Colorado State Highway 71

State Highway 71
Map of eastern Colorado with SH 71 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by CDOT
Length	232.899 mi (374.815 km)
Existed	c. 1923–present
NHS	Limon north to Nebraska state line
Major junctions
South end	US 350 near La Junta
Major intersections	US 50 in Rocky Ford US 24 / US 40 / US 287 in Limon US 36 at Last Chance US 34 in Brush I-76 in Brush
North end	N-71 south of Kimball
Location
Country	United States
State	Colorado
Counties	Otero, Crowley, Lincoln, Washington, Morgan, Weld
Highway system
Colorado State Highway System Interstate US State Scenic
← SH 69 → SH 72

State Highway 71 (SH 71) is a north-south 233-mile-long (375 km) Colorado state highway, traversing the High Plains of eastern Colorado. SH 71's southern terminus is at U.S. Route 350 (US 350) near La Junta, and the northern terminus continues as Nebraska Highway 71 (N-71) at the Nebraska border, which eventually crosses into South Dakota as South Dakota Highway 71 (SD-71), making SH 71 a triple-state highway. SH 71 is a largely rural highway, passing through few towns along its path northwards through the grassland.

State Highway 71 is the subject of a truck freight diversion feasibility study being conducted by the Colorado Department of Transportation to explore diverting truck traffic from Interstate 25.

Route description

SH 71 as it enters Snyder

Looking North on Colorado State Highway 71

SH 71 begins at its southern terminus with U.S. Route 350 in La Junta, Colorado. It runs north, jogging east for a mile along a concurrency with State Highway 10 (SH 10), before entering Rocky Ford as 12th Street and meeting U.S. Highway 50 (US 50). The route turns northwest, entering a concurrency with US 50 through town, before heading north again, crossing the Arkansas River, and entering Crowley County.

In Crowley County, SH 71 continues north, passing west of Lake Meredith and just east of Ordway, traveling along a brief concurrency with SH 96 in town. Heading north of Ordway, the road winds through grasslands and enters Lincoln County. Still heading north, SH 71 intersects Colorado State Highway 96 at Punkin Center, a community with only a few buildings and no services. The next services are 30 miles (48 km) further north in Limon, where SH 71 is part of a five-way concurrency eastward along Main Street with I-70 BL, US 24, US 40, and US 287. The presence of so many routes converging in one location is what gives Limon its moniker of the "Hub City."

After passing through Limon, SH 71 turns north and passes over Interstate 70 (I-70) without an interchange. North of Limon, the road heads through more grassland and enters Washington County, intersecting U.S Highway 36 (US 36) in another serviceless city of Last Chance. The highway then enters Morgan County, concurring briefly with U.S. Highway 34 (US 34) and entering Brush as Colorado Avenue. North of Brush, SH 71 intersects Interstate 76 (I-76) before crossing the South Platte River and going through Snyder. The highway continues due north past farmland grassland and farmland, entering Weld County. In Weld County, SH 71 turns west into another brief concurrency, this time with State Highway 14 (SH 14). The concurrent highways travel westward, passing Stoneham, before SH 71 turns north one last time, passing through the Pawnee National Grassland and entering Nebraska as Nebraska Highway 71 (N-71).

History

SH 71 is an original state highway, introduced to the system in 1923. The designation ran along much of its current route, running between U.S. Route 350 near La Junta and what is now U.S. Route 34 in Brush. By 1939, a spur route had been added, extending northward from Brush, although this section was later removed. In 1954, a portion of the designation was removed, creating a temporary gap from approximately 11 miles north of Limon to Last Chance. However, one year later, in 1955, this gap was closed.

Throughout the 1950s and into the early 1960s, many improvements were made to SH 71, including extensive paving efforts. By 1958, the only remaining unpaved section of the highway stretched from north of Ordway to south of Limon. An extension in 1964 saw the addition of the segment from Brush northward to SH 14 and the Nebraska border. By 1965, SH 71 was fully paved.

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, further work was done to the highway. SH 71's entrance northbound into Limon was realigned westward from I Avenue to K Avenue around 1999, streamlining the highway. Additionally, in Brush, the interchange at Exit 90 along Interstate 76 underwent significant changes as part of a reconstruction project in Spring 2013, transitioning from a cloverleaf to a diamond interchange.

In September of 2013, when severe flooding along the South Platte River south of Snyder caused extensive damage to portions of SH 71. Heavy rainfall upstream led to the flooding of the highway. This segment of SH 71 was reopened a month later early October 2013.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Otero	​	0.000	0.000	US 350 – La Junta, Trinidad	Southern terminus
	​	9.032	14.536	SH 10 west – Walsenburg	Southern end of SH 10 concurrency
	​	9.601	15.451	SH 10 east – La Junta	Northern end of SH 10 concurrency
	Rocky Ford	14.539	23.398	US 50 east / SH 266 east – Cheraw, La Junta	Southern end of US 50 concurrency; western terminus of SH 266
		15.360	24.720	SH 202 west	Eastern terminus of SH 202
	​	16.157	26.002	US 50 west – Pueblo	Northern end of US 50 concurrency
Crowley	Ordway	26.642	42.876	SH 96 west – Pueblo	Southern end of SH 96 concurrency
		26.881	43.261	SH 96 east – Eads	Northern end of SH 96 concurrency
Lincoln	Punkin Center	72.601	116.840	SH 94 – Colorado Springs, Kit Carson
	Limon	101.063	162.645	I-70 BL west / US 24 west / US 40 west / US 287 north to I-70 – Denver	Southern end of BL 70/US 24/US 40/US 287 concurrency
		101.973	164.110	I-70 BL east / US 24 east / US 40 east / US 287 south to I-70 – Burlington	Northern end of BL 70/US 24/US 40/US 287 concurrency
Washington	Last Chance	138.011	222.107	US 36 – Denver, Anton
Morgan	​	174.357	280.600	US 34 east to I-76	Southern end of US 34 concurrency
	Brush	175.486	282.417	US 34 west	north end of US 34 concurrency
		176.464	283.991	I-76 (US 6) – Fort Morgan, Sterling	I-76 exit 90
Weld	​	201.636	324.502	SH 14 east – Sterling	Southern end of SH 14 concurrency
	​	205.525	330.760	SH 14 west to SH 52 south – Ault, Fort Collins	Northern end of SH 14 concurrency
	​	232.899	374.815	N-71 north – Kimball	Continues north at Nebraska state line
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

External links

• Colorado Routes 60-79 The Highways of Colorado