Colorado State Highway 2
Encyclopedia
State Highway 2 is a state highway
of the U.S. state of Colorado
. It runs for approximately 24 miles (38.6 km) north–south entirely within the urbanized environment of the Denver Metropolitan Area. It is one of the major north–south thoroughfares of east Denver
, where it is known as Colorado Boulevard.
in Arapahoe County
just south of the Denver city limits. It goes north through Denver, intersecting Interstate 25 at exit 204 . It intersects State Highway 83
near Cherry Creek
and U.S. Highway 40/287 (Colfax Avenue
) east of downtown Denver. It passes along the east side of Denver City Park
. It intersects Interstate 70 at exit 276, then merges with U.S. Highway 6/85 through Commerce City
until it branches off to the northeast, passing along the northwest boundary of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
. It terminates at its northern end at Interstate 76 at exit 15 on the south edge of Brighton
.
at the Utah border. It then followed US 40 all the way to Denver, where it followed Colfax Avenue
through Denver. It then followed various streets northeast along U.S. Route 85
north to Greeley
, where it turned abruptly eastward along U.S. Route 34
to U.S. Route 6
, where it continued to Sterling
and finally along U.S. Route 138
to the Nebraska border. By 1946, the route was rerouted in an Area northeast of Denver. It was then changed in 1950 so it followed Colfax Avenue east through Dever. The route was rerouted in 1968 from US 285 to I-80S (now deleted). The now-deleted portion along Quebec Street
was changed in 1971, and the route was finally corrected to its current routing in 1998.
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
of the U.S. state of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. It runs for approximately 24 miles (38.6 km) north–south entirely within the urbanized environment of the Denver Metropolitan Area. It is one of the major north–south thoroughfares of east Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, where it is known as Colorado Boulevard.
Route description
On its southern end, it begins at U.S. Highway 285 in Cherry Hills VillageCherry Hills Village, Colorado
The city of Cherry Hills Village is a Denver suburb and Home Rule Municipality located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The population was 5,958 at the 2000 census. It is one of the most affluent places in Colorado and the United States....
in Arapahoe County
Arapahoe County, Colorado
As of the census of 2000, there were 487,967 people, 190,909 households, and 125,809 families residing in the county. The population density was 608 people per square mile . There were 196,835 housing units at an average density of 245 per square mile...
just south of the Denver city limits. It goes north through Denver, intersecting Interstate 25 at exit 204 . It intersects State Highway 83
Colorado State Highway 83
State Highway 83 is a state highway that runs from SH 21 interchange in north Colorado Springs to SH 2 at Leetsdale Dr. / Colorado Blvd. in Denver.-Route description:...
near Cherry Creek
Cherry Creek (Colorado)
Cherry Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River, long, in Colorado in the United States.-Location:Cherry Creek rises in the high plateau, east of the Front Range, in northwestern El Paso County...
and U.S. Highway 40/287 (Colfax Avenue
Colfax Avenue
Colfax Avenue is the main street that runs east–west through the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area in Colorado. As U.S. Highway 40, it was one of two principal highways serving Denver before the Interstate Highway System was constructed. In the local street system, it lies 15 blocks north of the zero...
) east of downtown Denver. It passes along the east side of Denver City Park
City Park, Denver
City Park is an urban park and neighborhood in Denver, Colorado. The park is and is located in east-central Denver. The park contains the Denver Zoo, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Ferril and Duck Lakes, and a boathouse. City Park is also the name of the neighborhood that contains the...
. It intersects Interstate 70 at exit 276, then merges with U.S. Highway 6/85 through Commerce City
Commerce City, Colorado
The city of Commerce City is a Home Rule Municipality located in Adams County, Colorado, United States. Commerce City is a northern suburb of Denver and now the 18th most populous municipality in the state of Colorado...
until it branches off to the northeast, passing along the northwest boundary of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge located adjacent to Commerce City, Colorado, approximately northeast of downtown Denver...
. It terminates at its northern end at Interstate 76 at exit 15 on the south edge of Brighton
Brighton, Colorado
Brighton is a Home Rule Municipality in Adams and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado, and the county seat of Adams County. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 31,380 in 2008.-Geography:...
.
History
The route was established in the 1920s beginning at U.S. Route 40U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40 is an east–west United States highway. As with most routes whose numbers end in a zero, U.S. 40 once traversed the entire United States. It is one of the original 1920s U.S. Highways, and its first termini were San Francisco, California, and Atlantic City, New Jersey...
at the Utah border. It then followed US 40 all the way to Denver, where it followed Colfax Avenue
Colfax Avenue
Colfax Avenue is the main street that runs east–west through the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area in Colorado. As U.S. Highway 40, it was one of two principal highways serving Denver before the Interstate Highway System was constructed. In the local street system, it lies 15 blocks north of the zero...
through Denver. It then followed various streets northeast along U.S. Route 85
U.S. Route 85
U.S. Route 85 is a north–south United States highway that runs for in the Mountain - Northern Plains states of the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, connecting with Mexican Federal Highway 45...
north to Greeley
Greeley, Colorado
The City of Greeley is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Weld County, Colorado, United States. Greeley is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Greeley is situated north-northeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. According to the...
, where it turned abruptly eastward along U.S. Route 34
U.S. Route 34
U.S. Route 34 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 1,122 miles from north-central Colorado to the western suburbs of Chicago. Through Rocky Mountain National Park it is known as the Trail Ridge Road where it reaches 12,183 ft , making it the highest paved through highway in...
to U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6 , also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, a name that honors an American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system, running east-northeast from Bishop, California to Provincetown, Massachusetts. Until 1964, it continued south from Bishop to...
, where it continued to Sterling
Sterling, Colorado
The City of Sterling is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Logan County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 14,777 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Sterling is located at...
and finally along U.S. Route 138
U.S. Route 138
U.S. Route 138, commissioned in 1926, is a short east–west highway in Colorado and Nebraska that runs predominantly northeast to southwest paralleling the South Platte River and Interstate 76. Like all spurs of the former U.S. Route 66 and U.S. Route 199, U.S. Route 138 is an orphan route....
to the Nebraska border. By 1946, the route was rerouted in an Area northeast of Denver. It was then changed in 1950 so it followed Colfax Avenue east through Dever. The route was rerouted in 1968 from US 285 to I-80S (now deleted). The now-deleted portion along Quebec Street
Colorado State Highway 35
Colorado State Highway 35, also known as Quebec Street, is a state route in the city of Denver, Colorado. It is long. Its southern end is I-70 and its eastern end is 53rd Place. An expansion was planned but funding has not materialized....
was changed in 1971, and the route was finally corrected to its current routing in 1998.