Colorado State Highway 96
State Highway 96 (SH 96) is a state highway in eastern Colorado. Its western terminus is an intersection with SH 69 in Westcliffe. Its eastern terminus is at the Kansas state line, east of Towner, where it continues as K-96.
![]() Map of eastern Colorado with SH 96 highlighted in red | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by CDOT | ||||
Length | 207.45 mi[1] (333.86 km) | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end | ![]() | |||
East end | ![]() | |||
Location | ||||
Counties | Custer, Pueblo, Otero, Crowley, Kiowa | |||
Highway system | ||||
Colorado State Highways
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Frontier Pathways Scenic and Historic Byway
The section of the highway between Pueblo and Silver Cliff is designated as part of the Frontier Pathways Scenic and Historic Byway.[2]
![](../I/Colorado_Route_96_in_Mountains.jpg.webp)
The highway passes and intersects many major highways and several state highways along its 207-mile route. In Custer County, Highway 96 crosses the Wet Mountains and passes through the San Isabel National Forest. Its highest point is Hardscrabble Pass at 9,085 feet.
History
The route was established in the 1920s, when the routing was exactly as it is today. Several portions were paved by 1946 including the segment from Pueblo to Boone, Olney Springs to Sugar City, and from Haswell to the Kansas state line. The segment of SH 96 concurrent with US 50 was constructed as an expressway by 1957. The entire route was paved by 1964.[3]
Major intersections
County | Location | mi[4] | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Custer | Westcliffe | 0 | 0.0 | ![]() | Western terminus | ||
| 16.5 | 26.6 | ![]() | Northern terminus of SH 165 | |||
Wetmore | 26 | 42 | ![]() | Southern terminus of SH 67 | |||
Pueblo | Pueblo | 52 | 84 | ![]() | |||
![]() ![]() | |||||||
N. Bradford Street ![]() ![]() ![]() | |||||||
56 | 90 | ![]() | Northern terminus of SH 227 | ||||
58 | 93 | ![]() | Eastern terminus of SH 47 | ||||
58 | 93 | ![]() | Western terminus of US 50 concurrency | ||||
61 | 98 | ![]() | |||||
61.5 | 99.0 | ![]() | Northern terminus of SH 233 | ||||
| 64 | 103 | ![]() | Northern terminus of SH 231 | |||
| 70 | 110 | ![]() | Eastern end of US 50 concurrency | |||
Boone | 75 | 121 | ![]() | Northern terminus of SH 209 | |||
Crowley | | ![]() | Northern terminus of SH 167 | ||||
Crowley | 99 | 159 | ![]() | Northern terminus of SH 207 | |||
Ordway | 105 | 169 | ![]() | Western end of SH 71 concurrency | |||
![]() | Eastern end of SH 71 concurrency | ||||||
Kiowa | Eads | 165 | 266 | ![]() | Western end of US 287 concurrency | ||
| 168 | 270 | ![]() | Eastern end of US 287 concurrency | |||
| ![]() | Western end of US 385 concurrency | |||||
Sheridan Lake | 193 | 311 | ![]() | Eastern end of US 385 concurrency | |||
Kansas state line | |||||||
Greeley | | 207.5 | 333.9 | ![]() | Eastern terminus; continuation into Kansas as K-96 | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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- The highway just west of Wetmore.
- Hardscrabble Pass, the highest point on the highway.
- The highway passes over Rush Creek in Kiowa County.
References
- "Segment list for SH 96". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
- America's Byways.Frontier Pathways Scenic and Historic Byway map. Archived 2010-06-16 at the Wayback Machine
- Salek, Matthew E. "Colorado Routes 80-99". Retrieved 2010-05-29.
- "Highway Data Explorer". Colorado Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
"Highway Data Explorer". Colorado Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
"Highway Data Explorer". Colorado Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
"Highway Data Explorer". Colorado Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2014.