Getting Around Town

Transportation

Denver International Airport MapQuest.com RTD Transportation

Getting Around Town

The Denver metro area is easy to navigate due to its system of interconnecting highways, wide boulevards and paired one-way streets. Most streets run on a North-South-East-West grid, with the exception of those in downtown Denver, which are laid out parallel to Cherry Creek and run at an angle to the rest of the metropolitan area. Colorado has four key interstate highways, which also define the major transportation routes in and around Denver.

Interstate 25:

Runs north and south through metro Denver. This highway is the main route to Colorado Springs

to the south and Longmont and Ft. Collins to the north.

Interstate 70:

This east and west spine of the interstate system is the primary connection to the mountain ski areas and to DIA on the east. It intersects with I-25 north of Denver.

Interstate 225:

Skirts the southeast portion of the metro area, joining I-25 on the south and I-70 on the north.

Interstate 76:

Extends to the northeast and the west from Denver.

Other main arteries and thoroughfares include:

Sixth Avenue: (U.S. Highway 6)

In Denver, Sixth Avenue is a surface street; it changes to a cross-town highway just west of the city. This is a quick east-west route in and out of the city, and it intersects with I-70 in the west for mountain travel.

U.S. Highway 36:

Travels northwest from its junction with I-25. This is the principal route to the western suburbs and Boulder.

C-470:

Circles the southwest portion of the metro area.

E-470:

The only toll road in the metro area, E-470 connects with C-470 at I-25, and turns north to meet eastbound I-70 at Watkins.

Pena Boulevard:

A new 12-mile expressway, Pena Boulevard connects Denver International Airport with I-70. From the entire Denver metro area, the actual trip to DIA’s doorstep ranges from 30 to 50 minutes.

Santa Fe Drive (US Highway 85):

Runs along the western border of central Denver, traveling north and south. A good route for reaching Littleton and other southwestern suburbs.

Colfax Avenue (Colorado Highway 40):

A major east-west route through the Denver metro area, but slow due to many traffic lights and commercial activity.

Broadway:

Another north-south route through Denver and a good alternative to I-25, even though traffic lights break the flow of traffic.

Colorado Boulevard:

Another north-south route through Denver; it links with I-70 on the north for quick access to DIA and with I-25 on the south. In the city, Colorado Boulevard is often crowded even after rush hour due to the enormous amount of retail activity on both sides; a good alternative route is University Boulevard.

Finding addresses is easy in Central Denver. East-west streets are numbered, with bigger numbers to the north and smaller numbers to the south. Broadway divided addresses between east and west. Ellsworth Avenue divides addresses between north and south.

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