Colorado Highways: Interstate 76

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Location: North Metro Denver > North Eastern Plains
Length*: 183.99mi
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

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: 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 183.99: Nebraska border (end I-76)

Annual Average Daily Traffic (2004):

• 53,500 at I-70, Arvada
• 41,500 east of US 287/Federal Blvd.
• 90,800 between I-25 and I-270
• 30,400 northeast of SH 224, Commerce City
• 64,200 northeast of 88th Ave.
  
• 14,200 northeast of US 85/Brighton
• 25,800 northeast of E-470
  
• 14,300 northeast of Lochbuie
• 10,600 northeast of BS 70, Keenesburg
  
• 11,700 northeast of Roggen
• 25,900 east of US 34, Wiggins
• 15,400 east of SH 52, Fort Morgan
• 7500 northeast of US 34-6, Brush
• 8400 northeast of SH 63, Atwood
• 6400 northeast of US 6, Sterling
• 7700 east of SH 55, Crook
• 8400 east of SH 59, Sedgwick
  
• 7100 at Nebraska border

Guide:
I-76 starts out at I-70 in metro Denver and heads northeast through unincorporated Adams County, through I-25 Exit 216, then northeast through the Eastern Plains to Wiggins. It then picks up the side side of the South Platte River and follows it all the way to Nebraska, through Fort Morgan, Brush, Sterling, and Julesburg. In Nebraska, it doesn't get very far (2mi) before ending at I-80.

The interchange at I-70 is 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 is two lanes for almost the whole way in Colorado, with the only significant six-lane stretch being between the two US 85 interchanges in Commerce City (Exits 9 to 12).

Something to discuss in detail is the interchange at I-25 and I-76. Let's say you're going from southbound I-25 or southeastbound US 36 to eastbound I-76. Traffic from SB I-25 merges onto the left side of traffic coming off SEB 36, so you have to quick move over two lanes to get to the ramp, then you have an EXTREMELY NASTY ramp onto EB 76. It is a tight cloverleaf loop with a 20mph advisory speed, and the outside edge of it is much higher than the inside edge. The loop ramp is supposedly two lanes, but you get a big truck in there and things get interesting. (picture)

There is a collector/distributor ramp serving eastbound I-76 at I-25. Traffic going from EB 76 to NB 25 first merges off to the right onto the separated roadway, which at first is only one lane. Then, traffic from SB 25 to EB 76, after coming off of that nasty loop, goes onto two added lanes on the right side of the separated roadway. Traffic to NB 25 then breaks off to the left, goes underneath 76 and to NB 25, while people from SB 25 to EB 76 continue straight ahead and merge onto EB 76.

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. Coming west on I-80 approaching the interchange with I-76, the signs 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 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.

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

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Page created 30 May 2005
Last updated 17 February 2008