Interstate 76 (west)

For the Interstate 76 that runs through Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, see Interstate 76 (east).

Interstate 76
Route information
Length:	188.10 mi[1][2] (302.72 km)
Existed:	1975 – present
Major junctions
West end:	I-70 in Arvada, CO
	US 287 in Arvada, CO I-25 / US 87 in Welby, CO US 36 / I-270 in Welby, CO US 6 / US 85 in Commerce City, CO US 85 in Commerce City, CO US 34 near Wiggins, CO US 34 near Fort Morgan, CO US 6 near Brush, CO US 6 near Sterling, CO US 385 near Julesburg, CO
East end:	I-80 near Big Springs, NE
Highway system
Main route of the Interstate Highway System Main • Auxiliary • Business ← SH 75 CO SH 78 → ← US 75 NE US 77 →

Interstate 76 (I-76) is an Interstate Highway that runs from Interstate 70 in Arvada, Colorado (near Denver) to an intersection with Interstate 80 near Big Springs, Nebraska.

Route description

Lengths

	mi	km
CO	184.86	297.50
NE	2.48	3.99
Total	187.34	301.49

Colorado

I-70 at its interchange with I-76

I-76 begins at an interchange with I-70 in Arvada. From I-70, the freeway heads east to an exit at SH 95, known as Sheridan Boulevard. The route heads northeastward across US 287, known as Federal Boulevard, to an interchange with I-25. Running roughly parallel to the nearby Clear Creek, I-76 meets another interchange with Interstate 270 in Welby, Colorado, where the Clear Creek joins the South Platte River, which is crossed by I-76. After an interchange at SH 224, I-76 joins US 85 and US 6 at Brighton Boulevard. Past Derby, US 85 veers away from I-76 at Dayton Way. The combined routes of US 6 and I-76 head northeastward, crossing SH 2, named Sable Boulevard, before meeting an exit at E-470, a toll road. Past E-470, the freeway exits the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area.

Passing just west of Barr Lake, the freeway heads northeastward east of Brighton. Near Lochbuie, the freeway crosses SH 7 before crossing into Weld County. I-76 meets SH 52 in Hudson, the next city alog the freeway. Past Hudson, the combined routes of US 6 and I-76 turn slightly eastward into Keenesburg, which is served by a business loop (I-76 BUS). I-76 then turns northeast and east into Roggen, where it meets County Road 73. The highway heads away from the farmland it was formerly running through and traverses a large grassland area. Just south of the Empire Reservoir, the freeway turns back east, crossing into Morgan County within circular fields. Heading east, I-76 heads into Wiggins, near which I-76 joins US 34. The three combined routes head east through farms.

I-76 near Brush

The freeway heads east toward Fort Morgan, spawning another business loop that carries US 34 away from I-76. The freeway heads east into Fort Morgan, meeting SH 52, now running again near the South Platte River. Still running between the South Platte River to the north and its business loop to the south, I-76 heads just north of Brush, where it meets a cloverleaf interchange with SH 71. US 34 veers away from the business loop as I-76 turns back east, crossing over the business loop, which does not terminate at the freeway. I-76 BUS carries US 6 toward Hillrose. Bypassing that city, I-76 traverses northeast into Washington County, with farms to the north along the river and grasslands to the south. Passing the Prewitt Reservoir, the freeway heads into Logan County. Heading northeasterly, the route crosses SH 63, which serves Atwood. I-76 BUS then enters Sterling, which is near I-76. The business loops turns abruptly east within the city, carrying US 6. US 6 continues past the interchange with the business route.

I-76 continues parallel to the South Platte River, surrounded by farms to the northwest and plains to the southeast. Northwest of the river is US 138, which serves several towns bypassed by the freeway. I-76 has an exit at SH 55 which serves the town of Crook. With farms on the south part of the freeway as well, I-76 enters Sedgwick County, crossing SH 59 which heads to Sedgwick. The freeway then veers eastward before turning back northeast toward Julesburg. I-76 comes to an exit at U.S. Route 385, which heads northwest to Julesburg. I-76 then heads northeast to the Nebraska state line.^{[3] [4]}

Nebraska

In Nebraska, I-76 stretches just over three miles (5 km). It is signed as a north–south direction, as opposed to the east–west designation in Colorado. Its entire route is located in Deuel County, parallel to the South Platte River and U.S. Highway 138. Its only interchange is at Interstate 80, numbered exit 102 based on I-80's mileage.

History

I-76 exit along E-470

Until 1975, both the western segment of Interstate 76 and a portion of the eastern Interstate 76 were signed as Interstate 80S. In July 1976, the already-completed route, I-80S, was renumbered to I-76 in accordance with American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) policy to remove the letter suffixes from Interstate routes and to avoid the confusion of this route with Interstate 80. This prompted the replacement of around 500 signs in eliminating I-80S.

I-76 was conceived in August 1958. The Colorado portion was planned and built first. In December 1969, the Nebraska Department of Roads worked together with the Colorado Department of Highways to open a three-mile (5 km) long route connecting Interstate 80 with the rest of I-80S in Colorado.^[1] The original western terminus of I-76 was at I-25, as planned. The western extension to Interstate 70 was built in the late 1980s and early 1990s. By its completion in November 2002, the total cost was about $45.5 million.^[1]

In 1968, Interstate 25 and U.S. Highway 85 was open to the general traffic to the Denver vicinity after all the structures located throughout the route were completed, as well as meeting the criteria of the Interstate standards. Structures connected several interchanges; each one connecting Interstate 270, U.S. Highway 85, Dahila Street, Washington Street, 74th Avenue, and York Street. The completion also included structures in which each cross the Burlington Canal, Platte River, and the Union Pacific Railroad. By October 24, 1970, the route was open to traffic from Sedgwick to Julesburg, as well as the completion of the route, connecting from its western terminus of I-25 in Colorado to its eastern terminus at I-80 near Big Springs, Nebraska.^[1]

Beginning in 1990, six additional miles were planned and constructed west of I-25. By October 2002, all of I-76 was open, and the highway reached Interstate 70 at Arvada, Colorado, which is now the current western terminus of I-76.^[1]

Exit list

County	Location	Mile[1][2]	#	Destinations	Notes
Jefferson	Arvada	0.000- 0.538		I-70 – Limon, Grand Junction	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		0.000	1A	SH 121 (Wadsworth Boulevard)	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		1.768	1B	SH 95 (Sheridan Boulevard)
Adams
		3.223	3	US 287 (Federal Boulevard)
		4.210	4	Pecos Street
		5.777	5	I-25 – Fort Collins, Colorado Springs	Westbound exit to I-25 north is via exit 6B
		6.803	6A	I-270 east – Limon, Denver International Airport	Signed as exit 6 eastbound
		6.803	6B	I-270 west – Boulder	Westbound exit and entrance only
		8.052	8	SH 224 (74th Avenue)	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		9.483	9	US 6 west / US 85 south – Commerce City	West end of US 6/US 85 overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		10.466	10	88th Avenue
		11.549	11	96th Avenue
		12.502	12	US 85 north – Greeley, Brighton	East end of US 85 overlap; no eastbound entrance
	Brighton	16.477	16	SH 2 (Sable Boulevard) / 120th Avenue – Denver International Airport
	Commerce City	18.079	18	E-470 south – Limon, Denver International Airport	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
	Brighton	19.723	20	136th Avenue
		21.081	21	144th Avenue
		22.407	22	Bromley Lane
	Lochbuie	25.145	25	SH 7 west – Lochbuie, Brighton
Weld	Hudson	31.480	31	SH 52 – Hudson, Fort Lupton
		34.412	34	Kersey Road
		38.925	39	Keenesburg (I-76 Bus. south)
		47.972	48	Roggen
		49.236	49	Painter Road	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		57.219	57	County Road 91
			60	SH 144 east – Orchard
Morgan		63.883	64	Wiggins	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		66.099	66A	SH 39 / SH 52 – Goodrich, Wiggins
		66.288	66B	US 34 west – Greeley, Estes Park	West end of US 34 overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		73.130	73	Long Bridge Road
		75.280	75	US 34 east / I-76 Bus. east – Fort Morgan	East end of US 34 overlap
		78.852	79	SH 144 – Weldona
	Fort Morgan	80.139	80	SH 52, Fort Morgan
		81.648	82	Barlow Road – Fort Morgan
		85.713	86	Dodd Bridge Road
		88.695	89	Hospital Road
		89.643	90	SH 71 to US 34 – Brush, Akron, Limon, Snyder	Signed as exits 90A (south) and 90B (north)
		91.693	92	US 6 east to US 34 – Brush, Yuma	East end of US 6 overlap
		95.382	95	Hillrose
Washington		102.086	102	Merino
Logan		115.197	115	SH 63 – Atwood
	Sterling	124.756	125	US 6 to SH 61 south – Holyoke, Otis, Sterling
		133.511	134	Iliff
		140.846	141	Proctor
		148.880	149	SH 55 – Crook
		155.288	155	Red Lion Road
Sedgwick		164.933	165	SH 59 – Sedgwick, Haxtun
		172.017	172	Ovid
	Julesburg	180.221	180	US 385 – Julesburg
State line
Deuel		2.48	102	I-80 west – Sidney	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		3.15		I-80 east – Omaha	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} The History of I-76 in Colorado
2. ^ ^{a b} Nebraska Department of Roads, Nebraska Highway Reference Log Book, 2007
3. ^ Microsoft. Map of I-76 in Colorado – Bing Maps (Map). Cartography by NavTEQ, Inc. http://www.bing.com/maps/#Y3A9NDAuMzk5MTU1ODU5MDM0MDc0fi0xMDMuNjMyOTU5NjQ4OTY2NzkmbHZsPTgmZGlyPTAmc3R5PXImcnRwPXBvcy4zOS43ODY1NzgyOTU5ODczM18tMTA1LjA3NjA4ODQ2Mzg1MTc4X25lYXIlMjBJLTc2JTJDJTIwQXJ2YWRhJTJDJTIwQ08lMjA4MDAwMl9fX2FffnBvcy40MS4wMDIzODA1ODM0MDQyM18tMTAyLjE4OTkwMjgxNzc5NDI2X25lYXIlMjBJLTc2JTJDJTIwSnVsZXNidXJnJTJDJTIwQ08lMjA4MDczN19fX2FfJm1vZGU9RCZydG9wPTB+MH4wfg==. Retrieved March 3, 2011. 
4. ^ Colorado @ RockyMountainRoads.com - Interstate 76

External links

• Colorado I-76

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