Colorado State Highway 2

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State Highway 2 marker

State Highway 2

Map
Current SH 2 highlighted in red; former SH 2 in blue
Route information
Maintained by CDOT
Length19.880 mi[1] (31.994 km)
Major junctions
South end US 285 in Denver
Major intersections
North end I-76 / US 6 in Brighton
Location
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountiesDenver, Arapahoe, Adams
Highway system
  • Colorado State Highway System
SH 1 SH 3

State Highway 2 (SH 2) is a state highway of the U.S. state of Colorado. It runs for approximately 20 miles (32 km) north–south entirely within the urbanized environment of the Denver Metropolitan Area. It is one of the major north–south thoroughfares of east Denver, where it is known as Colorado Boulevard.

Route description[edit]

SH 2 northbound past Cherry Creek North Drive/Virginia Avenue in Denver

On its southern end, it begins at U.S. Route 285 (US 285) in Cherry Hills Village, just south of the Denver city limits in Arapahoe County. It goes north through Denver, intersecting Interstate 25 (I-25) and US 87 at exit 204. It intersects SH 83 near Cherry Creek and then US 40, US 287, and Interstate 70 Business (also known as Colfax Avenue) east of downtown Denver. It then passes along the east side of Denver City Park, before intersecting I-70 at exit 276. It then merges with US 6 and US 85 through Commerce City, until it branches off from US 6 and US 85 to the northeast, passing along the northwest boundary of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. It terminates at its northern end at I-76 and US 6 at exit 15 on the south edge of Brighton.

History[edit]

SH 2 looking south from just north of Ellsworth Avenue in Denver

The route was established in the 1920s beginning on the Utah border at US 40. It then followed US 40 all the way to Denver, where it followed Colfax Avenue through Denver. It then followed various streets northeast along US 85 north to Greeley, where it turned abruptly eastward along US 34 to US 6, where it continued to Sterling and finally along US 138 to the Nebraska border. By 1946, the route was rerouted in an area northeast of Denver. It was then changed in 1950 so it followed Colfax Avenue east through Denver. The route was rerouted in 1968 from US 285 to I-80S (now I-76). The now-deleted portion along Quebec Street was changed in 1971, and the route was finally set to its current routing in 1998.[2]

Major intersections[edit]

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
City and County of Denver0.0000.000 US 285 (Hampden Avenue) / Colorado Boulevard southSouthern terminus; road continues into Arapahoe County as Colorado Boulevard
2.1213.413 I-25 (US 87) – Ft. CollinsI-25 exit 204
4.3777.044
SH 83 south (Leetsdale Drive)
5.9939.645 I-70 BL / US 40 / US 287 (Colfax Avenue) – National Jewish
8.72514.042

I-70 to US 6 / US 85 – Aurora, Limon, Grand Junction
I-70 exit 276B
AdamsCommerce City9.84015.836
US 6 west / US 85 south (Vasquez Boulevard south)
Interchange; north end state maintenance; southbound exit and eastbound entrance; western end of US 6/US 85 overlap
10.040–
10.339
16.158–
16.639
I-270 (US 36) – Boulder, LimonPartial cloverleaf interchange; no eastbound exit to I-270 east; I-270 exits 2A-B
10.86017.477

US 6 east / US 85 north
Interchange; left exits and entrance; no eastbound entrance; eastern end of US 6/US 85 overlap
17.75028.566
SH 44 west (104th Avenue)
O'Brian Canal19.50631.392West end state maintenance
Brighton19.88031.994 I-76 (US 6)Eastern terminus; I-76 exit 16; road continues north as Sable Boulevard
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Segment list for SH 2". Archived from the original on 2007-03-20. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
  2. ^ Salek, Matthew E. "Colorado Routes 1-19". Retrieved 2010-05-17.

External links[edit]

KML is from Wikidata