep everybody safe,” Sharon Smith said.

CDOT said it will install a barrier … a 700-foot long concrete median wall to help save lives. “The time is terribly sad,” said CDOT spokeswoman Amy Ford. Ironically we had on the books our last solution to identify some of the safety concerns by adding a barrier there on 285.”

The highway department hopes to start work on the barrier by the end of this year.