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[corco]

I noticed driving around Sterling/Fort Morgan a few months ago that there was no signage at all for the notoriously long business loop between Sterling and Fort Morgan, and comparing some of my and Google Street Views photos with AARoads and other photos that all the business loop signage has been removed.

Has anybody heard about this?

If this is the case, that's a bummer, because that was a hilariously long business loop, but I suppose it didn't really serve the purpose that business loops are supposed to

[usends]

Yes, it was retired... or at least the signs were removed in 2007.  I have a little more information on this page:
http://usends.com/Focus/Sterling/index.html

[Alex]

Major bummer, and I had it added to the Universal Map atlas too! Just another error among hundreds now...

[corco]

So I finally got a chance to drive US-6 from Sterling to Brush yesterday. Once you get outside of Atwood, the business loop signs reappear. And what's weirder is that it looks like they've replaced the old E signs with Business Spur 76 signs. Almost every old Series-E Business Loop sign has been replaced with a Business Spur sign (there's still two hanging out). The Loop signage resumes in Brush once it gets on 34 Spur. Unfortunately, these seem to be the only signs in Colorado that don't have a date stamp somewhere on them.



So the way it is signed right now from west to east is Loop in Fort Morgan following 34, stays Loop to Brush, Loop follows 34 Spur, then it turns into I-76 Business Spur where it joins US-6, and then stays as Business Spur until Atwood, where all business signs disappear. So the way it's signed in the field it's basically just a long pointless Business Spur from Brush to Atwood.

This is weird.

[huskeroadgeek]

So is there no business loop signed into Sterling anymore from WB I-76 at Exit 125?

[corco]

Nope- hasn't been since 2007- but the loop is still signed everywhere except from Sterling to Atwood

[huskeroadgeek]

That's really strange. I know there's been discussion about whether business loops are useful anymore, but the Sterling portion was one I thought really did have some use to it since there are few services available at the exit. It certainly seems a lot more useful than a Business Spur through a couple of tiny towns with few or no services at all.

[brad2971]

Sorry to resurrect this old thread, but I wasn't too sure where else to post it. The other I-76 business spur, at Keenesburg (SH 076B), is not only not signed, it was turned over to Keenesburg, per CDOT OTIS system. In fact, if you look on Google Street View at the route in Keenesburg, it shows improvements that were made in the last few years, presumably by the Town of Keenesburg.

[Alps]

What's interesting here is that Colorado has all of their route viewing online. https://dtdapps.coloradodot.info/otis/HighwayData

It shows how they legislatively view routes. For example, US 6 is off I-70 for much of western CO despite what Google thinks. And it has this entire business loop catalogued as US 34, 34 Spur, and 6, as you would think. So at the very least, we know this route exists in some form, and I'll be on it next week to see how many Bus 76 signs are left... thanks for resurrecting this thread BTW!

[brad2971]

What's interesting here is that Colorado has all of their route viewing online. https://dtdapps.coloradodot.info/otis/HighwayData

It shows how they legislatively view routes. For example, US 6 is off I-70 for much of western CO despite what Google thinks. And it has this entire business loop catalogued as US 34, 34 Spur, and 6, as you would think. So at the very least, we know this route exists in some form, and I'll be on it next week to see how many Bus 76 signs are left... thanks for resurrecting this thread BTW!

CDOT's OTIS is quite the handy resource, especially for traffic data. And it's still quite amazing how many I-70 business spurs still remain.

[usends]

...I'll be on it next week to see how many Bus 76 signs are left...

I've been to Sterling and surroundings a couple times within the past couple years (to photograph the new terminus of US 138).  From what I observed, BS-76 is still posted as described earlier in this thread, which is to say: not at all in Sterling.  It's signed as expected from Brush up to jct. SH 63 in Atwood, but beyond there, it just quietly disappears.  In 2010 Corco commented that the Spur signs (which replaced the Loop signs) didn't have date stamps, but CDoT must have put date stickers on retroactively, because I have some 2020 photos that show 2010 date stickers.

Also note that Google Maps is still not accurately showing the new arrangement in Sterling, even though traffic was rerouted a couple years ago.  It does illustrate the new diagonal alignment that connects Chestnut and Main, but it still shows US 6 using 3rd Av south of Chestnut, when it actually uses Division now.  Also SH 14 no longer uses Main east of Division.

[Alps]

...I'll be on it next week to see how many Bus 76 signs are left...

I've been to Sterling and surroundings a couple times within the past couple years (to photograph the new terminus of US 138).  From what I observed, BS-76 is still posted as described earlier in this thread, which is to say: not at all in Sterling.  It's signed as expected from Brush up to jct. SH 63 in Atwood, but beyond there, it just quietly disappears.  In 2010 Corco commented that the Spur signs (which replaced the Loop signs) didn't have date stamps, but CDoT must have put date stickers on retroactively, because I have some 2020 photos that show 2010 date stickers.

Also note that Google Maps is still not accurately showing the new arrangement in Sterling, even though traffic was rerouted a couple years ago.  It does illustrate the new diagonal alignment that connects Chestnut and Main, but it still shows US 6 using 3rd Av south of Chestnut, when it actually uses Division now.  Also SH 14 no longer uses Main east of Division.

All of the above is most interesting. I've only done the piece in Sterling (to get to/from US 138) so that's the only part I know until about a week from now.

[The Ghostbuster]

At 52.31 miles, the Business 76 Fort Morgan-to-Sterling is the longest Interstate Business Route in the country. Since it is co-designated with US 6 and US 34 for its entire length, is the business route necessary? Usually, business routes are designated when old through-town segments are bypassed, or in the case of Interstate Business Routes, are often designated along segments of decommissioned State or US Highways.