Colorado State Highway 61

State Highway 61
Route information
Maintained by CDOT
Length:	40.8 mi[1] (65.7 km)
Major junctions
South end:	US 34 at Otis
North end:	I-76 exit 125 and US 6 at Sterling
Highway system
Colorado State Highways ← SH 60 SH 62 →

State Highway 61 is a 40.8 mi (65.7 km) long state highway in northeastern Colorado.

Route description

SH 61 begins at an at-grade intersection with U.S. Route 34 at the south side of Otis. It begins straight northward through town, in which roads are laid out in a grid-like pattern. The road then exits the town, entering sparsely populated wilderness. Near the Washington - Logan county line, the road abruptly turns westward and eastward again, crossing the boundary a few miles later.^[2] It then again turns abruptly westward, this time to meet its north end at Interstate 76 concurrent with U.S. Route 6 east of Sterling.^[3]

History

The road was established in the 1920s, when it connected U.S. Route 36 near Cope to US 38 (former) near Sterling. When U.S. Route 38 was moved around 1930, the terminus was redefined as SH 154, which took its place. The section from its current terminus at Otis to US 36 was deleted and the northern terminus was adjusted to U.S. Route 6, which later became Interstate 76, in 1954. The route was entirely paved three years later.^[4]

Major intersections

County	Location	Mile	Destination	Notes
Washington	Otis	0.000	US 34 (First Avenue)	South end of route
Logan		40.993	I-76 / US 6	North end of route
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. ^ "Segment Descriptions for Highway 61". Colorado Department of Transportation. http://www.dot.state.co.us/app_DTD_DataAccess/Highways/index.cfm?fuseaction=Description&route=061&begRefPt=0&endRefPt=500&Printable=true. Retrieved 2008-04-12. 
2. ^ Colorado Department of Transportation (2008-0826). Washington County (Map). Cartography by CDOT. http://www.dot.state.co.us/App_DTD_DataAccess/Downloads/CountyMaps/Washington.pdf. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
3. ^ Colorado Department of Transportation (2008-08-26). Logan County (Map). Cartography by CDOT. http://www.dot.state.co.us/App_DTD_DataAccess/Downloads/CountyMaps/Logan.pdf. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
4. ^ Salek, Matthew E.. "Colorado Routes 60-79". http://www.mesalek.com/colo/r60-79.html#61. Retrieved 04-11-2010.