US 6 "ends"

[texaskdog]

Someone once asked me where the "US 6 Ends" sign in western Colorado was.  I just viewed it in google street view in Mack.  Sadly I do not remember where this question was asked.

[nexus73]

US 6 ends in Bishop CA, so how would there be an "US 6 Ends" sign in Colorado since the route does not truncate there?

Rick

[texaskdog]

take a look...google street view.  Go to the main intersection in Mack Colorado and look west.

http://www.instantstreetview.com/

I can't get it to paste.   But if you go to the main intersection and point west you will see it.

[bugo]

There's an END US 189 sign in Utah even though the highway actually goes north into Wyoming.  Those western states are...odd.

[PurdueBill]

I entered Mack, CO into Google Maps and drilled down and what do you know?  Found it in Street View on my first shot.  Miracle...

Is this supposed to refer to a Business 6?  Google Maps shows a Biz 6 east of there, but not west.  Just east, there is an EAST 6 assembly...again, no Business banner like Google suggests might be there.  Change since 2012 when street view pics are from?

[Mapmikey]

US 6 ends in Bishop CA, so how would there be an "US 6 Ends" sign in Colorado since the route does not truncate there?

Rick

It appears that technically US 6 is discontinuous there.  It is not posted on the road leading to I-70 and there is a US 6 JCT sign approaching US 6 from the connector road.

Colorado does this.  US 24 on its eastern end is also discontinuous.  It ends at the Kansas State Line on what google maps labels as Old US 24.  US 24 is fully posted to leave Rose Ave in Burlington just east of US 385 before I-70 and follow the frontage road.

There is a US 301 END shield in Bowling Green VA being used as a clunky way to say US 301 stops using that road while VA 207 begins.

Mapmikey

[PurdueBill]

Google shows US 6 as being on the Interstate all along there with a Business 6 on the parallel road; signage in street view shows it on the parallel road until the END sign.  More Google Maps mistakes?  Colorado being obstinate about just posting one sign to turn left to join the Interstate?

[hotdogPi]

Colorado is wrong about US 6 (and other routes) ending.

[texaskdog]

I saw it and my wife had to pee so bad and I was so mad I couldn't get a picture.  1.5 years later and google street view saves the day.  I wonder how far that car drove?

[Rover_0]

US 6 ends in Bishop CA, so how would there be an "US 6 Ends" sign in Colorado since the route does not truncate there?

Rick

It appears that technically US 6 is discontinuous there.  It is not posted on the road leading to I-70 and there is a US 6 JCT sign approaching US 6 from the connector road.

Colorado does this.  US 24 on its eastern end is also discontinuous.  It ends at the Kansas State Line on what google maps labels as Old US 24.  US 24 is fully posted to leave Rose Ave in Burlington just east of US 385 before I-70 and follow the frontage road.

There is a US 301 END shield in Bowling Green VA being used as a clunky way to say US 301 stops using that road while VA 207 begins.

Mapmikey

CDOT's own route log suggests that US-6's independent Colorado routing (here as SH-6A under its description) does, in fact, begin at I-70/US-50 at Exit 11.

[Mapmikey]

Interesting...

The CDOT route log says US 24's east end (024E) is at CR 50 about a mile after it leaves I-70 Bus in eastern Burlington.  That makes no sense whatsoever.

It also says US 24 west heading the other way does continue west of CO 59 and ends where it sidles up to I-70 with no access (024B).  Posting of US 24 stops at CO 59 with no indication where it goes, but there are mile markers on the road west of CO 59.

Mapmikey

[Milepost61]

A few comments and clarifications:

• The CDOT route log can't always be used to determine where a signed route ends because overlaps aren't noted in the route log. A state highway only has one log number regardless how many shields it's carrying. (i.e. Colfax Ave in Denver is "SH 40C" but is signed US 40/US 287/BL 70)
• Colorado rarely signs US route overlaps on Interstates, so US 6 disappears at Interstates about 8 times in its journey across the state.
• Yes I'd say that sign is not right, since US 6 theoretically follows I-70 into Utah. My guess is it's CDOT's attempt to reinforce the message that the parallel state highway is ending and you need to use I-70 from that point on. There's even a "No access to I-70" sign after it.
• Yes, US 24 on the Eastern Plains is goofy. It mysteriously starts on the frontage road west of Seibert and mysteriously ends on the frontage road east of Burlington.

[texaskdog]

Does old 6 actually end there?  Or does it continue into Utah?

[agentsteel53]

Does old 6 actually end there?  Or does it continue into Utah?

you can cross into Utah via US-6.  in fact, you can even return to I-70 after where it says you cannot. 

the best part?  the 1950s Utah state line marker is still there!

[texaskdog]

Does old 6 actually end there?  Or does it continue into Utah?

you can cross into Utah via US-6.  in fact, you can even return to I-70 after where it says you cannot. 

the best part?  the 1950s Utah state line marker is still there!

Sweet.  I'll look it up.

[usends]

you can cross into Utah via US-6.  in fact, you can even return to I-70 after where it says you cannot. 

True, but once you're in Utah, the old road is not maintained by the state or the county.  There's a mining operation or something that has resurfaced the segment that provides access between their facility and I-70, but other than that the road is pretty badly deteriorated, and it's clear why Colorado is trying to warn people to use I-70 instead:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/usends/4718645827/in/set-72157624379105750

the best part?  the 1950s Utah state line marker is still there!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/usends/4718633771/in/set-72157624379105750

But if you have a reliable vehicle, plenty of gas, and lots of time on your hands, it's really a cool road to drive.  Traffic certainly is not a concern:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/usends/4719282228/in/set-72157624379105750

[texaskdog]

I noticed that, that road looks pretty rough in Utah from Street View!!

[thenetwork]

Does old 6 actually end there?  Or does it continue into Utah?

you can cross into Utah via US-6.  in fact, you can even return to I-70 after where it says you cannot. 

the best part?  the 1950s Utah state line marker is still there!

Technically, the sign that says NO ACCESS TO COLORADO I-70 is correct (it is a state-named shield).
Officially, US-6 does enter I-70 West from Exit 11 (Mack).

There is one mention of US-6 once you cross into Utah -- on a blue sign acknowledging US-6 as the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Highway.  Then US-6 remains silent until it's split just west of Green River.

As far as the state line monument on "Old US-6 & 50", there has been a lot of vandalism to it and the immediate area over the last few years -- There used to be an old wooden DO NOT LITTER sign just across the border in Utah up until a couple of years ago in remarkable condition.

As mentioned previously, the Old US-6/US-50 highway is for the most part a "washboard" road for a few miles just inside the UT border, but don't let that discourage you from traversing it (or the other old, equally-rough alignments in Utah east of Green River).  There is actually an old bridge where trucks must leave the road and cross the usually-dry creek bed to go around the bridge.  If the creek is dry, cars can easily take the detour around the bridge.

Bottom line, is that CDOT added the END US-6 sign just a couple of years ago, and nobody knows why.  There are a lot of inexplicable signage in Western Colorado, like the signs on either side of Grand Junction telling drivers to use US-50 SOUTH to reach Delta & Montrose. 

[The High Plains Traveler]

For all the reasons cited above, which can be summarized as "because CDOT", there is a U.S. 6 sign at the roundabout that is the west I-70 interchange in Glenwood Springs, routing you down a dead end frontage road. From Matt Salek's web site, it is really a SPUR U.S. 6, but no signs tell you that. At least, until you reach the little strip mall along the frontage road with a sign pointing back toward the interchange with "TO I-70/U.S. 6".

[andy3175]

For all the reasons cited above, which can be summarized as "because CDOT", there is a U.S. 6 sign at the roundabout that is the west I-70 interchange in Glenwood Springs, routing you down a dead end frontage road. From Matt Salek's web site, it is really a SPUR U.S. 6, but no signs tell you that. At least, until you reach the little strip mall along the frontage road with a sign pointing back toward the interchange with "TO I-70/U.S. 6".

Found the sign on GSV:

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Glenwood+Springs,+CO&hl=en&ll=39.561593,-107.361346&spn=0.001218,0.002642&sll=32.824552,-117.108978&sspn=0.6751,1.352692&oq=glenwood+sp&t=h&hnear=Glenwood+Springs,+Garfield+County,+Colorado&z=19&layer=c&cbll=39.561584,-107.361389&panoid=pQKtkqQ4GjgP6JPmOeeaaQ&cbp=12,274.02,,0,5.66

[Milepost61]

For all the reasons cited above, which can be summarized as "because CDOT", there is a U.S. 6 sign at the roundabout that is the west I-70 interchange in Glenwood Springs, routing you down a dead end frontage road. From Matt Salek's web site, it is really a SPUR U.S. 6, but no signs tell you that. At least, until you reach the little strip mall along the frontage road with a sign pointing back toward the interchange with "TO I-70/U.S. 6".

Yeah, the frontage road is referred to many places as US 6 even when it's not really part of it. The vestigial US 6-24 designation even shows up a few places. The Shoshone Power Plant, which is literally underneath the I-70 viaduct in Glenwood Canyon and accessible only by an EB offramp, has an address of "60111 Highway 6-24" on its gate.