Colorado State Highway 470
Centennial Freeway | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by CDOT | ||||
Length | 27.41 mi[1] (44.11 km) | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end | US 6 in Golden | |||
East end | ||||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Colorado | |||
Counties | Jefferson, Arapahoe, Douglas | |||
Highway system | ||||
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State Highway 470 (C-470, SH 470) is a
The highway was originally planned to be a full continuous beltway around Denver and was also proposed to be in the Interstate Highway System and designated as Interstate 470 (I-470) in the 1960s. However, the beltway project was attacked on environmental impact grounds and the interstate beltway was never built. Alternatives to provide faster and easier access to and from Denver for the southwestern suburbs were discussed after plans for a full beltway ceased. As the southwestern suburbs grew in population, a grand parkway known as the Centennial Parkway was proposed and then was later designated as SH 470 after the road was built to freeway standards.
SH 470 is owned and maintained by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), an agency responsible for building and maintaining state highways, US highways, and Interstate highways across the state of Colorado.
Route description
SH 470 begins in Golden as an extension of Johnson Road at an intersection with US 6 (6th Avenue) near the Jefferson County government office complex and its adjacent light rail station. The interchange also includes direct ramps to westbound US 6, which continues northwest towards central Golden and east to Denver. SH 470 travels south from the intersection on a four-lane freeway and passes over US 40 before reaching an interchange with I-70 near Tin Cup Hogback Park. The freeway expands to six lanes and continues south along the side of Green Mountain on the western outskirts of Lakewood. It intersects SH 8 at a single-point urban interchange in Morrison near the Bandimere Speedway complex.[2]
From Morrison, SH 470 begins a gradual turn to the southeast as it passes between Mount Glennon and Bear Creek Lake Park. It intersects
History
This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2023) |
Proposed I-470
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In the 1960s the Colorado Department of Transportation perceived a need for a beltway around the Denver Metro Area and sent a proposal to the Federal Highway Administration. The plan was for the federal government to provide 90% of funds for the project with the state providing the difference. I-470 was added to The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1968 and was to be part of the Interstate Highway and Defense System. The Denver City Council approved the location and began engineering and environmental impact studies. After a few months the studies went under analysis with negative feedback. The Colorado Department of Health was opposed to the interstate beltway on the grounds that it would violate the Federal Clean Air Act. Other studies compared the proposed I-470 to the I-25 and I-225 freeways suggesting that alternate uses for the land (other than freeways) would be more environmentally friendly.
Alternatives and construction
In response to feedback from the Colorado Department of Health, the governor ordered all efforts to plan and build the beltway to cease. A separate commission was established by Governor Richard Lamm to determine the best course of action. The commission came up with 11 alternatives. The final decision was to use federal highway funds to build a grand parkway known as Centennial Parkway (a partial beltway in the southwest portion of the metro area) and widen existing roads. As the southwestern area grew rapidly, plans for Centennial Parkway evolved to conform to freeway standards. The proposed road was designated State Highway 470. Present-day SH 470 is a
Modern day expansion
After the completion of C-470 in the southwest, desires for a full beltway persisted in some circles and plans for an extension were created. CDOT did not wish to participate in the building of the freeway extension and left the counties and cities of the metro area to provide funding for the project. The east, north, and northwest portions of the beltway could be built only as tollways. A tollway extension of SH 470 was built to the junction with State Highway 83 (Parker Road) and termed Eastern/Extension 470 or E-470. Subsequently, E-470 was extended to the interchange with I-70 in the east, and later to I-25 in the north. This newly added tollway was built and continues to be administered by a quasi-governmental organization known as the E-470 Public Highway Authority. When freeway interests pushed for the rest of the beltway to be completed, the city of Golden voted to stop all efforts to finish the beltway due to traffic concerns.
The city and county of
The lease included a clause restricting a "Competing Transportation Facility. This clause was invoked in an April 30, 2008 letter when Broomfield wished to make changes to 160th Ave.In August 2003,
Exit list
County | Location | mi[10][a] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jefferson | Golden | 0.000 | 0.000 | US 6 west (6th Avenue) to SH 93 – Boulder US 6 east (6th Avenue) | Western terminus of SH 470 | |
1.212– 0.000 | 1.951– 0.000 | 1 | Denver, Grand Junction | No southbound access to I-70 east; I-70 exit 260; mileposts reset[b] | ||
| 1.842 | 2.964 | 2 | Alameda Parkway – Dinosaur Ridge | ||
Morrison | 4.248 | 6.836 | 4 | SH 8 (Morrison Road) | Single-point urban interchange | |
Lakewood | 5.543 | 8.921 | Hampden Avenue | Westbound exit and entrance | ||
5.699 | 9.172 | 5 | Denver | Cloverleaf interchange; signed as exits 5A (southbound) and 5B (northbound) | ||
| 6.250 | 10.058 | 6 | Quincy Avenue to Belleview Avenue | ||
| 7.901 | 12.715 | 7 | Bowles Avenue | ||
Ken Caryl | 10.192 | 16.402 | 10 | Ken Caryl Avenue | ||
12.449 | 20.035 | 12 | Kipling Parkway | |||
13.902 | 22.373 | 14 | SH 121 (Wadsworth Boulevard) – Chatfield State Park, Waterton Canyon | |||
Littleton | 15.443 | 24.853 | 15 | SH 75 north (Platte Canyon Road) | Westbound exit and entrance | |
Douglas | Highlands Ranch | 17.000 | 27.359 | 17 | US 85 (Santa Fe Drive) – Arapahoe Community College | Full diamond interchange with flyover freeway access ramp from southbound U.S. 85 to eastbound SH-470 |
18.458 | 29.705 | 18 | Lucent Boulevard | |||
19.599 | 31.542 | 19 | Broadway | |||
21.069 | 33.907 | 21 | SH 177 (University Boulevard) | |||
Highlands Ranch–Lone Tree line | 24.144 | 38.856 | 24 | Quebec Street | ||
Lone Tree | 25.574 | 41.157 | 25 | Yosemite Street | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |
26.195 | 42.157 | 26 (EB) 1A (WB) | Denver | I-25 exit 194 | ||
E-470 north – Limon | Continuation north; access to Denver International Airport | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
Controversy
The completion of the freeway has been mired in controversy. In 1975 Colorado Governor
Notes
See also
- Colorado portal
- U.S. Roads portal
References
- ^ "SH 470 Inventory Form" (PDF). Colorado Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ^ a b Google (December 2, 2018). "State Highway 470" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
- ^ Fisher, Tyson (18 August 2020). "Tolling on C-470 express lanes in Colorado begins". Land Line. Land Line Media. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
- ^ "Plans to Complete Beltway". Broomfield Enterprise. July 24, 2008.
- ^ Lewis, Al (September 2, 2007). "Parkway Lease Fool's Gambit". Denver Post.
- ^ "Jefferson Parkway Public Highway Authority". Jefferson Parkway Public Highway Authority. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ Rios, Jennifer (26 February 2020). "Broomfield votes to Leave Jefferson Parkway". Broomfield Enterprise. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ ""Major blow" for Jefferson Parkway as Broomfield withdraws from highway project". The Denver Post. February 26, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
- ^ "Jefferson Parkway plans face opposition from Arvada". The Denver Post. March 16, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
- ^ "Highway Data Explorer". Colorado Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ^ Steers, Stuart (June 19, 1997). "The Blacktop Jungle". Westword.
- ^ Flynn, Kevin (2008-06-14). "Arvada clears beltway hurdle". Rocky Mountain News.