Colorado State Highway 74
Route information | ||||
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Maintained by CDOT | ||||
Length | 18.110 mi[1] (29.145 km) | |||
Existed | 1923–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end | I-70 at El Rancho | |||
US 40 at El Rancho | ||||
East end | SH 8 at Morrison | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Colorado | |||
Counties | Jefferson | |||
Highway system | ||||
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State Highway 74 (SH 74) is a
An early road following the current path was established in the late 19th century for miners and loggers. As floods ravaged the road along Bear Creek through the early 20th century, measures were taken to prevent further damage. Other sites along Bear Creek, such as a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp in Red Rocks Park and the Bear Creek Canyon Scenic Mountain Drive, as the section between Idledale and Morrison is called, have given the route a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. An early designation of the route number went further west than its current-day designation; that section was truncated by the late 1930s. Another eastern segment was added from Morrison east toward Denver in the 1940s, but that section too was removed. Newer improvements to the road include widening the Evergreen Parkway segment to four lanes and constructing an interchange with I-70.
Route description
SH 74 begins at an interchange with I-70 in El Rancho. Ramps from I-70 westbound branch off the freeway's exit 252[2] from the north side and cross the highway southwestward. Access to SH 74 from I-70 eastbound is provided via U.S. Highway 40 (US 40) a slight distance to the west. From I-70, the roadway heads southwesterly through El Rancho, meeting an intersection with US 40 (Swede Gulch Road). The route heads westward before turning southwestward into a coniferous forest setting as a four-lane divided highway.[3][4] The roadway turns westward where it meets County Road 23 (Kerr Gulch Road).[5] Evergreen Parkway passes Fillius Park to the north in the community of Hidden Valley, where the terrain is mountainous.[6] After intersecting Bergen Parkway, which heads southwesterly toward Bergen Park, SH 74 turns to the south. The parkway meets Mestaa'ėhehe Road and crosses the Troublesome Creek[7] before traveling along the west side of Buchanan Park. SH 74 follows the east side of Elk Meadow Open Space Park, where open grassland is dotted with occasional trees. The road climbs steeply at milepost five.[3] While passing Wah Keeney Park, the road turns southeastward and narrows to two lanes approaching milepost seven. SH 74 enters the town of Evergreen, passing by a lake of the same name along Bear Creek in Dedisse Park and meeting CR 74 (Upper Bear Creek Road), which heads west along the Upper Bear Creek, before meeting CR 73 at an intersection below the lake.[8]
SH 74, now known as Bear Creek Road, curves east- and northward as it winds out of town. Narrowing to two lanes,[4] the route follows the path of Bear Creek, curving northeasterly toward Kittredge with Pence Park on the east side.[9] In Kittredge, the route meets CR 120 (Myers Gulch Road), which heads southeast toward Indian Hills.[10] The route again meets Kerr Gulch Road, which bypasses the large curve which SH 74 took. From Kittredge, SH 74 winds eastward on the north side of Bear Creek. The roadway passes Idledale north of the Lair O the Bear Park, where it intersects Grapevine Road. East of the town, an abandoned section of SH 74 exists, which now serves as a path to private areas.[9] The route heads into Bear Creek Canyon Park, where it curves along the creek in a more rocky terrain. SH 74 also passes through Red Rocks Park along the stream. Exiting the park, SH 74 enters Morrison, where Bear Creek Road meets SH 8 at an intersection. From here, SH 8 (Morrison Road) serves as the continuation of the road toward Denver.[11]
The route is maintained by the
History
Bear Creek Canyon Scenic Mountain Drive | |
Nearest city | |
---|---|
NRHP reference No. | 90001706[14] |
Added to NRHP | November 15, 1990 |
In 1873,
SH 74 passes through many of Denver's mountain parks, including Bergen Park and Dedisse Park. Established in 1909 by Colorado governor Robert W. Speer, the system encompassed several areas west of the city, comprising the first city-owned park system in the world.[19] SH 27, as the Bear Creek Canyon Scenic Mountain Drive was designated at the time, ran past the Denver Motor Club in Idledale in addition to newly purchased parks. During the 1910s, Denver was granted the ability to enforce laws pertaining to these parks; a speed limit of 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) was set along the roadway uphill and 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) downhill.[20][21] In one of the parks, Red Rocks Park near Morrison, a CCC camp was established in 1935 as part of a New Deal work relief program.[22] The enlistees here built a large amphitheater in the park.[23] Numbered camp SP-13-C, it is the only CCC camp left in the state. Both the camp and the section of SH 74 between Idledale and Morrison, known as the Bear Creek Canyon Scenic Mountain Drive, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[24][25]
Bear Creek was especially prone to flooding, as was seen in 1896 when Morrison was almost destroyed. On occasion, sightseers along the road were threatened by floods, such as one in 1925 where cars on the road were carried into the river. To control flooding along the creek and therefore preserve safety along the road, the Denver manager of parks sought to build a dam near Evergreen. The dam, finished three years after the flood, created Evergreen Lake.[26] Following a September 1938 flood, crews from a federal work program built walls along the side of the creek, measuring from 7 to 34 feet (2.1 to 10.4 m) high.[27][28] The Works Progress Administration (WPA), as this program was called, installed over 4,500 feet (1,400 m) of masonry from Morrison to Idledale at points where previous floods had damaged the roadway.[23][29]
From 1923 through the early 1930s, the SH 74 designation was from
Major intersections
The entire route is in Jefferson County.
Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Denver | Western terminus; exit 252 on I-70 | ||||
0.374 | 0.602 | US 40 west to I-70 west – Idaho Springs | |||
Morrison | 18.110 | 29.145 | SH 8 to US 285 | Eastern terminus | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
See also
- Colorado portal
- U.S. Roads portal
References
- ^ a b Division of Transportation Development. "Segment Descriptions for Highway 074". Colorado Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
- ^ CHS, p. H-4.
- ^ a b ACRE, p. 11-30.
- ^ a b Division of Transportation Development. "Geometric Information for Highway 074". Colorado Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
- ^ Colorado Department of Transportation. "Straight Line Diagram: Route 074A". Retrieved November 26, 2011.
- ^ Division of Transportation Development. "Classification Information for Highway 074". Colorado Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
- ^ Division of Transportation Development. "Structure List for Highway 074". Colorado Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
- ^ Google (November 26, 2011). "SH 74" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
- ^ a b ACRE, p. 11-31.
- ^ Map of Jefferson County (PDF) (Map). Cartography by Division of Transportation Development. Colorado Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 23, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ^ Map of Morrison, Colorado (PDF) (Map). Cartography by Division of Transportation Development. Colorado Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 23, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Colorado Department of Transportation. "About CDOT". Retrieved February 18, 2011.
- ^ Division of Transportation Development. "Traffic Information for Highway 74". Colorado Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ISBN 978-0-595-35860-1.
- ^ Nell's Topographic and Township Map of the State of Colorado (Map). Cartography by Louis Nell. Chain & Hardy. 1884. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
- ^ ACRE, p. 11-25.
- ^ Colorado Department of Transportation (2010). "I-70 Mountain Corridor PEIS Section 4(f) Evaluation Technical Report" (PDF). p. 12. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
- ^ Warwick M. Downing (1931). "How Denver Acquired Her Celebrated Mountain Parks" (PDF). Municipal Facts, March–April 1931. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 22, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
- OCLC 8393355.
- ^ a b ACRE, p. 11-28.
- ISBN 978-0-9605806-0-6.
Roosevelt's Forest Army, A History of the Civilian Conservation Corps.
- ^ a b c ACRE, p. 11-29.
- ISBN 978-0-471-19762-1.
- OCLC 6308784.
- ^ ACRE, p. 11-27.
- ^ "Stone and Cement Set to Guard Bear Creek Road". Rocky Mountain News. Denver. May 28, 1939. p. 2.
- ^ CHS, p. E-1.
- ^ CHS, p. F-4.
- ^ Denver, San Francisco, Los Angeles (Map). Rand McNally. 1927. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- Shell Oil Company. 1956. § D2. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ^ Various Regions and Cities in Colorado (Map). Shell Oil Company. 1947. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
- ^ Various Regions and Cities in the Northwestern United States (Map). Shell Oil Company. 1956. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
- ^ Various Regions and Cities in the Southwestern United States (Map). Shell Oil Company. 1956. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
- ^ Colorado Department of Transportation. "Interstate 70: Construction Timeline". Retrieved November 27, 2011.
- ^ "Sign of the Times: Evergreen Parkway Exit Signals Growth". Rocky Mountain News. Denver. May 16, 1993.
Works cited
- Associated Cultural Resource Experts. Highways to the Sky: A Context and History of Colorado's Highway System (PDF). Colorado Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
- Colorado Historical Society (March 1992). Colorado State Roads and Highways (PDF). National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 1, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
External links
- Geographic data related to SH 74 at OpenStreetMap
- SH 74 at The Highways of Colorado