Interstate 76 (Colorado–Nebraska)

Interstate 76 (I-76) is an Interstate Highway in the Western United States that runs from Interstate 70 in Arvada, Colorado (near Denver) to an intersection with Interstate 80 near Big Springs, Nebraska. All but three miles of the highway's route is in Colorado.

Interstate 76
I-76 highlighted in red
Route information
Length	187.29 mi[1][2] (301.41 km)
Existed	1975–present
Major junctions
West end	I-70 in Arvada, CO
	US 287 in Arvada, CO I-25 / US 87 in North Washington, CO I-270 / US 36 in North Washington, CO US 6 / US 85 in Commerce City, CO US 85 in Commerce City, CO E-470 in Brighton, CO US 34 near Fort Morgan, CO US 6 near Brush, CO US 6 near Sterling, CO US 385 near Julesburg, CO
North end	I-80 near Big Springs, NE
Location
States	Colorado, Nebraska
Counties	CO: Jefferson, Adams, Weld, Morgan, Washington, Logan, Sedgwick NE: Deuel
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future ← SH 75 CO → SH 78 ← US 75 NE → US 77

Route description

Lengths

	mi	km
CO	184.14	296.34
NE	3.15	5.07
Total	187.29	301.41

Colorado

I-70 at its interchange with I-76

Interstate 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 nearby Clear Creek, I-76 meets another interchange, with Interstate 270 in North Washington, Colorado, where 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 along 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 South Platte River. Still running between 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 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. Highway 385, which heads northwest to Julesburg. I-76 then heads northeast to the Nebraska state line.[3] [4]

Nebraska

I-76 is signed as a north–south route in 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. The number, "76", has an association with 1876, the year Colorado was admitted as a state.

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 were 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, Dahlia 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 its current western terminus at Interstate 70 at Arvada.[1]

Exit list

State	County	Location	mi[5][2]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Colorado	Jefferson	Arvada	0.000– 0.538	0.000– 0.866		I-70 west – Grand Junction	Western terminus; I-70 exit 269B
			0.000	0.000	1A	SH 121 (Wadsworth Boulevard)	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
	Jefferson–Adams county line	Arvada–Berkley line	1.768	2.845	1B	SH 95 (Sheridan Boulevard)
	Adams	Berkley	3.223	5.187	3	US 287 (Federal Boulevard)
		Berkley–North Washington line	4.210	6.775	4	Pecos Street
		North Washington	5.777	9.297	5	I-25 (US 87) – Fort Collins, Colorado Springs	Westbound access to I-25 north is via exit 6B; I-25 exits 216A-B
			6.803	10.948	6	I-270 east (US 36 east) to I-70 east – Limon, Aurora	Serves Denver International Airport
			6.803	10.948		I-270 west to US 36 – Fort Collins, Boulder	Westbound exit and entrance only; I-270 exit 1
		​	8.052	12.958	8	SH 224 (74th Avenue)	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		​	9.483	15.261	9	US 6 west / US 85 south – Commerce City	Western end of US 6 / US 85 overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		​	10.466	16.843	10	88th Avenue
		​	11.549	18.586	11	96th Avenue
		​	12.502	20.120	12	US 85 north – Greeley, Brighton	Eastern end of US 85 overlap; no eastbound entrance
		Brighton	16.477	26.517	16	SH 2 (Sable Boulevard) / 120th Avenue – Denver International Airport
			18.079	29.095	18	E-470 south to I-70 east – Limon, Denver International Airport	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; E-470 exit 35
			19.723	31.741	20	136th Avenue
			21.081	33.927	21	Eagle Boulevard
			22.407	36.061	22	Bromley Lane
		Lochbuie	25.145	40.467	25	SH 7 west – Lochbuie, Brighton
	Weld	Hudson	31.480	50.662	31	SH 52 – Hudson, Fort Lupton
			34.412	55.381	34	Kersey Road
		​	38.925	62.644	39	Keenesburg
		​	47.972	77.203	48	Roggen
		​	49.236	79.238	49	Painter Road	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		​	57.219	92.085	57	County Road 91
		​			60	SH 144 east – Orchard
	Morgan	​	63.883	102.810	64	Wiggins	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		​	66.099	106.376	66A	SH 39 north / SH 52 west – Goodrich, Wiggins	Western end of SH 52 overlap
		​	66.288	106.680	66B	US 34 west – Greeley, Estes Park	Western end of US 34 overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		​	73.130	117.691	73	Long Bridge Road
		​	75.280	121.151	75	US 34 east / SH 52 east – Fort Morgan	Eastern end of US 34 overlap; eastern end of SH 52 overlap
		​	78.852	126.900	79	SH 144 – Weldona
		Fort Morgan	80.139	128.971	80	SH 52 – Raymer, Fort Morgan
			81.648	131.400	82	Barlow Road – Fort Morgan
		​	85.713	137.942	86	Dodd Bridge Road
		​	88.695	142.741	89	Hospital Road
		​	89.643	144.266	90	SH 71 to US 34 – Brush, Akron, Limon, Snyder
		​	91.693	147.566	92	US 6 east to US 34 – Akron, Yuma, Wray, Brush	Eastern end of US 6 overlap
		​	95.382	153.502	95	Hillrose
	Washington	​	102.086	164.291	102	Merino
	Logan	​	115.197	185.392	115	SH 63 – Akron, Atwood
		Sterling	124.756	200.775	125	US 6 to SH 61 south – Holyoke, Otis, Sterling
		​	133.511	214.865	134	Iliff
		​	140.846	226.670	141	Proctor
		​	148.880	239.599	149	SH 55 – Crook
		​	155.288	249.912	155	Red Lion Road
	Sedgwick	​	164.933	265.434	165	SH 59 – Sedgwick, Haxtun
		​	172.017	276.835	172	Ovid
		Julesburg	180.221	290.038	180	US 385 to US 138 – Julesburg
			184.14 0.00	296.34 0.00	Colorado–Nebraska state line
Nebraska	Deuel	​	2.07– 3.15	3.33– 5.07	–	I-80 – Sidney, Omaha	Eastern terminus; I-80 exit 102
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Electronic toll collection       Incomplete access

Business routes

Keenesburg

State Highway 76B
Location	Keenesburg
Length	0.30 mi (0.48 km)

State Highway 76B is an unsigned business spur that connects Keenesburg in Weld County to the interstate. Inventoried by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the 0.3-mile (0.48 km) route begins at Interstate 76 Frontage Road within the town limits and heads north as Market Street. The route terminates at exit 39 at a diamond interchange on I-76.[6]

Major intersections
The entire route is in Weld County.

Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Keenesburg	0.000	0.000	Interstate 76 Frontage Road	Southern terminus; Market Street continues and becomes Elm Street
​	0.030	0.048	I-76 / US 6 – Keenesburg	Northern terminus; Market Street continues and terminates at County Road 18
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Fort Morgan–Sterling

Business Loop 76
Location	Fort Morgan–Sterling
Length	52.31 mi (84.18 km)

Business Loop 76 is a business route of I-76 serving Fort Morgan and adjacent areas to Sterling in Morgan and Logan counties. The 52.31-mile (84.18 km) route begins at exit 75 at I-76 west of Fort Morgan. The route overlaps US 34 and SH 52 heading east and becomes W Platte Avenue. After intersecting Sherman Street, SH 52 turns North on Main Street and the route becomes E Platte Avenue only overlapping US 34. After crossing County Road 21, the route is only assigned as US 34. Entering Brush, the route becomes Edison Street and passes towards the south of town remaining parallel with the interstate. Intersecting Colorado Avenue, the route starts overlapping SH 71. SH 71 goes south after the route exits Brush. Then, I-76 Business loop comes across a minor Y interchange and US 34 continues east while the business loop proceeds northeast. It interchanges with I-76 again at a partial cloverleaf interchange and starts overlapping US 6. It passes through unincorporated Camden and then enters Hillrose as Railway Street. It remains signed with US 6 after crossing County Road 3305. It remains almost parallel with the interstate until it approaches the Prewitt Reservoir, where it turns north through Beta and into Merino, becoming Platte Street between Ram Avenue and Logan Avenue. The route continues northeast into Atwood and intersects SH 63, becoming Front Avenue toward 7th Street, remaining concurrent with US 6. The route then enters Sterling, becoming a one-way street between S 3rd Avenue and South Division Avenue, where the route becomes a two lane road and turns north and then becomes S 3rd Street. The route turns to the southeast at Chestnut Street and exits town. Business loop 76 meets I-76 and terminates there at a diamond interchange at exit 125 and US 6 continues east past the interstate.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Morgan	​	0.000	0.000	I-76 / US 6 / US 34 / SH 52	Western terminus; western terminus of US 34 and SH 52 concurrency
	Fort Morgan	4.4	7.1	US 34 (East Platte Avenue)	Eastern terminus of SH 52 concurrency; remains concurrent with US 34
	Brush	14.5	23.3	US 34 (Edison Street) / SH 71	Western terminus of SH 71 concurrency
	​	16.0	25.7	US 34 / SH 71	Eastern terminus of SH 71 concurrency; eastern terminus of US 34 concurrency at 16.41 miles
	​	17.31	27.86	I-76 / US 6	Western terminus of US 6 concurrency; interchanges I-76
Logan	Atwood	43.91	70.67	US 6 (Front Avenue) / SH 63 – Atwood	Northern terminus of SH 63
	Sterling	50.02	80.50	US 6 (Main Street) / SH 14 – Sterling	Eastern terminus of SH 14
	​	52.31	84.18	I-76 / US 6	Eastern terminus; eastern terminus of US 6 concurrency
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

References

1. Colorado Department of Transportation. "The History of I-76 in Colorado". Colorado Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 14, 2007.
2. "Nebraska Highway Reference Log Book" (PDF). Nebraska Department of Roads. 2015. p. 190. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
3. Microsoft; Nokia (March 3, 2011). "I-76 in Colorado" (Map). Bing Maps. Microsoft. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
4. "Interstate 76". Colorado @ AARoads.com.
5. Colorado Department of Transportation. "Highway Data". Colorado Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on October 8, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
6. "Interstate Business Route 76". interstate-guide.com. Retrieved December 25, 2020.

External links

• Colorado I-76