# Colorado State Highway 71

State Highway 71 (CO 71 or SH 71) is a 224-mile-long (360 km) state highway passing several other highways in northern and central Colorado. SH 71's southern terminus is at U.S. Route 350 (US 350) near La Junta, and the northern terminus is a continuation as Nebraska Highway 71 (N-71) at the Nebraska border, which eventually crosses into South Dakota as South Dakota Highway 71 (SD-71), making Highway 71 a triple-state highway.
State Highway 71 is the subject of a truck freight diversion feasibility study being conducted by the Colorado Department of Transportation to explore diverting truck traffic from Interstate 25.

## Route description

SH 71 begins at its southern terminus with U.S. Route 350 in La Junta, Colorado. It proceeds north into Crowley County and the city of Ordway, where it is signed as Phantom Avenue. The highway continues northward to a junction with Interstate 70 (I-70) adjacent to US 24.
In La Junta, the highway continues north for several miles to Ordway, then it takes a northeast turn to Limon. It then goes back north and skirts the town of Brush. It then heads through rural country to Nebraska.
In Stoneham, the state portion of the road overlaps County Road 142 and heads to the north. The route takes a northeast turn and continues in to Nebraska as N-71.

## Major intersections

| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
| Otero | ​ | 0.00 | 0.00 | US 350 – Trinidad, La Junta, Timpas | Southern terminus |
| Otero | ​ | 9.03 | 14.53 | SH 10 west – Walsenburg | south end of SH 10 overlap |
| Otero | ​ | 9.6 | 15.4 | SH 10 east – La Junta | north end of SH 10 overlap |
| Otero | Rocky Ford | 14.54 | 23.40 | US 50 east / SH 266 east – Cheraw, La Junta | south end of US 50 overlap; western terminus of SH 266 |
| Otero | Rocky Ford | | | SH 202 west | Eastern terminus of SH 202 |
| Otero | ​ | 16.16 | 26.01 | US 50 west – Pueblo | north end of US 50 overlap |
| Crowley | Ordway | 26.65 | 42.89 | SH 96 west – Pueblo | south end of SH 96 overlap |
| Crowley | Ordway | 26.88 | 43.26 | SH 96 east – Eads, Ordway Business District | north end of SH 96 overlap |
| Lincoln | Punkin Center | 72.6 | 116.8 | SH 94 – Colorado Springs, Kit Carson | |
| Lincoln | Limon | 101.06 | 162.64 | US 24 west / US 40 west / US 287 north to I-70 – Denver | south end of US 24 / US 40 / US 287 overlap |
| Lincoln | Limon | 101.97 | 164.10 | US 24 east / US 40 east / US 287 south to I-70 – Burlington | north end of US 24 / US 40 / US 287 overlap |
| Washington | Last Chance | 138.02 | 222.12 | US 36 – Denver, Anton | |
| Morgan | ​ | 174.36 | 280.61 | US 34 east to I-76 – Sterling, Wray | south end of US 34 overlap |
| Morgan | Brush | 175.49 | 282.42 | US 34 west | north end of US 34 overlap |
| Morgan | Brush | 176.45 | 283.97 | I-76 (US 6) – Denver, Fort Morgan, Sterling | I-76 exit 90. (Denver is not explicitly signed for I-76 West at the intersection - only Fort Morgan) |
| Weld | ​ | 201.64 | 324.51 | SH 14 east – Sterling | south end of SH 14 overlap |
| Weld | ​ | 205.52 | 330.75 | SH 14 west – Ault, Fort Collins | north end of SH 14 overlap |
| Weld | ​ | 232.9 | 374.8 | N-71 north – Kimball | Continues north at Nebraska state line |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus ||||||