On the Road Again: Where Do Colorado’s Interstates Take You?
Chances are that you happen to take Interstate 25 on any given day. Traveling on the interstate may take you to work on a daily basis, to your appointments, or possibly to Denver to a concert.
The state of Colorado has a total of five interstates. Interstates 25, 70, and 76 make up the three main interstates and Interstates 225 and 270 are auxiliary interstates.
Interstate 25
Interstate 25 runs south to north and spans a total of 1,062 miles across the states of New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. According to Wikipedia, I-25 started operations in 1957 and has seen many construction improvements over the past seven decades.
Interstate 25 in Colorado runs 299 miles from the New Mexico border to the Wyoming Border.
A road trip on Interstate 25 from its starting point in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and drive north, you would pass through the towns of Albuquerque, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Denver, and Cheyenne before ending in Buffalo, Wyoming.
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 has been in operation since 1956 and was fully complete in 1992 with the final phase of construction taking place in the Glenwood Canyon. According to Wikipedia, the stretch of road in the Glenwood Canyon is an engineering marvel due to the terrain and narrow spaces the canyon provides.
Colorado is home to the longest stretch of Interstate 70 which spans a total of 451 miles from the western border of Utah to the eastern border of Kansas.
Interstate 70 travels through 10 states starting in Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and finally ending in Maryland. Interstate 70 is one of the major highways in the United States and passes through or nearby major cities that include Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Indianapolis, Saint Louis, Kansas City, and Denver. The total length of Interstate 70 is 2,151 miles.
Interstate 76
Fun fact. There are two Interstate 76's in the United States. We all know about the Colorado to Nebraska Interstate 76, however, the other is located in the northeast region and connects Ohio to New Jersey through the state of Pennsylvania.
Interstate 76 starts in Arvada, Colorado, and ends in Big Springs, Nebraska. In total, Interstate 76 spans 187 miles.
Interstates 225 and 270
These two interstates are known as auxiliary interstates that connect Interstate 25 to Interstate 70.
Interstate 225
Interstate 225 is approximately 12 miles in length and connects Interstate 25 at the Denver Tech Center to Interstate 70 north of Aurora and southwest of Denver International Airport. This interstate could be used to bypass the traffic of downtown Denver, however, this stretch of road can be just as congested at Interstate 25.
Interstate 270
Interstate 270 is the northeastern connector from Interstate 25 to Interstate 70 spanning a total of seven miles. More often than not, this stretch of auxiliary interstate is used to bypass traffic at the 70/25 junction and to gain quick access to Commerce City.