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Interstate 25 North - Santa Fe County

Interstate 25 Northbound
New Mexico 16 travels 10.5 miles north from the Interstate 25 area to New Mexico 22 near Pena Blanca. The state highway provides a more direct route to the aforementioned Cochito Pueblo (via NM 22 north). Photo taken 06/29/08.
A diamond interchange joins New Mexico 16 with Interstate 25 at Exit 264. New Mexico 16 continues southwest a short distance to the end of state maintenance on the northbound side frontage road. Historically, the state route was a part of an earlier routing of New Mexico 22 (before 1988). Photo taken 06/29/08.
Interstate 25 continues east toward Waldo Canyon Road and La Cienega on the 17-mile drive to Santa Fe. Photo taken 06/29/08.
A truck inspection station resides at the Exit 267 diamond interchange with Waldo Canyon Road. Photo taken 06/29/08.
The truck climbing lane gained from the New Mexico 16 interchange defaults onto Exit 267 for Waldo Canyon Road. Waldo Canyon Road heads south from Interstate 25 to the settlement of Waldo. Photo taken 06/29/08.
Waldo Canyon Road heads southward from Waldo along the Rio Galisteo to Los Cerrillos and New Mexico 14. Additionally a northbound frontage road travels along side Interstate 25 from Exit 267 to New Mexico 599 (Veterans Memorial Highway). Photo taken 06/29/08.
The aforementioned inspection station lies along the northbound off-ramp from Interstate 25. Photo taken 06/29/08.

Beyond Waldo Canyon Road is a northbound-only rest area. Photo taken 06/29/08.
The Rest area includes a tourist information center and free wireless internet. Photo taken 06/29/08.
Next in line for Interstate 25 northbound drivers is the Exit 271 diamond interchange with Santa Fe County 50F (Entrada La Cienega). Photo taken 06/29/08.
Exit 271 leaves Interstate 25 north for Santa Fe County 50F (Entrada La Cienega) northwest to the community of La Cienega (junction Santa Fe County 54). Photo taken 06/29/08.
Interstate 25 enters the Santa Fe metro area on the approach to Cerrillos Road (New Mexico 14). Note the mileage sign omits the 1999-constructed New Mexico 599 (Santa Fe Relief Route). Photos taken 06/29/08.
The first interchange directly serving the capital city is that of Exit 278 with New Mexico 14 (Cerrillos Road). New Mexico 14 enters the city from Cerrillos and Interstate 40. Photo taken 06/29/08.
Four overall interchanges serve the city of Santa Fe from Interstate 25. They start with Exit 276 (New Mexico 599) and end with New Mexico 466 (Old Pecos Trail). Photo taken 06/29/08.
New Mexico 599 represents a 14.0-mile loop to the west and north of Santa Fe. Dubbed the Santa Fe Relief Route, the divided highway features expressway like characteristics including three interchanges on the north side. Photo taken 06/29/08.
A partial-cloverleaf interchange facilitates the movements between Interstate 25 and New Mexico 599 (Santa Fe Relief Route). Exit 276A carries drivers onto New Mexico 599 south for its end at New Mexico 14. New Mexico 14 continues south to Madrid while New Mexico 599 provides a truck route to U.S. 84 west & 285 north to Espanola and Los Alamos. Photo taken 06/29/08.
New Mexico 599 (Santa Fe Relief Route) provides access to the west side of Santa Fe including the Municipal Recreation Complex, Santa Fe Municipal Airport, and the site of Santa Fe Downs. Photo taken 06/29/08.
Exit 267A carries drivers onto New Mexico 599 south to nearby New Mexico 14 (Cerrillos Road). Photo taken 06/29/08.
New Mexico 599 ventures north from Exit 276B to U.S. 84 & 285 on the north side of Santa Fe. U.S. 84 & 285 constitute a freeway leading north from the Relief Route to Pojoaque. Photo taken 06/29/08.
New Mexico 14 (Cerrillos Road) continues north from New Mexico 599 to a directional-cloverleaf interchange with Interstate 25 at Exit 278. Photo taken 06/29/08.
Interstate 25 New Mexico shield posted after New Mexico 599. Photo taken 06/29/08.
New Mexico 14 follows the pre-1937 routing of U.S. 66 northeast into Santa Fe. Photo taken 06/29/08.
Leading south from Santa Fe to Sandia Park and Cedar Crest, New Mexico 14 is a part of the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway. Photo taken 06/29/08.
New Mexico 14 (Cerrillos Road) travels northeast to Santa Fe Place mall and Agua Fria at Airport Road (former New Mexico 284). New Mexico 284 was decommissioned around 2000.2 Photo taken 06/29/08.
Directional ramps shuttle drivers onto New Mexico 14 (Cerrillos Road) north and south via Exit 278. New Mexico 14 ends at New Mexico 333 at Tijeras southward and U.S. 85-284 northward in Santa Fe. Photo taken 06/29/08.
Interstate 25 continues east five miles to the next Santa Fe interchange. Atalaya and Sun Mountains rise along the eastern horizon. Photo taken 06/29/08.
U.S. 84 & 285 (St. Francis Drive) travel south from downtown Santa Fe and Santa Fe Plaza to Exit 282 of Interstate 25. Photo taken 06/29/08.
U.S. 84 west & 285 north connect the Santa Fe area with Espanola, Los Alamos, and Taos to the north. Photo taken 06/29/08.
St. Francis Drive stems north from Rabbit Road / Old Agua Fria Road (frontage roads) to junction New Mexico 466 (St. Michaels Drive) near St. Vincent Regional Medical Center. U.S. 84 & 285 bypass downtown to the west along the arterial through to Taos Highway and junction New Mexico 599 (Santa Fe Relief Route). Photo taken 06/29/08.
A parting shot of the Exit 282 ramp split to U.S. 84 west & 285 north and St. Francis Drive south to its frontage road end. Photos taken 06/29/08.
New Mexico 466 constitutes a four-mile route from Exit 284 northwest via Old Pecos Trail and St. Michaels Drive to New Mexico 14 (Cerrillos Road). Photo taken 06/29/08.
New Mexico 466 represents another segment of the pre-1937 route of U.S. 66 through Santa Fe. Interests to the Santa Fe museums and historic sites should follow Old Pecos Trail northward to downtown. Photo taken 06/29/08.
Interstate 25 north, U.S. 84 east, and U.S. 285 south enter the partial-cloverleaf interchange of Exit 284. New Mexico 466 (Old Pecos Trail) peters out a short distance south of the adjacent frontage road. New Mexico 300 begins on the north side of Exit 284 and follows old U.S. 66 on the opposite frontage road. Photo taken 06/29/08.
Interstate 25 & U.S. 84-284 turn southward on their exit of Santa Fe. This stretch involves the geographical identity crisis of Interstate 25 north actually traveling south. Photo taken 06/29/08.
A second distance sign references the split with U.S. 285 south, Glorieta, and Las Vegas in metric units. Photo taken 06/29/08.
Interstate 25 north, U.S. 84 east, and U.S. 285 south span the Arroyo Hondo en route to the Hondo Hills. A carriageway split separates the freeway west of the Cerros Negros. Photos taken 06/29/08.
Nearing the split of U.S. 285 south from Interstate 25 north & U.S. 84 east at Exit 290. U.S. 285 ventures southward to Clines Corners and junction Interstate 40. Photo taken 06/29/08.
The initial stretch of U.S. 285 leading away from Interstate 25 & U.S. 84 serves the communities of El Dorado and Lamy. Photo taken 06/29/08.
A diamond interchange provides for the split of U.S. 285 south from the freeway at Exit 290. New Mexico 300 ties into the interchange from the southbound side frontage road, ending its 6.61-mile route along old U.S. 66 and 85. Photo taken 06/29/08.
Another carriageway split lies along Interstate 25 & U.S. 84 after the split with U.S. 285. The freeway begins to curve northward on this stretch to Canoncito. Old U.S. 85 remains a short distance to the north. Photos taken 06/29/08.
Old U.S. 85 (Old Las Vegas Highway) ties into Interstate 25 north & U.S. 84 east at the Exit 294 diamond interchange. Photos taken 06/29/08.
Canoncito resides south of Apache Canyon at old U.S. 85 and Interstate 25 & U.S. 84 (Exit 294). The Glorieta Unit of Pecos National Historical Park lies to the south. Photo taken 06/29/08.
Interstate 25 north & U.S. 84 east curve northeast between the Santa Fe Mountains and Glorieta Mesa and enter Santa Fe National Forest between Canoncito and Valencia. The freeway wholly replaced old U.S. 66-85 on this stretch. Photo taken 06/29/08.
Exit 297 consists of a diamond interchange with isolated sections of old U.S. 66-85 at Valencia. Jesus Gonzales and Sabino Gonzales Roads act as frontage roads to Interstate 25 & U.S. 84 at the exit. Photo taken 06/29/08.
Interstate 25 north & U.S. 84 east at Exit 297 for Valencia. There is no outlet from this interchange. Photo taken 06/29/08.
Interstate 25 continues without acknowledgement of U.S. 84 to Glorieta Pass. Photos taken 06/29/08.
The freeway curves southeast again on the approach to junction New Mexico 50 (Exit 299) at Glorieta. Photo taken 06/29/08.
New Mexico 50 constitutes the pre-1937 routing of U.S. 66 from Glorieta to Pecos. Additionally old U.S. 84-85 are accessible via La Joya Road south to Old Denver Highway, which acts as a frontage road today to Interstate 25 & U.S. 84 through to New Mexico 63. Photo taken 06/29/08.
New Mexico 50 travels six miles from Exit 299 at Glorieta to New Mexico 63 at Pecos. The route was apart of U.S. 84 & 85 until the early 1950s.3

Sources:

  1. Budaghers, New Mexico @ Wikipedia.
  2. Details of New Mexico State Routes 251-300 (Steve Riner)
  3. Details of New Mexico State Routes 26-50 (Steve Riner)

Page Updated September 7, 2008