US 24 and 285 in Colorado
US 24 in Colorado
| US 24 | |||
| Get started | Min turn | ||
| End | Burlington | ||
| Length | 323 mi | ||
| Length | 520 km | ||
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According to indexdotcom, US 24 is a US Highway in the US state of Colorado. The road forms an east-west route through the center and east of the state, from Minturn on Interstate 70, through the Rocky Mountains to Colorado Springs, and from Limon double -numbered with I-70 to the Kansas border at Burlington. The entire route is 520 kilometers long.
Travel directions
US 24/285 at Buenavista.
US 24/285 near Trout Creek Pass.
US 24 at Manitou Springs.
At the village of Minturn, near Vail, US 24 begins to connect with Interstate 70, the highway from Denver to Grand Junction. US 24 runs through a high mountain valley to the southeast, reaching the 3,117-foot Tennessee Pass, also the Continental Divide, the watershed between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The road then descends to Leadville, a small town at 3100 meters altitude. The surrounding mountains reach over 4000 meters, but are not so massive due to the relatively small difference in height between valley and top. US 24 then begins a descent to Buena Vista, a small town where US 285from Salida merge onto US24, after which both roads converge for about 20 kilometers northeast, over Trout Creek Pass. One then arrives at a dry plateau, where the South Platte River rises. Via Wilkerson Pass, US 24 takes a long route to the city of Colorado Springs.
From Divide, the US 24 has 2×2 lanes, and after 40 kilometers you reach Colorado Springs, a larger city with 372,000 inhabitants. In Colorado Springs one crosses Interstate 25, the highway from Albuquerque and Pueblo to Denver. It also crosses US 85 and US 87, which are double-numbered with I-25. Around Colorado Springs, the landscape also changes dramatically, from high mountains to vast, treeless plains. These plains are high, around 2100 meters. To the east it decreases slowly. This area is lonely with only some deserted villages. After about 100 kilometers you reach Limon, a village and crossroads in eastern Colorado. Here US 24 merges into Interstate 70, the highway out of Denver. From the I-70, the US 40 and US 287 also turn off, which lead to Lamar in the southeast. One descends through the desolate landscape to an altitude of about 1,500 meters, and at Seibert the US 24 turns off the I-70, to run parallel to Burlington one kilometer away. This is about 50 kilometers, and the US 24 opens up about 5 villages. In the larger village of Burlington you cross the US 385, the road from Lamar to Julesburg. US 24 then rejoins I-70, then crosses the Kansas border.
History
Created in 1926, US 24 did not yet pass directly through Colorado. In 1936, US 24 was extended from Kansas City to Grand Junction in western Colorado. In 1975 this was shortened to Minturn, because otherwise there were too many double numbers west of Minturn, the US 6 is also double numbered with the I-70. In 1974 and 1975, US 24 east of Limon lost its through importance as I-70 opened.
Manitou Springs’ two-mile freeway bypass was opened to traffic on October 23, 1969.
Traffic intensities
17,000 to 22,000 vehicles drive daily at Minturn, which then quickly drops to just 2,100 vehicles over Tennessee Pass. The rest of the route to Woodland Park has 3,000 to 8,000 vehicles. The last part to Colorado Springs is a lot busier with 25,000 to 45,000 vehicles. East of Colorado Springs toward Limon, there are 2,300 to 3,600 vehicles. There are typically fewer than 1,000 vehicles running parallel to I-70.
US 285 in Colorado
| US 285 | |||
| Get started | San Antonio | ||
| End | Denver | ||
| Length | 263 mi | ||
| Length | 423 km | ||
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US 285 is a US Highway in the US state of Colorado. It is a major highway in the central part of the state that runs from San Antonio on the New Mexico border to the state capital Denver. US 285 runs north-south through the Rocky Mountains. The highest point is the Kenosha Pass at 3,048 meters above sea level. In Denver, the road is partially a freeway. The road is 423 kilometers long.
Travel directions
US 24/285 at Buena Vista.
US 24/285 near Trout Creek Pass.
Rocky Mountains
At San Antonio, US 285 crosses the New Mexico-Colorado border. This area is a very wide valley at about 2300 meters altitude. One passes through circular irrigation agricultural areas, and the road runs almost straight through it. After 55 kilometers you arrive in the regional town of Alamosa, where US 285 turns west. To the east is US 160, which runs to Walsenburg on I-25, 115 kilometers to the east. The westbound direction is maintained until Monte Vista, where one again turns due north. Straight west, US 160 goes to Durango, the main town in southwestern Colorado, 215 miles away.
One comes again through the plains of the San Luis Valley, with circular irrigation. In the distance, the high mountains are visible, and from Saguache you enter an increasingly narrow valley. You then arrive at Poncha Pass, which lies at an altitude of 2745 meters. You then enter the valley of Salida, through which flows the Arkansas River, one of the larger tributaries of the Mississippi. At Buena Vista, US 285 joins US 24 to the east, continuing straight ahead onto US 24 towards the winter sports resorts around Leadville and Vail. Via the Trout Creek Pass, which is 2,849 meters high, you enter the next valley, more of a plateau at 2700 meters. Here US 285 turns north, and US 24 continues straight east to Colorado Springs, 90 miles away. This is the valley of the South Platte, which flows to Denver and Omaha. At Fairplay you reach theRed Hill Pass, which is at an elevation of 3,044 meters. This area is nevertheless fairly flat, with surrounding mountains that reach more than 4,000 meters. You then reach the Kenosha Pass, which lies at 3,048 meters, the highest pass route in US 285. After this, you descend into a narrower valley, and to the north is the Mount Evans road, a road that leads to 4,307 meters.
Denver
From Conifer, 2×2 lanes are available. One is then still at 2500 meters altitude, and still has to descend considerably to reach the 1600 meters altitude of Denver. From Twin Forks, US 285 becomes a freeway. On the west side of Denver, it crosses SR-470, the city’s ring road. One then enters the inhabited world, with the suburb of Lakewood, which has 141,000 inhabitants. There are also 2×2 lanes available in Denver. From the suburb of Sheridan, US 285 has at-grade intersections, although the main connections are grade-separated. In the suburb of Englewood, US 285 terminates at Interstate 25, which runs from Denver to Albuquerque.
History
US 285 was originally intended as US 185 from Denver to Laramie when the US Highways were created in 1926, but was renumbered US 285 in 1927. By 1936, the number was extended south through the Rocky Mountains to the border with New Mexico. The entire route was not paved until 1946. The highway section in Denver was constructed in the 1970s as the Hampden Avenue Freeway, initially numbered SR-70. In the 1970s the number US 285 was routed over this freeway.
Traffic intensities
Only 1,400 vehicles cross the New Mexico border every day. As far as Alamosa this increases to 12,000 vehicles, before dropping north of Monte Vista to around 2,000 vehicles per day. Closer to Denver, the intensity increases, and the highway section has 71,100 vehicles per day.