Colorado State Highway 64
Encyclopedia
State Highway 64 is a 74-mile (118 km) long two-lane state highway
connecting the towns of Dinosaur
and Meeker
in the western part of the U.S. state
of Colorado
. It is located in both Moffat
and Rio Blanco counties. The western end of State Highway 64 is part of the Dinosaur Diamond Scenic Byway
, while the eastern end is a junction with State Highway 13 near Meeker, Colorado. Its largest amount of traffic is 6600 near Rangely. It is classified as a Minor Rural Highway by the Colorado Department of Transportation.
where it is named Stegosaurus
Freeway, following the tradition of naming the roads in Dinosaur after names of dinosaurs. After passing 8th Street and exiting the town, SH-64 continues on in the Colorado Plateau
bearing south-southeast as Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway, crossing into Rio Blanco County after another mile. 4.2 miles after it enters Rio Blanco County, SH 64 curves to the east and starts heading southeast to Rangely
. Once past Rangely, it bends northeast to bisect the town of Angora. From there, it bends back southeast following the White River
valley through White River City, situated next to Rio Blanco Lake. It continues until it reaches a junction with State Highway 13 three miles away from Meeker
.
, but it was changed in the middle of the 1940s. The format of the road shifted several times over the next two decades. In 1939, a spur line was constructed to continue southwest of Meeker. In 1946, the western end was moved from south of Dinosaur to US 40, which was a route already situated within Dinosaur, at that time called Sandy Springs. About a decade later, the spur line built in 1939 was eliminated. The following year, all of State Highway 64 was paved. There have been no other construction developments on the highway since then.
!County
!Location
!Mile
!Destination
!Notes
|-
|Moffat
|Dinosaur
|0.00
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Rio Blanco
|Rangely
|19.79
|
|
|-
|Meeker
|73.70
|
|
|-
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
connecting the towns of Dinosaur
Dinosaur, Colorado
The Town of Dinosaur is a Statutory Town located in Moffat County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 320 at the U.S. Census 2000....
and Meeker
Meeker, Colorado
The Town of Meeker is a Statutory Town that is the county seat and the most populous town of Rio Blanco County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 2,242 at the U.S. Census 2000. The town is largely an agricultural community, located in the wide fertile valley of the White River in...
in the western part of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
. It is located in both Moffat
Moffat County, Colorado
Moffat County is the northwesternmost and the second most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 13,184 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Craig.- History :...
and Rio Blanco counties. The western end of State Highway 64 is part of the Dinosaur Diamond Scenic Byway
Dinosaur Diamond Scenic Byway
The Dinosaur Diamond Scenic Byway is a 512-mile National Scenic Byway in the U.S. states of Utah and Colorado. The highway forms a diamond-shaped loop with vertices at Moab, Helper, Vernal and Grand Junction....
, while the eastern end is a junction with State Highway 13 near Meeker, Colorado. Its largest amount of traffic is 6600 near Rangely. It is classified as a Minor Rural Highway by the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Route description
The route begins at a junction with US 40 in DinosaurDinosaur, Colorado
The Town of Dinosaur is a Statutory Town located in Moffat County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 320 at the U.S. Census 2000....
where it is named Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus is a genus of armored stegosaurid dinosaur. They lived during the Late Jurassic period , some 155 to 150 million years ago in what is now western North America. In 2006, a specimen of Stegosaurus was announced from Portugal, showing that they were present in Europe as well...
Freeway, following the tradition of naming the roads in Dinosaur after names of dinosaurs. After passing 8th Street and exiting the town, SH-64 continues on in the Colorado Plateau
Colorado Plateau
The Colorado Plateau, also called the Colorado Plateau Province, is a physiographic region of the Intermontane Plateaus, roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. The province covers an area of 337,000 km2 within western Colorado, northwestern New Mexico,...
bearing south-southeast as Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway, crossing into Rio Blanco County after another mile. 4.2 miles after it enters Rio Blanco County, SH 64 curves to the east and starts heading southeast to Rangely
Rangely, Colorado
Rangely is a Statutory Town in Rio Blanco County, Colorado, United States. The population was 2,096 at the 2000 census. The town is home to one of two campuses of the Colorado Northwestern Community College.-Geography:...
. Once past Rangely, it bends northeast to bisect the town of Angora. From there, it bends back southeast following the White River
White River (Utah)
The White River is a tributary of the Green River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Colorado and Utah. Flows vary from 450 ft³/s late summers in dry years to well over 12,000 ft³/s in spring....
valley through White River City, situated next to Rio Blanco Lake. It continues until it reaches a junction with State Highway 13 three miles away from Meeker
Meeker, Colorado
The Town of Meeker is a Statutory Town that is the county seat and the most populous town of Rio Blanco County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 2,242 at the U.S. Census 2000. The town is largely an agricultural community, located in the wide fertile valley of the White River in...
.
History
State Highway 64 was originally built in the 1920s. At that time, the highway started from south of Dinosaur and went west into UtahUtah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, but it was changed in the middle of the 1940s. The format of the road shifted several times over the next two decades. In 1939, a spur line was constructed to continue southwest of Meeker. In 1946, the western end was moved from south of Dinosaur to US 40, which was a route already situated within Dinosaur, at that time called Sandy Springs. About a decade later, the spur line built in 1939 was eliminated. The following year, all of State Highway 64 was paved. There have been no other construction developments on the highway since then.
Major intersections
{| class=wikitable!County
!Location
!Mile
!Destination
!Notes
|-
|Moffat
Moffat County, Colorado
Moffat County is the northwesternmost and the second most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 13,184 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Craig.- History :...
|Dinosaur
Dinosaur, Colorado
The Town of Dinosaur is a Statutory Town located in Moffat County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 320 at the U.S. Census 2000....
|0.00
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Rio Blanco
Rio Blanco County, Colorado
Rio Blanco County is the sixth most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 5,986 at U.S. Census 2000. The name of the county is the Spanish language name for the White River which runs through it...
|Rangely
Rangely, Colorado
Rangely is a Statutory Town in Rio Blanco County, Colorado, United States. The population was 2,096 at the 2000 census. The town is home to one of two campuses of the Colorado Northwestern Community College.-Geography:...
|19.79
|
|
|-
|Meeker
Meeker, Colorado
The Town of Meeker is a Statutory Town that is the county seat and the most populous town of Rio Blanco County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 2,242 at the U.S. Census 2000. The town is largely an agricultural community, located in the wide fertile valley of the White River in...
|73.70
|
|
|-