Colorado Highways: Interstate 76

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Location: North Metro Denver > North Eastern Plains
Length*: 184.14mi
SW End: Jct I-70 in Arvada (Exit 269)
NE End: Nebraska border northeast of Julesburg (link to Chris Geelhart's site)
Nationally: Continues northeast in Nebraska for less than two miles to end at I-80 south of Big Springs (185mi)

Counties: Jefferson, Denver, Adams, Weld, Morgan, Washington, Logan, Sedgwick
Places: Arvada, Wheat Ridge, Commerce City, Brighton, Hudson, Keenesburg, Wiggins, Fort Morgan, Brush, Sterling, Julesburg

NHS: All Interstates are by default part of the NHS.

Freeway: Entire length (exit list).

Business Routes:

• Unmarked spur to Keenesburg
• Loop through Fort Morgan/Brush/Hillrose/Atwood/Sterling

Scenic & Historic Byways:

Milepost Guide:

0.00: I-70 Exit 269 interchange, Arvada (begin I-76 in Jefferson County) 1.01: Enter Denver County 1.18: Enter Jefferson County 1.76: SH 95/Sheridan Boulevard interchange, Enter Adams County 3.22: US 287/Federal Boulevard interchange 5.77: I-25 Exit 216 interchange 6.80: I-270 Exit 1 interchange 8.05: SH 224/74th Avenue interchange, Commerce City 9.48: US 6/US 85/Vasquez Boulevard interchange 12.50: US 85 interchange 16.48: SH 2/Sable Boulevard interchange 25.15: Enter Weld County 31.48: SH 52 interchange, Hudson 38.92: BS I-76 interchange, Keenesburg 60.89: Enter Morgan County 63.88: US 6 interchange, west Wiggins

66.09: SH 39/SH 52 interchange 66.64: US 34 interchange 75.70: US 34/BL I-76 interchange, west Fort Morgan 78.85: SH 144 interchange 80.13: SH 52 interchange, Fort Morgan 89.63: SH 71 interchange, Brush 91.69: US 6/Spur US 34/BL I-76 interchange 99.13: Enter Washington County 109.76: Enter Logan County 115.19: SH 63 interchange, Atwood 124.75: US 6/BL I-76 interchange, Sterling 148.88: SH 55 interchange, Crook 157.43: Enter Sedgwick County 164.93: SH 59 interchange, Sedgwick 180.22: US 385 interchange, Julesburg 184.14: Nebraska border (end I-76)

Annual Average Daily Traffic (2008):

• 74,600 at I-70, Arvada
• 75,000 east of US 287/Federal Blvd.
• 97,700 between I-25 and I-270
• 37,400 northeast of SH 224, Commerce City
• 71,600 northeast of 88th Ave.
  
• 25,700 northeast of US 85/Brighton
• 30,400 northeast of E-470
  
• 15,200 northeast of Lochbuie
• 10,200 northeast of BS 70, Keenesburg
  
• 12,500 northeast of Roggen
• 14,000 east of US 34, Wiggins
• 15,100 east of Barlow Rd, Fort Morgan
• 8900 northeast of US 34-6, Brush
• 8400 northeast of SH 63, Atwood
• 6500 northeast of US 6, Sterling
• 6200 east of SH 55, Crook
• 5800 east of SH 59, Sedgwick
  
• 6700 at Nebraska border

Guide:
I-76 starts out at I-70 in Arvada at a "major split" interchange, with I-76 having a left exit off of eastbound I-70. The interchange blends together with I-70's interchange with Wadsworth Blvd., with there being several C-D roads. I-76 heads northeast through unincorporated Adams County, somewhat along the alignment of Clear Creek. It meets I-25 north of Denver in a tangle of ramps and bridges, with interchanges at I-25, I-270, US 36, I-76 and 70th Avenue all blending together. I-76 then heads northeast through Commerce City, and its only significant six-lane stretch being between the two US 85 interchanges in Commerce City (Exits 9 to 12).

Northeast of Commerce City I-76 strikes out across the eastern Plains, passing Brighton, Hudson, Keensburg and Roggen along the way. Between Roggen and Wiggins one particluar point near Milepost 59 is on a local high point, allowing a panoramic 360-degree view of the plains. I-76 then turns to the east as it passes Wiggins, and bypasses Fort Morgan and Bursh to their north sides. At Fort Morgan I-76 closes in on the south bank of the South Platte River and will follow it all the way to Nebraska.

East of Brush as I-76 turns northeast and goes through the US 6/Spur 34 interchange, I-76 changes its landscape. It begins hugging the side of the hills to the southeast of the river, forming the transition between the irrigated farmland along the river and the sand hills to the southeast. That's generally true all the way past Julesburg into Nebraska. I-76 has very few curves, too, as it was built through open land and doesn't have much to avoid.

As it continues northeast, I-76 passes Atwood, Sterling, Crook and Julesburg, with the Sterling and Julesburg interchanges the only ones to have an abundance of services. After Julesburg, I-76 crosses into Nebraska and two short miles later has its end at I-80.

Is I-76 an east-west or a north-south route? If you know your Interstate Highway Numbering System, you'll say, "Well, duh! It's an even number, so it's east-west." Tell that to Nebraska. Several signs at the I-76/80 interchange say "I-76 SOUTH Denver". And of course in Nebraska, you're only on I-76 for two miles before entering Colorado.

I-76 also has the distinction of existing in two completely different parts of the country. Open up your atlas to Ohio and Pennsylvania. Other Interstates that do this include I-86 and I-88.

Photo Gallery:

• Two-Lane Cloverleaf Ramp. The former ramp from SB I-25 and EB US 36 to EB I-76. (May 1999)
• NB I-76/US 85 Left Exit. Eastbound I-76 approaching where US 85 splits off toward Brighton. This is the only left exit on I-76, and if you ask me not enough advance notice is given that the left lane is an exit only to US 85. (June 2001)
• Milepost 54. Eastbound I-76 as crosses the plains at Milepost 54, between Roggen and Wiggins. (May 2007)
• SH 39/52 Exit. Eastbound on I-76 at the SH 39/52 exit at Wiggins. (May 2007)
• Fort Morgan Business Loop. Eastbound on I-76 at Exit 75, the US 34/BL 76 exit to Fort Morgan. The sign features the "EAST" on a separate plate, as if it were slapped on as an afterthought. (May 2007)
  
• Dodd Bridge Road. Westbound on I-76 near Dodd Bridge Road, Exit 86 near Brush. (May 2005)
• Spur 34 Exit. Eastbound I-76 approaching Exit 92 near Brush, the US 6/Spur 34 exit. Usually you don't see three towns listed on the same exit sign. (May 2007)

History:
I-76 used to be called I-80S. It was changed in 1975 to get rid of the letter suffix, because AASHTO now frowns on Interstates with letter suffixes. There used to be a bunch of them, but the only ones that remain today are I-35E and I-35W in both Dallas/Fort Worth and the Twin Cities.

Here are when various portions of I-76 were complete according to state maps, from west to east:

I-70 to Sheridan Blvd.	1986
Sheridan Blvd. to Federal Blvd.	1989
Federal Blvd. to I-25	1994
I-25 to Vasquez Blvd.	1970
Vasquez Blvd. to US 85 (north)	Expressway built as part of US 6-85, pre-1957 Freeway 1976
US 85 (north) to Sable Blvd.	1961
Sable Blvd. to Hudson (past Barr Lake)	Expressway built as part of US 6, pre-1957 Freeway 1994
Hudson to Roggen	1963
Roggen to east Wiggins	Expressway built as part of US 6, pre-1957 Freeway built as part of US 6, 1960
East Wiggins to west Fort Morgan	Expressway built as part of US 6, pre-1957 Freeway 1980
West Fort Morgan to Brush	1964
Brush to Sterling	1965
Sterling to Crook	1968
Crook to Sedgwick	1970
Sedgwick to Julesburg	1976
Julesburg to Nebraska border	1970

When I-80S was changed to I-76, I-80S was already completed most everywhere in the state. The exceptions were from I-70 to I-25 (not built), past Barr Lake (still only an expressway), and west of Fort Morgan (still only an expressway). The Fort Morgan expressway was upgraded to freeway by 1980. West of I-25, I-76 was built in stages eastward from I-70, to Sheridan Blvd. by 1986, to Federal Blvd. by 1989, and to I-25 by 1994. Barr Lake expressway was upgraded to freeway in 1994.

The 20mph two-lane loop ramp that took traffic from southbound I-25 to eastbound I-76 was closed in November 2008. The loop was no longer needed following the opening in August 2008 of the flyover from EB I-270 to EB 76, since traffic from both SB 25 and EB US 36 can use I-270 to get to EB 76.

Related Site: I-76 (Western) @ Interstate Guide

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Page created 30 May 2005
Last updated 9 March 2014