U.S. Route 40 in Colorado

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This article is about the section of U.S. Route 40 in Colorado. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 40.
U.S. Highway 40 marker
U.S. Highway 40
Map
US 40 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by CDOT
Length496.442 mi[1] (798.946 km)
Existed1926–present
Major junctions
West end US 40 at the Utah state line
Major intersections
East end US-40 east of Arapahoe at the Kansas state line
Location
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountiesMoffat, Routt, Jackson, Grand, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Elbert, Lincoln, Cheyenne
Highway system
  • Colorado State Highway System
← SH 39→ SH 41

U.S. Route 40 (US 40) is a part of the

Denver Metro Area, then exits by following Interstate 70 (I-70) and US 287. It is concurrent with US 287 for about 145 miles to Kit Carson. US 40 exits into Kansas east of Arapahoe in Cheyenne
. At a length of almost 500 miles, US 40 is the longest numbered route in the state.

Route description

US 40 in Byers Canyon between Parshall and Hot Sulphur Springs. The Union Pacific railroad line is visible on the left. The Colorado River is at the bottom of the canyon and is not visible.

Entering Colorado to the south of Dinosaur National Monument, US 40 runs east through the small town of Dinosaur along Brontosaurus Boulevard. The route continues a generally easterly course though Moffat and Routt counties, passing through several small communities along the way. It generally follows the course of the Yampa River. US 40 becomes Lincoln Avenue as it runs through historic downtown Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

View along US 40 in Mount Vernon Canyon, Colorado, 1942. Photo by Andreas Feininger.

Taking a circuitous route through Rabbit Ears Pass, Muddy Pass and Berthoud Pass (crossing the Continental Divide each time) it descends the escarpment along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains. Just to the east of Empire, it merges with I-70 for the first time. US 40 and I-70 will run concurrently numerous times across the U.S. The route leaves I-70 at exit 244, to the east of Idaho Springs and rejoins it again at between exits 252 and 254 in El Rancho. It parallels I-70, mostly as a frontage road, until the intersection with former State Highway 26 (SH 26) to the south of Golden[2][3]

US 40 westbound concurrent with I-70 BL and US 287 on Colfax Avenue in Denver

Beginning in Golden, US 40 becomes

Denver, and Aurora. Among the sights to be seen along US 40 is Lake Steam Bath, once the location of a thriving health industry centered on tuberculosis sanatoriums. Also along Colfax Avenue in Denver is the Denver branch of the United States Mint, which produces 50 million coins per day. US 40 rejoins I-70 at exit 288, just to the east of Aurora.[3][4][5]

At exit 359 in Limon, US 40 leaves I-70 along Main Street, which it shares with Business Loop 70, US 24, US 287, and SH 71. US 40/US 287 continues to the southeast to the town of Kit Carson. From there, it leaves US 287 and continues east through the towns of Cheyenne Wells and Arapahoe before entering the state of Kansas.[3][4]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[6]kmDestinationsNotes
Moffat​0.0000.000
 US 40 west – Vernal, Salt Lake City		Continuation into Utah
Dinosaur2.9134.688
 SH 64 east (Stegosaurus Freeway) – Rangely		Western terminus of SH 64
Blue Mountain11.01817.732 CR 134 – RangelyFormer SH 387
Maybell59.78196.208
 SH 318 west – Sunbeam		Eastern terminus of SH 318
Craig89.322143.750
 SH 13 south / CR 7 – Meeker		West end of SH 13 overlap; former SH 355 north
90.531145.696
 SH 394 south (Ranney Street)		Northern terminus of SH 394; former SH 13 south
90.838146.190
 SH 13 north (Yampa Avenue) – Baggs, Rawlins		East end of SH 13 overlap
Hahns Peak, Steamboat Lake State Park, Pearl Lake State Park
Former SH 129
134.414216.318Mt. Werner RoadInterchange
​136.515219.700
Stagecoach Reservoir State Park
Northern terminus of SH 131
Grand
 No major junctions
 154.070247.952
Continental Divide
)
Jackson​157.327253.193
 SH 14 east – Walden		Western terminus of SH 14
 157.512253.491
Continental Divide
)
Stagecoach Reservoir State Park
Eastern terminus of SH 134
Kremmling184.529296.971
 SH 9 south (6th Street) – Dillon		Northern terminus of SH 9
​209.165336.618
 SH 125 north – Walden		Southern terminus of SH 125
Granby211.081339.702
 US 34 east – Grand Lake, Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Arapaho National Forest		Western terminus of US 34
 242.972391.026
Continental Divide
)
Clear Creek​257.684
232.333		414.702
373.904
 I-70 west (US 6 west) – Georgetown		West end of I-70/US 6 overlap
​232.333–
244.260		373.904–
393.098		See I-70
​244.260
257.146		393.098
413.836
Denver
East end of I-70 overlap; no access from US 40 west to I-70 east
​257.751
269.441		414.810
433.623
Blackhawk, Central City, Golden
East end of US 6 overlap
​271.489436.919

 To I-70 west / Beaver Brook Drive – Floyd Hill
Jefferson​272.552438.630

 To I-70 east
​276.180444.469
 I-70 west
​276.920
0.374		445.660
0.602
 SH 74 east (Evergreen Parkway) – Evergreen		Western terminus of SH 74
​0.194
251.318		0.312
404.457
 I-70 west		West end of I-70 overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
​252.244405.947Chief HosaI-70 exit 253
​253.528
279.244		408.014
449.400
 I-70 east		East end of I-70 overlap
​280.570451.534Lookout Mountain Road -
Lookout Mountain Nature Center, Boettcher Mansion
Former SH 68
​281.977453.798
 To I-70 / Grapevine Road
SH 93
south)
285.716459.815Heritage RoadFormer
SH 93
north
286.871461.674
 US 6 (6th Avenue) to SH 470 – Golden, Central City
​287.903463.335 I-70
Lakewood291.444469.034 SH 391 (Kipling Street)
292.943471.446 SH 121 (Wadsworth Boulevard)
294.273473.586 SH 95 (Sheridan Boulevard)
City and County of Denver296.157476.618

 US 287 north / SH 88 south (Federal Boulevard)		West end of US 287 overlap; northern terminus of SH 88; interchange
296.792477.640
US 87) / Auraria Parkway – Colorado Springs, Fort Collins
300.625483.809 SH 2 (Colorado Boulevard)
Adams–Arapahoe
county line		Aurora306.341493.008
 I-225 to I-70
312.142
288.219		502.344
463.844
I-70 Bus.
overlap; no access from US 40 east to I-70 west
See I-70 for exits
I-70 Bus.
overlap; east end of I-70 overlap
0.000
376.714		0.000
606.262
 US 24 west – Colorado Springs		West end of US 24 overlap
377.668607.798
 SH 71 south		West end of SH 71 overlap
378.795609.611
 SH 71 north (1st Avenue) – Brush		East end of SH 71 overlap
379.193610.252 I-70
​380.464
386.010		612.297
621.223
I-70 Bus.
/US 24 overlap
​397.833640.250 CR 109 –
SH 109
north
SH 109
south
CheyenneAroya425.472684.731
 SH 94 west – Colorado Springs		Eastern terminus of SH 94
Kit Carson445.142716.387
 SH 59 north – Seibert		Southern terminus of SH 59
​446.051717.850
 US 287 south – Eads		East end of US 287 overlap
Cheyenne Wells470.311756.892
 US 385 north (5th Street) – Burlington		West end of US 385 overlap
​470.885757.816
 US 385 south – Sheridan Lake		East end of US 385 overlap
​486.924783.628
 US-40 east – Sharon Springs		Continuation into Kansas
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

State Highway 40

State Highway 40 marker
State Highway 40
LocationByers–Agate
Length24.1 mi (38.8 km)

State Highway 40 (SH 40) represents the former two-lane alignment of US 40 in Arapahoe and Elbert Counties, prior to its demotion by the then-Colorado Department of Highways when they moved the route to then new I-70 in 1968.

SH 40 begins in Arapahoe County the town of

SH 36 (N Main Street/Old Highway 36), just across the railroad tracks from downtown. It heads southeast to leave Byers and travel along the flat plains of eastern Colorado for the next several miles. The highway passes through the tiny community of Peoria, where there is an interchange with I-70/US 40/US 287 (exit 322), before passing by the Richmil Ranch Open Space
park.

SH 40 then enters the town of

I-70 BS
) leads 0.3 miles (0.48 km) west to an interchange with I-70/US 40/US 287 (exit 340).

The entire length of SH 40 is a rural, two-lane, state highway, running parallel to both the eastbound lanes of modern I-70 to its north, as well as a railroad track to its south. SH 40 never goes beyond a half mile from the Interstate.[7]


CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
SH 36 (Main Street/Old Highway 36) to I-70 (US 40/US 287) / US 36 – Strasburg
Western terminus; former US 40 follows SH 36 west
Peoria6.19.8
 Peoria Road to I-70 (US 40/US 287)		I-70 exit 322
I-70 BS (Cedar Street) to I-70 (US 40/US 287
)
ElbertLowland20.633.2
 CR 178 to I-70 (US 40/US 287)		I-70 exit 336
Agate24.138.8
 Main Street to I-70 (US 40/US 287)
1st Avenue		Eastern terminus; former US 40 continues east along 1st Avenue
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ Colorado Department of Transportation, Highway Data Archived 2007-10-08 at the Wayback Machine, accessed July 2007
  2. ^ Brusca, Frank X. (2002). "US 40 Scrapbook: Colorado". U.S. Route 40: America's Golden Highway. route40.net. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved May 21, 2007.
  3. ^ a b c Salek, Matthew E. (2006). "US 40". Colorado Highways. Retrieved May 22, 2007.
  4. ^ a b Mapsource. Garmin Ltd. 2003.
  5. ^ Royston, Reggie (2001). "Denver's Road of Riches: Colfax Avenue". National Geographic News. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on May 29, 2001. Retrieved May 22, 2007.
  6. ^ Colorado Department of Transportation, Highway Data Explorer Archived 2012-09-10 at the Wayback Machine, accessed November 2013
  7. ^ "Map of Colorado State Highway 40" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
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U.S. Route 40
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