Colorado State Highway 257 - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Colorado State Highway 257 is a 18.478-mile long highway in Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

's Front Range

Front Range

The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the north-central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountered moving west along the 40th parallel north across...

. It is located entirely in Weld County

Weld County, Colorado

As of the census of 2000, there were 180,936 people, 63,247 households, and 45,221 families residing in the county. The population density was 45 people per square mile . There were 66,194 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...

. Its western end is at SH 60

Colorado State Highway 60

State Highway 60 is a highway in Colorado that connects Campion, Johnstown and Milliken.-Route description:SH 60 runs , starting at a junction with U.S. Highway 287 at Campion and ending at a junction with U.S...

and its eastern end is at SH 14

Colorado State Highway 14

State Highway 14 in the U.S. state of Colorado is an east–west state highway approximately long. One of the longest state highways in Colorado, it traverses four counties along the northern edge of the state, spanning a geography from the continental divide in the Rocky Mountains to the...

Route description

The route begins at SH 60

Colorado State Highway 60

in the western part of Milliken

Milliken, Colorado

Milliken is a Statutory Town in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The population was 2,888 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Milliken is located at ....

, a town in central Weld County

Weld County, Colorado

. It then heads northward, crosses the Big Thompson River

Big Thompson River

The Big Thompson River is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately 78 miles long, in the U.S. state of Colorado.- Course of the river :...

, a tributary of the South Platte River

South Platte River

The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River and itself a major river of the American Midwest and the American Southwest/Mountain West, located in the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska...

then enters Greeley

Greeley, Colorado

The City of Greeley is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Weld County, Colorado, United States. Greeley is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Greeley is situated north-northeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. According to the...

.

At Greeley, SH 257 has two interchanges

Interchange (road)

In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...

with US 34

U.S. Route 34 in Colorado

U.S. Route 34 in Colorado is a segment of U.S. Route 34. Its west end is at U.S. Route 40 in Granby and its east end is at the Nebraska border east of Laird, Colorado.-Route description:-Granby to Rocky Mountain National Park:...

and US 34 Business. Because the intersection is so close to the terminus of Business Route 34, the two interchanges are just 0.3 miles apart. Both are diamond interchange

Diamond interchange

A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a freeway crosses a minor road. The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge...

s, but at US 34 there are only entrance ramps from the east side.

It then heads northward, and begins to curve northwest over the Cache la Poudre River

Cache La Poudre River

The Cache la Poudre River is in the state of Colorado in the United States.Its headwaters are in the Front Range in Larimer County, in the northern part of Rocky Mountain National Park. The river descends eastward in the mountains through the Roosevelt National Forest in Poudre Canyon...

and into Windsor

Windsor, Colorado

The Town of Windsor is a Home Rule Municipality in Larimer and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town was 18,644. Windsor is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Windsor is situated north of the Colorado State Capitol in...

. It intersects Colorado State Highway 392

Colorado State Highway 392

State Highway 392 is a long state highway in northern Colorado. SH 392 begins at a junction with U.S. Highway 287 south of Fort Collins and proceeds eastward. It intersects I-25 at Exit 262 and continues east through the towns of Windsor and Lucerne. The highway continues northeast and serves...

and abruptly turns west, beginning a concurrency at Main Street; about a mile later SH 257 abruptly turns back northward at 7th Street, ending the concurrency. It then heads all the way north to Colorado State Highway 14

Colorado State Highway 14

, where it terminates. No towns exist on the route from Windsor to SH 14.

History

The route was established in 1939 with several differences. The route went north to Windsor

Windsor, Colorado

from Milliken

Milliken, Colorado

Milliken is a Statutory Town in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The population was 2,888 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Milliken is located at ....

, then turning west to SH 185. SH 185 was then deleted and replaced with Interstate 25

Interstate 25 in Colorado

In the U.S. state of Colorado, Interstate 25 follows the north–south corridor through Colorado Springs and Denver. It replaced U.S. Highway 87 and most of U.S. Highway 85 for through traffic....

, and SH 257 was readjusted so that it went north to SH 14. The route was paved by 1954. A spur south of Johnstown

Johnstown, Colorado

Johnstown is a Home Rule Municipality in Larimer and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. The population was 3,827 at the 2000 census. As of 2010 the US Census Bureau estimates the population of Johnstown at 9,887.-Geography:...

was eliminated a year later. The interchanges at US 34

U.S. Route 34 in Colorado

and BR 34 were built in 1998.

In November 2009, a new traffic signal was installed at the intersection with Garden Drive in Windsor. The construction cost about $350,000.

Future

Because of congestion around the US 34 and BR 34 interchanges, a bus rapid transit

Bus rapid transit

Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...

system has been planned to be built in Greeley.

Major intersections

The entire route is located in Weld County

Weld County, Colorado

, Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

.
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Destination
!Notes
|-
|Milliken

Milliken, Colorado

Milliken is a Statutory Town in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The population was 2,888 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Milliken is located at ....

|0.000
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Greeley

Greeley, Colorado

|5.124
|
|
|-
|5.423
|US 34 Bus.
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Windsor

Windsor, Colorado

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