U.S. 6 West - Clear Creek Canyon

The Clear Creek Canyon route for U.S. 6 was not certified as part of the U.S. Highway until June 1952. Most of the roadway and tunnels through Clear Creek Canyon were built between 1937 and 1941 or between 1945 and 1952, as most construction was halted during World War II. Prior to that, U.S. 6 and U.S. 40 shared the alignment via Mount Vernon between Idaho Springs and Golden.¹

Clear Creek Canyon was first planned for a new road in 1933, and it took nearly 20 years to design and construct the route. Given the nature of the route, it would be easy to claim the road was delayed as a result of engineering challenges. While that is certainly true to an extent, especially considering all the tunnels on the route, U.S. 6 in Clear Creek Canyon was also the victim of politics from the Governor, mayor of Denver and Colorado Highway Department head. For a time, the canyon was even considered for a reservoir rather than today's highway route. But by 1952, all of the tunnels were built, and U.S. 6 was relocated.¹

Originally there were six tunnels, but Tunnel #4 near the intersection with SH 119 is no longer in use. Built in 1939, the 191.9 foot long tunnel² was barricaded from use in 1998 when the intersection joining U.S. 6 and SH 119 was relocated to the southeast.

West

U.S. 6 west through Clear Creek Canyon offers a scenic alternative to Interstate 70 between Golden and Idaho Springs.
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Passing through a narrow canyon with a series of tunnels, U.S. 6 offers beautiful scenery within an hour's drive of Downtown Denver.
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Curving south from Mount Galbraith toward Mount Zion, U.S. 1 enters Tunnel #1. The 882.6 foot long tunnel was built in 1951.³
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Advancing west from Mount Zion through Clear Creek Canyon along U.S. 6 at mile marker 270.
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U.S. 6 west at Huntsman Gulch.
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U.S. 6 shifts to the south side of Clear Creek across a steel girder bridge built in 1950.
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A westbound passing lane opens along U.S. 6 at Guy Gulch.
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A series of S-curves lead U.S. 6 south toward Bald Mountain.
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Curving northwest from Bald Mountain, U.S. 6 heads to Tunnel #2.
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U.S. 6 crosses Clear Creek again prior to entering Tunnel #2 in Clear Creek Canyon.
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Measuring 1,067.6 feet in length, Tunnel #2 was built in 1941.⁴
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Upon exiting Tunnel #2 along U.S. 6 west, Tunnel #3 comes into view.
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Built in 1957, Tunnel #3 is 768.8 feet long.⁵
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Westbound U.S. 6 crosses Elk Creek just beyond Tunnel #3.
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The slow moving vehicle turnout along U.S. 6 south of Centennial Cone was replaced with expansion of westbound with a passing lane by 2007.
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U.S. 6 meets the south end of SH 119 where Clear Creek, Gilpin and Jefferson Counties come together.
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SH 119 travels northwest to Blackhawk and Central City in Gilpin County, then shifts north into Boulder County. Beyond a roundabout with SH 72 in the town of Nederland, SH 119 turns east to the city of Boulder, then follows the Diagonal Highway from there northeast to Longmont and Interstate 25.
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Leading away from SH 119, U.S. 6 spans Clear Creek again. Bypassing the abandoned Tunnel #4 to the north, this section of U.S. 6 was realigned in 1998.
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U.S. 6 nips the southeastern corner of Gilpin County before entering Clear Creek County westbound.
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U.S. 6 passes through Tunnel #5, a 411.1 mile long tunnel built in 1939,⁶ ahead of Tunnel #6.
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Circumventing a horseshoe bend along Clear Creek, the 587.9 foot long Tunnel #6 was built in 1939.⁷
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U.S. 6 and U.S. 40 meet again west of Clear Creek Canyon. U.S. 40 along Route 040B mostly acts as a frontage road for I-70 east between Exit 244 nearby and Exit 252 at SH 74 (Evergreen Parkway).
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West

U.S. 6/40 combine west alongside Walstrum Quarry to a wye interchange (Exit 244) with Interstate 70.
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U.S. 6/40 join I-70 west along a left side entrance ramp. The exchange was built into a rock wall adjacent to Clear Creek. The three routes proceed west to the city of Idaho Springs.
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