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Colorado State Highway 72

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(Redirected from State Highway 72 (Colorado)) State highway in Colorado, United States
State Highway 72 markerState Highway 72
Map of north central Colorado with SH 72 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by CDOT
Length51.01 mi (82.09 km)
Major junctions
South end I-70 in Wheat Ridge
Major intersections
North end SH 7 east of Allenspark
Location
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountiesJefferson, Boulder, Gilpin
Highway system
  • Colorado State Highway System
← SH 71→ SH 74

State Highway 72 (SH 72) is a 51-mile-long (82 km) state highway passing through the foothills and the eastern edge of the Front Range. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 70 (I-70) in Wheat Ridge, and its northern terminus is at SH 7 east of Allenspark.

Route description

View of Continental Divide from State Highway 72 west of WondervuSH 72 looking west as it enters Coal Creek Canyon, just to the west of the intersection with SH 93Westward view of Sawtooth Mountain from SH 72, just south of its northern terminus in Lyons

The route is a mainly rural, scenic, mountainous highway; not having many junctions. It begins at I-70 (Exit 266) in Wheat Ridge as Ward Road. It continues north through the western parts of Arvada where it becomes Coal Creek Canyon Rd. The highway continues west-north-west through Coal Creek Canyon and aptly named Wondervu, across the Union Pacific Railroad tracks at Pinecliffe, eventually joining the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway northbound. For three miles along the Byway it coincides with SH 119. The two routes diverge at Nederland. From Nederland, SH 72 continues north along the Byway past Ward to its terminus with SH 7 east of Allenspark.

History

The route was established in the 1920s, when it began at 46th Avenue in Denver and headed northwest to Nederland. The section of the present-day SH 72 north of Nederland was designated as SH 160. By 1936, the southeastern terminus had been moved to SH 58, itself since relocated. The section from SH 93 east was paved by 1946, and the route was paved entirely by 1958. In 1968, SH 160 was deleted and SH 72 took the route from Nederland to Raymond.

Major intersections

CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
JeffersonWheat Ridge0.000.00 I-70 – DenverSouthern terminus; I-70 exit 266; interchange
Arvada10.6517.14 SH 93 – Golden, Eldorado Springs, Boulder
Boulder
 No major junctions
Gilpin
 No major junctions
BoulderNederland29.3747.27
SH 119 south – Rollinsville, Black Hawk, Central City		South end of SH 119 overlap
32.3752.09
SH 119 north – Boulder		North end of SH 119 overlap
​54.0687.00 SH 7 – Estes Park, LyonsNorthern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. "Segment list for SH 71". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
  2. Salek, Matthew E. "Colorado Routes 60-79". Retrieved 2010-05-29.

External links

KML file (edit • help) Template:Attached KML/Colorado State Highway 72KML is from Wikidata
  • Official website Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT): Colorado Scenic Byways - Peak To Peak Highway
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