Interstate 76

For the other Interstate 76, see Interstate 76 (east)

Interstate 76 Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Length:	188.10 mi[1][2] (302.72 km)
Formed:	1975
West end:	I-70 Arvada, CO
Major junctions:	I-25 in Welby, CO
East end:	I-80 near Big Springs, NE
< 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

Colorado

In Colorado, I-76 is a diagonal route extending from Arvada to the Nebraska state line. The northeastern two-thirds of this route, from Wiggins to the Nebraska border, is parallel to the South Platte River. It also features one of the longest business routes in the nation, which is Business Loop I-76 through Fort Morgan, Brush, Hillrose, Merino, Atwood, and Sterling. ^[3]

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

Until 1975, both the western segment of Interstate 76 and a portion of the eastern Interstate 76 were signed as Interstate 80S. The western segment of I-76 was redesignated from I-80S in 1975, in accordance with AASHTO policy to remove the letter suffixes from Interstate Highway System routes.

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]

In July 1976, the already-completed route, I-80S, was renumbered to I-76 in accordance with AASHTO policy to remove the letter suffixes from Interstate Highway System routes and to avoid the confusion of this route with Interstate 80, as well as the elimination of most suffixed routes. This prompted the replacement of around 500 signs in eliminating I-80S. By around the year 1990, six additional miles were planned and constructed west of I-25. Consequently, the highway reached Interstate 70 at Arvada, Colorado and made the city of what is now the current western terminus of I-76. By October 2002, all of I-76 was open to the general traffic.^[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
	Commerce City	16.477	16	SH 2 (Sable Boulevard) / 120th Avenue – Denver International Airport
		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
		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

References

External links

• Colorado I-76

edit Main Interstate Highways (major interstates highlighted)
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35	37	39	40	43	44	45	49	55	57	59	64	65	66	68	69
70	71	72	73	74	75	76 (W)		76 (E)		77	78	79	80	81	82
83	84 (W)		84 (E)		85	86 (W)		86 (E)		87	88 (W)		88 (E)		89	90
91	93	94	95	96	97	99	(238)		H-1		H-2		H-3
Unsigned			A-1		A-2		A-3		A-4		PRI-1		PRI-2		PRI-3
Lists		Primary			Main - Intrastate - Suffixed - Future - Gaps
		Auxiliary			Main - Future - Unsigned
		Other			Standards - Business - Bypassed