Why Was This Colorado Interchange Once Called the Mousetrap?

If you drive south on Interstate 25 in Colorado, you will eventually end up at what could be considered the biggest interchange in the state. This interchange in Denver is where travelers can go in four different directions. West or east on Interstate 70, and north or south on Interstate 25.

This interchange has been at the heart of Colorado since 1951 and pre-dates the interstate highway system, yet it was incorporated into Colorado's two major interstates.

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In 1951, this interchange was used as an intersection for 46th Avenue and U.S. Highway 87. When Interstate 70 was built, alongside 46th Avenue and Interstate 25 was built over the top of U.S. Highway 87. Eventually, both interstates used what was known as the Mousetrap as a changing point to get from one interstate to another.

Colorado's Mousetrap Torpedo Debacle

In 1984, an incident involving six torpedoes made national headlines in the Colorado interchange. A truck that was transporting six torpedoes to Connecticut for the United States Navy overturned on August 1. When the truck overturned, one of the torpedoes started to leak an unknown liquid.

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To make matters worse, no one answered the phone number that was provided with the transported cargo. More than three hours passed before any personnel from the military arrived on the scene of the crash.

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The crash of the cargo truck carrying the torpedoes snarled traffic and left thousands of commuters stranded for over eight hours. After this accident involving the military grade torpedoes, the interchange was completely rebuilt to what it is today.

Why Was Colorado's Interstate Interchange Called The Mousetrap?

The nickname for the Interstate 70 and 25 interchange was coined by an airborne radio traffic reporter by the name of Don Martin in the 1960s. Martin said that the interchange was like a "maze that could trap a mouse," and the nickname stuck for decades. More information on the Colorado interstate interchange history of the Mousetrap can be found at wikipedia.org.