Interstate 70 East - Jefferson County

Welcome to Jefferson County sign posted at the Bergen Park Road overpass. The return ramp from Beaver Brook and Floyd Hill merges onto I-70 east here.

08/11/16

Confirming marker posted ahead of Soda Creek. Interstate 70 can be particularly busy on Saturday and Sunday evenings, because of skiers returning to Denver after a day on the slopes. Additionally, the freeway is an important commuting route from foothills communities into the metropolitan area.

08/11/16

Another in a series of signs warning trucks of the forthcoming stretch through Mount Vernon Canyon.

08/11/16

A chain station along the eastbound lanes lies one mile ahead after milepost 250.

08/11/16

Segment B of U.S. 40 switches sides with Interstate 70 in one mile before concluding at SH 74 in the community of El Rancho.

08/11/16

SH 74 (Evergreen Parkway) forms an 18.11 mile loop south from Interstate 70 to Evergreen and east through Bear Creek Canyon to SH 8 at the town of Morrison. U.S. 40 east provides access to Evergreen Parkway south via Exit 251.

08/11/16

A half diamond interchange (Exit 251) joins I-70 east with U.S. 40 west back to Floyd Hill and east to SH 74 at El Rancho. SH 74 east ends at I-70 directly via a wye interchange (Exit 252 on westbound) nearby.

08/11/16

Interstate 70 curves northeast from El Rancho to overtake old U.S. 40 to a diamond interchange (Exit 252) with Chief Hosa.

08/11/16

Traffic from SH 74 north and U.S. 40 east add an auxiliary lane to Genesee Drive by Chief Hosa Lodge.

08/11/16

Exit 253 departs Interstate 70 east for Genesee Drive east to Genesee Mountain and Moss Rock Road west. A lane drop occurs with the freeway reducing to three through lanes.

08/11/16

Turning east, I-70 passes through Genesee Park ahead of the diamond interchange (Exit 254) with Segment C of U.S. 40, Mount Vernon Drive north and Genesee Trail and Mountain Roads to the south.

08/11/16

Two additional signs for the steep grade through Mount Vernon Canyon along Interstate 70 east. The freeway descends 1,600 feet in elevation from just east of Exit 254 to the west end of C-470.

08/11/16

Exit 254 connects I-70 with a parking area for viewing of the Genesee Buffalo Herd, which frequently commingles with nearby bighorn sheep nearby. U.S. 40 east to Lookout Mountain Road north leads motorists to the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave.

08/11/16

Signs for Genesee Park omit the separation of U.S. 40 east from I-70. The third independent segment of U.S. 40 winds alongside the freeway east into Mount Vernon Canyon before looping north into Golden. A variety of homes and condominiums can be found in the neighborhoods accessed via the Genesee Park exit.

08/11/16

Genesee Park marks the beginning of the final descent of Interstate 70 from the high country of the Rocky Mountains to the Great Plains of Eastern Colorado. Due to the dramatic drop in elevation, signs continues to warn motorists and especially truck drivers of the pending six percent downgrade that concludes in the urban tangle of metropolitan Denver.

08/11/16

67,000 vehicles per day (vpd) on average traveled I-70 east from Genesee Park in 2015.

08/11/16

A short straight away precedes the descent into Mount Vernon Canyon. I-70 travels around 7,400 feet above sea level on this stretch.

08/11/16

A 6% grade ensues over the four mile drop through Mount Vernon Canyon.

08/11/16

Exit 256 follows to connect Interstate 70 with adjacent Genesee Ridge Road west and Grapevine Road east.

08/11/16

Assisting trucks with failing brakes, a runaway truck ramp is placed immediately after Exit 256 (Lookout Mountain).

08/11/16

Mother Cabrini Shrine overlooks Interstate 70 to the north of adjacent U.S. 40 off Cabrini Road. According to the official website, Mother Cabrini Shrine was established by Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini as a summer camp for orphaned children. Mother Cabrini was beatified in 1938, and the property today is a mission that serves the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

08/11/16

Entering the diamond interchange (Exit 256) for U.S. 40 and Grapevine Road on I-70 east. Lookout Mountain lies to the north of U.S. 40 and west of Golden.

08/11/16

Drivers are advised to stay in lower gear as I-70 lowers steeply across Dinosaur Ridge. The steep descent is comparable to northbound I-5 over the Grapevine north of Los Angeles and along westbound I-80 through Parleys Canyon into Salt Lake City.

08/11/16

The runaway truck ramp is located a half mile beyond the Lookout Mountain on-ramp. Traffic from Exit 259 increased counts along I-70 to 76,000 vpd in 2015.

08/11/16

Trucks are relegated to a 45 mile per speed limit through Mount Vernon Canyon.

08/11/16

Passing by the runaway truck ramp on I-70 east at milepost 257.

08/11/16

Yet another warning sign indicates that truckers are not done with the downgrade, as there are another 1.50 miles of sharp curves, steep grades and other safety hazards. Slow moving trucks tend to stay clear of the faster moving drivers returning from a day of skiing each winter's evening in the right lane.

08/11/16

Omitted from Exit 259 guide signs, the next off-ramp along eastbound Interstate 70 joins the freeway with County Road 93 south to Morrison and north to adjacent U.S. 40 to Golden.

08/11/16

One last series of S-curves takes Interstate 70 out of Mount Vernon Canyon. The freeway curves northeast to traverse Dinosaur Ridge.

08/11/16

CR 93 meets Interstate 70 at a diamond interchange (Exit 259) by Matthews / Winters Park. Decommissioned in 2001, CR 93 was formerly SH 26, a highway leading south to Dinosaur Ridge Park, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and SH 8 in Morrison.

08/11/16

Exit 259 lowers from Interstate 70 east for CR 93 to U.S. 40 through Golden. Designated as Route 040C by CDOT, this section of U.S. 40 runs 32.93 miles across the Denver metropolitan area, dually as Business Loop I-70. C-470 meets the freeway at the suceeding exit in one mile.

08/11/16

Exit 259 is the beginning of lengthy Business Loop I-70 from Golden east across Lakewood and Denver (Colfax Avenue). The designation is curiously absence from mainline signs on Interstate 70.

08/11/16

Forthcoming C-470 links Interstate 70 with U.S. 6 (6th Avenue) west into the city of Golden. The ramp from I-70 east to C-470 west opened to traffic in April 2006.¹

08/11/16

Known almost exclusively as C-470, the SH 470 belt line from Exit 260 to Lone Tree in Douglas County, was completed in 1991. Inventoried as Route 470A, the suburban freeway runs 26.20 miles, connecting I-70 with U.S. 285 south, I-25 south to Colorado Springs and E-470 northeast to complete a bypass of the Denver metropolitan area.

08/11/16

An auxiliary lane accompanies I-70 east from CR 93 to the collector distributor roadway (Exit 260) for C-470. C-470 heads south by Green Mountain to Morrison, Bear Creek Lake Regional Park and Ken Caryl Ranch.

08/11/16

The 1.21 mile northern extension of C-470, designated Route 470W by CDOT, opened to traffic in August 2000.¹ The spur directly links U.S. 6 west and Johnson Road north at the Jefferson County Government Center.

08/11/16

Travelers along Interstate 70 east enter the city limits of Golden from C-470 north to the wye interchange (Exit 261) with U.S. 6 (6th Avenue) east.

08/11/16

Interchange sequence signs appear periodically within the median of Interstate 70 across the Denver metropolitan area. The succeeding two mile stretch beyond Denver West Boulevard (Exit 263) passes east of South Table Mountain.

08/11/16

Interstate 70 arcs northeast between Green Mountain Corporate Center and the Sixth Avenue West Estates subdivision ahead of Exit 261. East from Golden, U.S. 6 upgrades onto a freeway across the city of Lakewood to I-25 at the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Denver.

08/11/16

U.S. 6 last met Interstate 70 at Hidden Valley in east Idaho Springs (Exit 244). Section G of U.S. 6 ends at I-25, with U.S. 6 utilizing the freeway north to Interstate 70 east at Exit 274. U.S. 40 parallels the 6th Avenue Freeway to the north along Business Loop I-70 (Colfax Avenue).

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A diamond interchange (Exit 252) joins I-70 with Colfax Avenue one half mile ahead by Colorado Mills Mall. The succeeding exit also serves the retail area via Denver West Marriot Boulevard south.

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Exit 262 leaves Interstate 70 east for Business Loop I-70/U.S. 40 west back to Golden and east across Lakewood to Downtown Denver. Colfax Avenue extends all the way east to I-70 at Exit 288.

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The diamond interchange at Exit 263 serves the Denver West development in northwest Lakeside.

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Advancing north from Lakewood to the Exit 264 for Youngfield Street, I-70 eastbound enters unincorporated Jefferson County. The freeway along SH 58 follows at Exit 265 in the city of Wheat Ridge.

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Denver West Parkway intersects Denver West Marriot Boulevard east from the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) at Camp George West, just north of Exit 263.

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The Denver West Office Park spreads both north and south of Exit 263. Denver West Marriot Boulevard spurs north to an apartment complex and south to the Colfax Avenue (U.S. 40) retail corridor at Colorado Mills Parkway.

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Residential areas of Applewood West and Apple Valley line both sides of Interstate 70 closely to the modified diamond interchange (Exit 264) with Youngfield Street and W 32nd Avenue.

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Interstate 70 turns east beyond the end of SH 58 in two miles. The first of three exits for Wheat Ridge follows at Ward Road.

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Youngfield Street runs along the east side of I-70 to Applewood Village Shopping Center and W 44th Avenue in Wheat Ridge. W 32nd Avenue circumvents South Table Top Mountain west to the Coors Brewing Company plant and Downtown Golden.

08/11/16

SH 58 constitutes a 5.63 mile long freeway extending west from Interstate 70 at Exit 265 to U.S. 6 (6th Avenue) and SH 93 north in Golden.

08/11/16

The wye interchange with SH 58 west was expanded in 2008² into a full systems interchange with access from I-70 east and to I-70 west from SH 58 east.

08/11/16

The next interchange sequence sign stands along I-70 just ahead of Clear Creek. The eastbound freeway runs just south of Arvada to its city line in four miles.

08/11/16

Exit 265 departs as a flyover for SH 58 west to McIntyre Street, Washington Avenue and U.S. 6 west in Golden. U.S. 6 ascends from Golden through Clear Creek Canyon to SH 119, which in turn leads to Black Hawk, Central City and their associated gambling facilities.

08/11/16

SH 72 begins from adjacent 44th Avenue and heads north below Interstate 70 along Ward Road.

08/11/16

Passing under the flyover opened in December 2008 for SH 58 west on I-70 east. The freeway to Golden was completed in 1974.²

08/11/16

Associated work with the $32 million project at SH 58 relocated the off-ramp at Exit 266 for 44th Avenue further east to increase spacing from the SH 58 entrance ramp. The new exit accommodates two lanes as it links with parallel 44th Avenue west back to SH 72 (Ward Road).

08/11/16

SH 72 constitutes an arterial route north along Ward Road, west on 64th Avenue and north again on Indiana Street through suburban Arvada. SH 72 meanders northwest from the Denver metropolitan area through Coal Creek Canyon to SH 119 near Nederland.

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Tabor Street spans Interstate 70 one mile from Exit 267 and SH 391 (Kipling Street). SH 391 comprises an urban route south through Lakewood 9.64 miles to U.S. 285.

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Traffic counts swelled to 128,000 vpd in 2015 with commuters joining Interstate 70 east from Golden.

08/11/16

The first mention of Interstate 76 on I-70 east appears just ahead of the diamond interchange (Exit 267) with SH 391 (Kipling Street).

08/11/16

Exit 267 parts ways with Interstate 70 east for SH 391 (Kipling Street) south through Wheat Ridge. SH 391 ends at the north side service road (49th Avenue). Kipling Street / Parkway continues as a locally maintained arterial to Ralston Road in Arvada.

08/11/16

Interstate 70 straddles the Wheat Ridge city line to the directional cloverleaf interchange (Exit 269A) with SH 121 (Wadsworth Boulevard).

04/23/17

Exit 269B follows from the left lanes for the eastbound beginning of Interstate 76. I-76 provides a direct route to I-25 for northern suburbs extending along the corridor to Fort Collins.

04/23/17

Eastbound reassurance marker posted by the Garrison Street underpass. Frontage roads remain along both directions of the freeway along this stretch.

08/11/16

SH 121 (Wadsworth Boulevard) forms a six lane arterial north from forthcoming Exit 269A to an array of big box retail and the Arvada Marketplace shopping center.

08/11/16

Painted shields advise motorists of the dual lane drop for I-76 along the ten lane freeway.

08/11/16

Exit 269A departs with two lanes from I-70 east for SH 121 (Wadsworth Boulevard). Interstate 76 commences a 184.14 mile route to Fort Morgan, Brush, Sterling and Julesburg next.

04/23/17

I-70 progresses east from Interstate 76 three miles through the Regis and Berkeley neighborhoods of northwest Denver to meet U.S. 287 (Federal Boulevard). U.S. 287 also meets I-76 in 3.4 miles within unincorporated Adams County.

04/23/17

A flyover from SH 121 south combines with traffic from Wadsworth Boulevard north to form a distributor roadway to both I-70 and I-76 east. The western leg of Interstate 76 was constructed in phases from 1978 to 1993.

08/11/16

Interstate 76 serves both commuters east to I-25 north through Adams County, Commerce City, and Brighton and long distance travelers northeast to Omaha, Nebraska via Interstate 80 at Big Spring, Nebraska.

08/11/16

Interstate 76, together with I-270 southeast, provides an alternative to I-70 east through the infamous Mousetrap interchange with I-25 in Globeville, Denver. Both freeways connect with SH 95 (Sheridan Boulevard) within the next mile.

04/23/17

A diamond interchange (Exit 270) joins Interstate 70 directly with Harlan Street at the small town of Lakeside. A frontage road extends east by Lake Rhoda to link Exit 270 with SH 95 at Sheridan Boulevard.

04/23/17

Beyond the wye interchange with I-76, Interstate 70 reenters Wheat Ridge just ahead of Exit 270 with SH 95.

04/23/17

Exit 270 leaves I-70 east for Harlan Street south to Lakeside and Wheat Ridge and north to Clear Creek Drive through the Regis neighborhood of west Denver. SH 95 (Sheridan Boulevard) parallels to the east, lining the boundary between Jefferson County and Denver south to Mountain View and Edgewater.

04/23/17

Back to back S-curves take Interstate 70 around Berkeley Lake between Sheridan Boulvard and Tennyson Street in Denver.

04/23/17