INTERSTATE 25

'Interstate 25' (abbreviated 'I-25') is an interstate highway in the western United States. Its odd number indicates that it is primarily a north-south highway. It goes from Interstate 10 at Las Cruces, New Mexico, to Interstate 90 in Buffalo, Wyoming.
The route is the main north-south highway through Colorado, passing through Cheyenne, Wyoming, near Fort Collins, Colorado, through Denver, Colorado, Castle Rock, Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Pueblo, Colorado, and over Raton Pass into New Mexico. The I-25 corridor in Colorado is heavily urbanized, passing just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. This stretch is currently involved in a massive renovation named T-REX ^[2] (TRansportation EXpansion) in Denver, and COSMIX ^[3] (Colorado Springs Metro Interstate Expansion). Major construction for T-REX ended August 22, 2006. COSMIX is scheduled to be completed in 2007.

Contents

Route description

New Mexico

Colorado

Wyoming

History

Major intersections

Auxiliary routes

References

External links

Route description

|-
|NM
|462.12
|744.15
|-
|CO
|299.70
|482.61
|-
|WY
|300.95
|484.62
|}

Major cities 'Bolded cities' are officially-designated control cities for signs
★ 'El Paso, Texas' (via Interstate 10) ★ 'Las Cruces, New Mexico' ★ 'Albuquerque, New Mexico' ★ 'Santa Fe, New Mexico' ★ 'Las Vegas, New Mexico' ★ 'Raton, New Mexico' ★ 'Pueblo, Colorado' ★ 'Colorado Springs, Colorado' ★ 'Denver, Colorado' ★ 'Fort Collins, Colorado' ★ 'Cheyenne, Wyoming' ★ 'Casper, Wyoming' ★ 'Sheridan, Wyoming' (via Interstate 90)

New Mexico

The formation of Interstate 25 begins at Interstate 10's exit 144 in Las Cruces.^[4] Immediately, three exits provide access to the city, including one for U.S. Route 70.^[5] After this, there are no major cities along the corridor until Albuquerque. However, when I-25 reaches Truth or Consequences, it is parallel to Elephant Butte Reservoir State Park.^[6]
As I-25 nears Albuquerque, it has interchanges with roads such as U.S. Route 380 and a concurrency with Route 60.^[7] Getting even closer, State Road 6, the original U.S. Route 66, meets up with I-25 in Los Lunas.^[8] Now getting even closer to Albuquerque, there are frequent exits to city streets,^[9] along with a huge interchange with Interstate 40.^[10] Named the Big I, it was given an honorable mention by the United States Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration for excellence in urban highway design in 2002.^[11]
Leaving Albuquerque, I-25 starts to curve into an east–west orientation as it heads toward Santa Fe.^[12] I-25 retains that orientation until Las Vegas, where it starts to revert back into its usual north–south orientation.^[13] The highway stays this way even when it is leaving New Mexico to enter Colorado.

Colorado

Interstate 25 has many nicknames though the state's larger cities. In Denver it is called the Valley Highway, the section in El Paso County is named the Ronald Reagan Highway, and through Pueblo it is named the John F Kennedy Highway.
I-25 enters Colorado 14 miles south of the city of Trinidad. It is the main north-south route through Colorado with a length of 300 miles. The Interstate exits Colorado in the north about 8 miles south of Cheyenne, WY. I-25 serves all the major cities in Colorado east of the Rocky Mountains, such as Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Fort Collins. Almost the entire way, from the north to the south, the Rocky Mountains are clearly visible.
There are also several military bases along the route, such as Cheyenne Mountain, Fort Carson and the Air Force Academy.
The section of I-25 between the northern border of Pueblo County, Colorado and the New Mexico state line is named the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway", in honor of President Kennedy's support of water resource development in the Arkansas Valley.

Wyoming

Main articles: Interstate 25 in Wyoming

I-25 enters Wyoming 8 miles south of the state capital, Cheyenne. After traveling through downtown, the interstate continues north to Douglas, Wyoming, passing many plateaus and train tracks. Commonly, very long trains can be seen slowing moving beside the interstate. Around Douglas, the interstate curves to the west towards Casper. Once in downtown Casper, I-25 sharply turns north and continues to Buffalo, where it merges with I-90 and ends.

History

The section between Romeroville, New Mexico, and Los Lunas, New Mexico, closely follows the original alignment of U.S. Highway 66, which was later shortened and realigned to run straight west from Santa Rosa, now replaced with Interstate 40.

Major intersections

★ Interstate 10 in Las Cruces, New Mexico

★ Interstate 40 in Albuquerque, New Mexico — the Big I

★ E-470/C-470 in Lone Tree, Colorado

★ Interstate 225 in Denver, Colorado

★ Interstate 70 in Denver, Colorado — the Mousetrap

★ Interstate 76 at Welby, Colorado - part of the Turnpike Tangle

★ Interstate 270 at Welby, Colorado - part of the Turnpike Tangle

★ Northwest Parkway/E-470 in Broomfield/Thornton, Colorado

★ Interstate 80 in Cheyenne, Wyoming

★ Interstate 90 in Buffalo, Wyoming

Auxiliary routes

References

1. Route Log and Finder List - Interstate System - table 1
2. [1]
3. [2]
4. I-25 at I-10
5. I-25 in Las Cruces
6. I-25 parallels Elephant Butte Reservoir State Park
7. I-25 near Albuquerque
8. I-25 at SR 6
9. I-25 exits in Albuquerque
10. I-25 at I-40
11. I-25/I-40 System-to-System Interchange
12. I-25 nearing Santa Fe
13. I-25 near Las Vegas

External links

★ Interstate 25 by Matthew Salek