Colorado State Highway 2
# Colorado State Highway 2

State Highway 2 (SH 2) is a state highway of the U.S. state of Colorado. It runs for approximately 20 miles (32 km) north–south entirely within the urbanized environment of the Denver Metropolitan Area. It is one of the major north–south thoroughfares of east Denver, where it is known as Colorado Boulevard.

## Route description

On its southern end, it begins at U.S. Route 285 (US 285) in Cherry Hills Village, just south of the Denver city limits in Arapahoe County. It goes north through Denver, intersecting Interstate 25 (I-25) and US 87 at exit 204. It intersects SH 83 near Cherry Creek and then US 40, US 287, and Interstate 70 Business (also known as Colfax Avenue) east of downtown Denver. It then passes along the east side of Denver City Park, before intersecting I-70 at exit 276. It then merges with US 6 and US 85 through Commerce City, until it branches off from US 6 and US 85 to the northeast, passing along the northwest boundary of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. It terminates at its northern end at I-76 and US 6 at exit 15 on the south edge of Brighton.

## History

The route was established in the 1920s beginning on the Utah border at US 40. It then followed US 40 all the way to Denver, where it followed Colfax Avenue through Denver. It then followed various streets northeast along US 85 north to Greeley, where it turned abruptly eastward along US 34 to US 6, where it continued to Sterling and finally along US 138 to the Nebraska border. By 1946, the route was rerouted in an area northeast of Denver. It was then changed in 1950 so it followed Colfax Avenue east through Denver. The route was rerouted in 1968 from US 285 to I-80S (now I-76). The now-deleted portion along Quebec Street was changed in 1971, and the route was finally set to its current routing in 1998.

## Major intersections

| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| City and County of Denver | City and County of Denver | 0.000 | 0.000 | US 285 (Hampden Avenue) / Colorado Boulevard south | Southern terminus; road continues into Arapahoe County as Colorado Boulevard |
| City and County of Denver | City and County of Denver | 2.121 | 3.413 | I-25 (US 87) – Ft. Collins | I-25 exit 204 |
| City and County of Denver | City and County of Denver | 4.377 | 7.044 | SH 83 south (Leetsdale Drive) | |
| City and County of Denver | City and County of Denver | 5.993 | 9.645 | I-70 BL / US 40 / US 287 (Colfax Avenue) – National Jewish | |
| City and County of Denver | City and County of Denver | 8.725 | 14.042 | I-70 to US 6 / US 85 – Aurora, Limon, Grand Junction | I-70 exit 276B |
| Adams | Commerce City | 9.840 | 15.836 | US 6 west / US 85 south (Vasquez Boulevard south) | Interchange; north end state maintenance; southbound exit and eastbound entrance; western end of US 6/US 85 overlap |
| Adams | Commerce City | 10.040– 10.339 | 16.158– 16.639 | I-270 (US 36) – Boulder, Limon | Partial cloverleaf interchange; no eastbound exit to I-270 east; I-270 exits 2A-B |
| Adams | Commerce City | 10.860 | 17.477 | US 6 east / US 85 north | Interchange; left exits and entrance; no eastbound entrance; eastern end of US 6/US 85 overlap |
| Adams | Commerce City | 17.750 | 28.566 | SH 44 west (104th Avenue) | |
| Adams | O'Brian Canal | 19.506 | 31.392 | West end state maintenance | West end state maintenance |
| Adams | Brighton | 19.880 | 31.994 | I-76 (US 6) | Eastern terminus; I-76 exit 16; road continues north as Sable Boulevard |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access ||||||
