 State Highway 71 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SH 71 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byCDOT | ||||
| Length | 224.65 mi[1] (361.54 km) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  US 350 nearLa Junta | |||
| Major intersections | ||||
| North end |  N-71 south ofKimball | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Colorado | |||
| Counties | Otero,Crowley,Lincoln,Washington,Morgan,Weld | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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State Highway 71 (CO 71 orSH 71) is a 224-mile-long (360 km) state highway passing several other highways in northern and centralColorado. SH 71's southern terminus is atU.S. Route 350 (US 350) nearLa Junta, and the northern terminus is a continuation asNebraska Highway 71 (N-71) at theNebraska border, which eventually crosses into South Dakota asSouth 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 theColorado Department of Transportation to explore diverting truck traffic fromInterstate 25.[2]
SH 71 begins at its southern terminus withU.S. Route 350 inLa Junta, Colorado. It proceeds north into Crowley County and the city ofOrdway, where it is signed as Phantom Avenue. The highway continues northward to a junction withInterstate 70 (I-70) adjacent toUS 24.
In La Junta, the highway continues north for several miles to Ordway, then it takes a northeast turn toLimon. It then goes back north and skirts the town ofBrush. It then heads through rural country toNebraska.
InStoneham, the state portion of the road overlaps County Road 142 and heads to the north. The route takes a northeast turn and continues in toNebraska asN-71.
| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otero | | 0.00 | 0.00 | US 350 –Trinidad,La Junta,Timpas | Southern terminus |
| | 9.03 | 14.53 |   SH 10 west –Walsenburg | south end of SH 10 overlap | |
| | 9.6 | 15.4 |  SH 10 east –La Junta | north end of SH 10 overlap | |
| 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 | |
 SH 202 west | Eastern terminus of SH 202 | ||||
| | 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 |
| 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 | |
| Limon | 101.06 | 162.64 |       US 24 west /US 40 west /US 287 north toI-70 –Denver | south end of US 24 / US 40 / US 287 overlap | |
| 101.97 | 164.10 |  US 24 east /US 40 east /US 287 south toI-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 toI-76 –Sterling,Wray | south end of US 34 overlap |
| Brush | 175.49 | 282.42 | US 34 west | north end of US 34 overlap | |
| 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 |
| | 205.52 | 330.75 | SH 14 west –Ault,Fort Collins | north end of SH 14 overlap | |
| | 232.9 | 374.8 | N-71 north –Kimball | Continues north atNebraska state line | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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