U.S. Route 34 in Colorado
U.S. Highway 34 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
US 34 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by CDOT | ||||
| Length | 259.529 mi[1] (417.671 km) | |||
| Existed | 1972[2]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  US 40 in Granby | |||
 US 36 in Estes Park US 287 in Loveland  I-25 / US 87 near Loveland US 85 in Greeley  US 6 / I-76 in Fort Morgan US 385 in Wray | ||||
| East end |  US 34 near Laird | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Colorado | |||
| Counties | Grand, Larimer, Weld, Morgan, Washington, Yuma | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
U.S. Route 34 (US 34) is a part of the U.S. Highway System that travels from Granby, Colorado, to Berwyn, Illinois. In the U.S. state of Colorado, US 34 is a 260-mile-long (420 km) road that spans across northern Colorado. It begins at US 40 in Granby and ends at the Nebraska border, where it continues as US 34, east of Laird.
Route description
Granby to Rocky Mountain National Park
The route begins in Granby at US 40. It then follows the Colorado River Valley near Granby Lake and enters Arapaho National Recreational Area.[3]
Trail Ridge Road
After entering Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado's Front Range, US 34 follows the North Fork Colorado River through Kawuneeche Valley. It passes over Milner Pass and reaches the Alpine Visitor Center. Then it continues east, passing its highest point at 12,183 feet[4] near Fall River Pass. It exits the park at US 36 at Deer Ridge Junction.
US 34 here is the highest continuous highway in the United States.[4]
This section of US 34 requires a $30 national park entrance fee, making this segment into a toll road.
Estes Park to Loveland
From here, it passes by Estes Park, has a business route, and then continues east through Big Thompson Canyon before entering Loveland as Eisenhower Boulevard, becoming a four-lane expressway. Here, it intersects I-25 and U.S. Highway 287.
Greeley to Nebraska border
At Greeley, it passes by U.S. Highway 85 in a complex interchange[2] and U.S. 34 Business, and crosses the South Platte River. It also has an interchange with SH 257.[5] From here, it is no longer an expressway. It intersects SH 144 and SH 39, then joins I-76 at Wiggins. It leaves, and follows the North Fork Republican River east into Nebraska, where it intersects SH 71, SH 52, SH 63, SH 61, SH 59, and U.S. Highway 385.
History
Parts of the route were originally designated as US 38. US 34 was extended into Colorado in 1939.[2]
Major intersections
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand | Granby | 0.000 | 0.000 | US 40 – Granby, Denver, Hot Sulphur Springs, Steamboat Springs | West end of route |
| Grand Lake | 14.683 | 23.630 | West Portal Road – Grand Lake and Village | former SH 278 | |
| Rocky Mountain National Park | 16.3 | 26.2 | Grand Lake Entrance Station Rocky Mountain National Park entrance fee required | ||
| 25.7 | 41.4 | Colorado River Trailhead Eastbound road closure gate (closed winters) | |||
| Larimer | 49.4 | 79.5 | Many Parks Curve Westbound road closure gate (closed winters) | ||
| 53.758 | 86.515 |  US 36 east – Moraine Park, Bear Lake, Estes Park | |||
| 55.546 | 89.393 | Old Fall River Road – Endovalley | |||
| 57.686 | 92.837 | Fall River Entrance Station Rocky Mountain National Park entrance fee required | |||
| Estes Park | 60.965 | 98.114 |  US 34 Bus. east (Elkhorn Avenue) | ||
| 62.081 | 99.910 | MacGregor Avenue – Devils Gulch, Glen Haven | former SH 262 | ||
| 62.507 | 100.595 |    US 36 / US 34 Bus. west (Elkhorn Avenue / St. Vrain Avenue) to SH 7 – Lyons | |||
| Drake | 75.584 | 121.641 |  CR 43 – Glen Haven | former SH 262 | |
| | 85.617 | 137.787 |  CR 27 – Masonville | former SH 186 | |
| Loveland | 91.924 | 147.937 |  US 287 south (Cleveland Avenue) – Longmont, Central Business District | ||
| 92.009 | 148.074 |  US 287 north (Lincoln Avenue) – Fort Collins | |||
| 96.250 | 154.899 | I-25 (US 87) – Denver, Fort Collins | |||
| Weld | Greeley | 102.476 | 164.919 | US 34 Bus. east (10th Street) – Greeley | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance |
| 102.804 | 165.447 |  SH 257 – Windsor, Milliken | |||
| 111.233 | 179.012 | 23rd Avenue / 27th Street | |||
| 112.772 | 181.489 | US 85 south / US 85 Bus. north (8th Avenue) – Denver, Greeley | West end of US 85 overlap | ||
| 113.136 | 182.075 | US 85 north – Cheyenne | East end of US 85 overlap | ||
| | 115.411 | 185.736 | US 34 Bus. west | ||
| | 117.251 | 188.697 |  CR 49 – Hudson, Keenesburg | former SH 37 south | |
| Kersey | 119.178 | 191.798 |  CR 53 / 1st Street – Kersey | former SH 37 north | |
| Morgan | | 144.470 | 232.502 |  SH 144 – Orchard, Jackson Lake State Park | |
| | 149.164 | 240.056 |   SH 39 / SH 52 – Goodrich, Wiggins | ||
| | 149.345 66.288 | 240.347 106.680 |  I-76 west (US 6 west) – Denver | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; western end of I-76 overlap | |
| | 73.130 | 117.691 | Long Bridge Road | I-76 exit 73; former SH 144 | |
| | 75.704 158.794 | 121.834 255.554 |  I-76 east (US 6 east) | Eastern end of I-76 overlap | |
| Fort Morgan | 162.962 | 262.262 |  SH 52 north (Main Street) to I-76 | ||
| Brush | 172.414 | 277.473 |  SH 71 north (Colorado Avenue) to I-76 | West end of SH 71 overlap | |
| | 173.570 | 279.334 | SH 71 south – Last Chance, Limon | East end of SH 71 overlap | |
| | 173.852 | 279.788 | To US 6 / I-76 – Sterling | ||
| Washington | Akron | 196.336 | 315.972 |  SH 63 (Cedar Avenue) – Sterling, Anton | |
| Otis | 209.305 | 336.844 |  SH 61 north (Dade Street) – Sterling | ||
| Yuma | Yuma | 223.345 | 359.439 |  SH 59 (Detroit Street) – Haxtun | |
| Wray | 249.931 | 402.225 | US 385 (Dexter Street) – Holyoke | ||
| | 259.529 | 417.671 | US 34 east – Haigler, McCook | Nebraska state line | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
References
- ^ a b "Segment Descriptions for Highway 34". Colorado Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2010-03-17.
- ^ a b c Salek, Matthew E. (January 30, 2010). "Colorado US 34". Retrieved March 17, 2010.
- ^ The United States (Map). National Geographic. October 2006.
- ^ a b "Destinations: Trail Ridge Road, Colorado". Retrieved March 30, 2010.
- ^ "Interchange Information for Highway 034". Retrieved March 30, 2010.