page_title: Interstate 270 (Colorado)
section_title: Route description
hierarchical_section_title: Interstate 270 (Colorado) / Route description
caption_attribution_description: English: Interstate 70 westbound at exit 279; east end of Interstate 270. The stapleton neighborhood is split by I-70 here.
context_page_description: Interstate 270 is a 7-mile-long highway in the northeastern part of the Denver–Aurora Metropolitan Area in the U.S. state of Colorado. It overlaps U.S. Highway 36 for its entire length. The western terminus of I-270 is at the interchange with I-25 and US 36. It heads eastward to an interchange with I-76, where the mileposts reset because of a previous freeway extension. The freeway heads southeast and comes to meet Vasquez Boulevard, where it enters Commerce City. The road crosses Quebec Street before ending at I-70.
  Ground was broken on the first segment of I-270 in 1965, and the freeway was completed three years later, stretching from I-70 to Vasquez Boulevard. The road was then extended to I-76 two years later. The section between I-25 and I-76 was completed in 1999. Since completion, this section has undergone much construction to renew bridges over Clear Creek and Washington Street. Because the western end of I-270 is close to the junction of I-25 and I-76, some traffic movements to I-25 can only be made by using I-76.
context_section_description: I-270 begins at an interchange with I-25 in Welby, and is concurrent with US 36. The speed limit through the first section is 45 mph (72 km/h). The freeway heads southeastward for about one mile (1.6 km), crossing over Washington Street and State Highway 224 (SH 224), but access is not provided to either road. Mileposts along I-270 reset to zero at the I-76 interchange because it was the original western end of the Interstate. Since the I-76 interchange is close to both I-270's western end and to the I-25 / I-76 interchanges, some movements in the interchange are missing. Eastbound I-270 traffic cannot access westbound I-76, nor can eastbound I-76 traffic access westbound I-270. However, traffic on I-25 can access both westbound I-76 and eastbound I-270, thus completing the missing movements. The three interchanges work together by eliminating bottlenecks caused by redundant interchanges.
  Beyond the I-76 interchange, the speed limit increases to 55 mph (89 km/h). The freeway heads southeast and comes to a westbound exit and eastbound entrance with York Street, and crosses the South Platte River  into a commercial area in Adams County. I-270 enters the city of Commerce City, running roughly parallel with the nearby Sand Creek and crossing over SH 265 without an exit. Continuing through the city, the route comes to a cloverleaf interchange with Vasquez Boulevard, which carries US 85, SH 2, and US 6. The freeway heads eastward into Denver, where it has an exit at SH 35, a short highway which continues northward along Quebec Street for one mile (1.6 km). Quebec Street provides access for traffic heading to westbound I-70. The route ends shortly thereafter when it merges into I-70.
  The freeway is maintained by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), who is responsible for maintaining and constructing transportation infrastructure in Colorado, including highways. As part of this role, CDOT periodically conducts surveys on their highways to measure traffic volume. This is expressed in terms of average annual daily traffic (AADT), which is a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. In 2009, CDOT calculated that as few as 56,500 vehicles used I-270 daily east of its western terminus at I-25, and as many as 89,600 vehicles used I-270 daily southeast of York Street in Commerce City. As part of the Interstate Highway System, the entire route is listed on the National Highway System, a system of roads that are important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility.
caption: I-270 exit along I-70
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