Return to Routes
160-179
Colo Hwys
Home About
Location: Southern Western Slope > Southern
Mountains > San Luis Valley > Southern Front Range
> Arkansas Valley
Length*: 496.99mi
W End: New
Mexico border just east of the Four Corners (link to
Steve Riner's site)
E End: Kansas
border east of Walsh (link to Richie Kennedy's site)
Nationally: W End: US 89 near Tuba City, Arizona; E
End: US 67 near Poplar Bluff, Missouri (1444mi)
Counties: Montezuma, La Plata, Archuleta, Mineral,
Rio Grande, Alamosa, Costilla, Huerfano, Las Animas,
Baca
Places: Four Corners, Cortez, Mancos, Durango,
Bayfield, Pogosa Springs, Wolf Creek Pass, South Fork, Del Norte, Monte
Vista, Alamosa, Blanca, Fort Garland, North La Veta Pass,
Walsenburg, Trinidad, Kim, Pritchett, Springfield, Vilas,
Walsh
NHS: New Mexico border east to I-25 at Walsenburg, and along I-25 to Trinidad.
Freeway: While concurrent with I-25 from Walsenburg to Trinidad.
Expressway:
Mountain Passes:
Milepost Guide:
|
|
Annual Average Daily Traffic (2004):
Guide:
US 160 starts off in the extreme southwest part of Colorado,
a little less than a mile to the east of the Four Corners.
It then goes northeast, over the San Juan River, and to US
491 in the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation. Together, US
160-491 head north, past Towaoc, then come northeast into
Cortez, going down Broadway. At Main St. on the west side
of town, US 491 continues north, while US 160 goes east.
East of Cortez, US 160 passes by the north side of Mesa
Verde National Park, and the entrance road to it has a
diamond interchange with US 160.
Continuing east, US 160 goes through Mancos to Durango, and meets US 550 on the south side of town. Together they head southeast on an expressway out of town, along the Animas River. Then, US 550 splits off and goes south to New Mexico along the Animas, while US 160 goes east. Over the rolling terrain it goes to Bayfield, which it has a bypass to the north of. US 160 continues east on its rolling, scenic alignment through the San Juan National Forest, passing the Chimney Rock historical area. US 160 then heads into the tourist-oriented town of Pagosa Springs, using San Juan St. Just on the east side of town,US 160 meets the west end of US 84, one of the few places in the country where a 2-digit US route ends at a 3-digit one.
From Pagosa Springs, US 160 picks up the San Juan River and
heads northeast up that toward Wolf Creek Pass. The west side of the
pass features several switchbacks and a long, steep grade, with two
runaway ramps. But there are two lanes each direction, making slow
traffic not a concern. Milepost 159 features an unusual bridge which
takes US 160 over a notch in the mountain side, heading eastbound one
has an impressive view of it for a couple miles. There are also many
pullouts to take in the scenic view of the valley below.
US 160 then picks up Wolf Creek, following that up to the
summit of Wolf Creek Pass. The east side of the pass is different from
the west side in that the canyons it uses (notably Pass Creek) are
narrower than on the west side, making US 160 only two lanes some
places rather than the four it is on the west side. The east side also
features a snowshed to provide protection at an avalanche chute. A
tunnel cuts through a hillside to bypass a narrow, curvy section of
canyon. As it continues northeast US 160 begins using the valley of the
South Fork of the Rio Grande, coming to the town of South Fork.
From South Fork, US 160 then follows the main Rio Grande and strikes out east across the San Luis Valley. It heads east through Del Norte on Grand Ave., then goes southeast, and into Monte Vista. It comes east into town on 1st Ave., and at the intersection with Broadway, meets US 285 and SH 15. US 160-285 together heads east out of town, and then goes southeast, getting to Alamosa. US 160-285 heads east along Main St., and at West Ave. US 285 turns south. US 160 takes a left turn at Denver Ave., crosses over the Rio Grande and meets the south end of the north section of SH 17. US 160 then continues east, turns southeast, goes through Blanca on Main St., east, through Fort Garland, then heads up the Sangre de Cristo Creek to North La Veta Pass.
US 160 then heads down the Cucharas River, past La Veta, and then northeast to Walsenburg. It comes into town and uses 7th St., then in downtown at Main St. hits BL I-25. US 160 goes northwest on that to 5th St., then goes northeast out to I-25 Exit 50. US 160 goes south on I-25 to Trinidad, and at Exit 15 US 160 breaks off and heads east across the north side of town via the Kit Carson Trail bypass. At Beshoar Junction (a rail siding) US 350 goes northeast, while US 160 heads east. Between Beshoar Junction and Kim, there isn't anything of note except the intersection with SH 389 at Watts Corners. US 160 goes north past Kim's west side, then turns east again at SH 109, and then goes to Pritchett, where it goes north through town on Randolph Ave. US 160 then continues east, hitting US 287-385 south of Springfield. US 160 then follows an AT & SF Railway east past Vilas, Walsh, and Bartlett, and into Kansas.
Photo Gallery:
History:
US 160 is not an original 1920s US Highway in Colorado. It
was extended west to Colorado from Kansas in 1932 and only
as far west as US 85 in Trinidad. And, between Johnson, Kansas and
Springfield, Colorado, it was on a different route. From
Johnson it headed due west, then picked up current SH 116 to
US 287, then went south to Springfield, then west. East of
Trinidad, it also was shifted south of its current route so
that from Watts Corner, it went south on current SH 389 to
Branson, then west via Trinchera, and northwest to Beshoar
Junction.
US 160 was extended north from Trinidad and west from Walsenburg over what used to be US
450 via Alamosa, Pagosa Springs, Durango, Cortez and
Dove Creek to Utah in 1936. By 1938 the only sections of US 160 not
paved were over Wolf Creek Pass and from Beshoar Junction to Kansas. US
160 was rerouted between Beshoar Junction and Branson onto its current
alignment by 1950. By 1954, US 160 was rerouted east of Springfield, so
that instead of using SH 116 it went east via Walsh to Kansas. By 1955
the only section of US 160 not paved was from east of Beshoar Junction
to Pritchett. By 1959 only a segment from east of SH 389 to east of
Tobe wasn't paved, and that was paved by 1963.
West of Walsenburg, US 160 originally used La Veta Pass. By
1964 it was moved to a new alignment to the north, but interestingly
the CDH map for that year called it Sangre de Cristo Pass. That only
lasted a year, though, by 1965 the name had been changed to North La
Veta Pass.
West of Cortez, US 160 was rerouted from Dove Creek and
the Utah border southwest along what had been US
164 to Four Corners in 1970. The Mancos and Bayfield
bypasses were completed by 1972. The Durango southwest
bypass and addition of SH 3 to the system was done in 1981.
The Kit Carson Trail north Trinidad bypass was constructed about 1992.
Wolf Creek Pass saw several phases of reconstruction in the
late 1990s and early 2000s. Most notable was the completion of the
tunnel on the east side of the pass in November 2004.
Suggestions:
Needs to be an expressway between Cortez and Pagosa
Springs.
Related Site: Historic US Highway Endpoints around Trinidad, CO (including US 160) by Dale Sanderson
Continue:
Page created 7 January 2008
Last updated 17 February 2008
