Tips on navigating the Denver Metro area

[Irving]

Many of you will know some, most, or even all of this info. Not everyone does though, and even though I knew a lot of this info already, I found the map class I took very helpful. If you have a map of the Denver Metro area that is large enough to read individual streets, get it out. The one I have is larger than most desks and would be awkward to use in a car; but it is perfect to use for these tips.

I'm just regurgitating this from hand written notes I took in the class and memory. I don't have links and if I mess something up, please feel free to correct me.

Rules of the Interstate:

-Interstates ending in even numbers run WEST to EAST. Exits and mile markers start at 1 on the western boarder and count up to the eastern boarder.
-Interstates ending in odd numbers run SOUTH to NORTH. Exits and mile markers start at 1 on the southern boarder and count up to the northern boarder.
-The mile marker numbers are always the same on both sides of the highway. Mile marker 261 on I-70 will be in the same location going west bound as it is on east bound. If you are stranded going east bound, and have see a mile marker in your rear view mirror in the west bound lanes, it will be the same for you.

Colorado Interstates:

I-70, I-25, I-76, I-225, and I-270.
How can I-225 and I-270 be INTERstates if they don't go out of Colorado? They serve to connect two interstates.

How was it decided what to name I-225 and I-270?
The last two numbers in the highway are the same as the southern most connecting highway. I-270 connects I-70 (on the south end) to I-25 (on the north end). I-225 connects I-25 (on the south end) to I-70 (on the north end).

C-470 serves to connect two interstates, why isn't it I-470 instead?
Because we couldn't get Federal funding to build the highway, so it was made a state highway. I forgot to ask why C-470 isn't C-425, since it seems that it runs into I-25 further south than it hits I-70.
E-470 is the extension of C-470 (on the east side of I-25) and is a toll road.

Highway 36 into Boulder is the only toll road in the US to ever have paid for itself and lose the "toll" portion. **I don't have a source for this.**


If someone calls you on a Colorado interstate, but doesn't know where they are, I find this to be one of the most useful websites to help locate them.
http://www.mesalek.com/coexit/index.html
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Ground Zero:

"Ground Zero" is at Broadway and Ellsworth. Broadway runs north to south and is the 0 block. Everything west of Broadway is West (W. Colfax), and everything east of Broadway is East (E. Colfax). The difference between 2200 W. Colfax and 2200 E. Colfax is 44 blocks.

Ellsworth runs east to west and is the 0 block. Anything North of Ellsworth is North, but the North is only implied and not usually stated. If an address is 2600 Wadsworth Blvd, then you can assume that it is North of Ellsworth. 2600 S. Wadsworth Blvd is 52 blocks south of 2600 Wadsworth Blvd.

Street Names:

EAST
-Broadway, going East to Colorado Blvd, the streets are named after dead Presidents and war heroes. Lincoln, Grant, Humboldt, Franklin, etc.

-Colorado Blvd, going East to Yosemite, the streets are with doublealphabet, Nouns and Plants. Albion, Ash, Bellaire, Birch, Claremont, Cherry, etc.

-Yosemite East into Aurora continues with double alphabet.

WEST
-Broadway, going West to Zuni is Single Alphabet with Indianor Spanish names. Acoma, Bannock, Cherokee, etc

-Zuni, going west is Single Alphabet, two times.

SOUTH
-Ellsworth, going South to Evans are mostly states. Nevada, Virgina, etc.

-Evans, going south are colleges.

NORTH
-Ellsworth, going north, streets are numbered up to 156th. I think it used to be up to 196th, but they might have started putting different names in between as the area grows.

Avenues, Streets, and Boulevards:

-Ave generally run E-W
-St generally run N-S
-Blvd generally run N-S

-Addresses ending in odd numbers are on the North and West side of streets.
-Addresses ending in even numbers are on the South and East side of streets.

I always remember that East and Even go together.

Miscellaneous:

-I-70 crosses Colfax at two points. Once in Golden and once in Aurora.
-I-25 crosses Nevada at two points. Once at N Nevada and one at S Nevada.
-There are four towns in Colorado named "Midway."
-There are some duplicate intersections as well. There are three intersections of Broadway and Arapahoe in Colorado. Denver, Boulder, and I can't remember the other one.

This didn't turn out as organized as I would have liked, but I hope it is helpful to you.