In February of 2026, a plan went public that aims to address ongoing concerns that have been expressed by residents of the Town of Bow Mar, Colorado, which is located just northeast of Littleton. It involves using a gate system to block non-residents from driving on some public roads, and per recent reporting from KDVR, plans seem to be moving forward.

The residents’ concerns seem to stem from cut-through traffic and speeding on Bow Mar streets, as detailed in a letter published on the town’s website dated September 2025. The concern comes from a significant increase in the number of vehicles traveling through the town in recent years, with a study showing that one of the roads involved in the plan had a 51 percent increase in southbound traffic between 2017 and 2025.

In order to block non-residents from entering parts of the town, it was proposed that gates utilizing RFID technology could be used. Per the February 2026 proposal, residents would be given passes for their vehicles and could also use an app, while visitors and delivery personnel could use codes. Emergency vehicles would be able to enter via a ‘strobe sensor’ or a universal key.

Per the KDVR report, two gate locations have been approved thus far – one on the Sheridan Boulevard and Sunset Drive roundabout, just south of West Hampden, and a second on the Prospect Street to West Belleview Avenue roundabout. Meanwhile, a closure of the connection between Tufts Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard has been approved, too.

It’s worth noting that these changes wouldn’t make all roads in Bow Mar inaccessible to the general public, though it would be much less convenient to drive through the town on a cut-through route. Mapping shows that these gates and the closure point are in an area that’s primarily residential. According to the KDVR report, less-extreme traffic measures have been utilized in the past – speed bumps and stop signs, for example – though they were not successful in reducing dangerous driving.

There’s no timeline for the gates yet, with the aforementioned February 2026 project report estimating that costs would be between $333,354 and $455,225 to add the two approved gates.

Bow Mar is a statutory town located in Arapahoe and Jefferson counties with a population of about 850 residents. Its namesake utilized that of two nearby lakes – Bowles Lake and Marston Lake.

Find a full in-depth report from KDVR on this topic here and find information published by the Town of Bowmar here.

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