U.S. Route 85

U.S. Route 85
U.S. Route 85
CanAm Highway
	US 85 highlighted in red
Route information
Length	1,479 mi[citation needed](2,380 km)
Existed	1926[citation needed]–present
Major junctions
South end	US 62at theStanton Street Bridgeat theMexican borderinEl Paso, TX
	I-10atEl Paso, TX; I-10/I-25atLas Cruces, NM; I-40atAlbuquerque, NM; I-25/I-70atDenver, CO; I-270atCommerce City, CO; I-76nearDerby, CO; US 34atGreeley, CO; I-80atCheyenne, WY; I-90atSpearfish, SD; I-94atBelfield, ND;
North end	Highway 35atCanada–US bordernearFortuna, ND
Location
Country	United States
States	Texas,New Mexico,Colorado,Wyoming,South Dakota,North Dakota
Highway system
	United States Numbered Highway System; List; Special; Divided;

U.S. Route 85(US 85) is a 1,479-mile-long (2,380 km) north–southUnited States Highwaythat travels in the Mountain and Northern Plains states of the United States. The southern terminus of the highway is at theMexican borderinEl Paso, Texas,connecting withMexican Federal Highway 45.The northern terminus is at theCanadian borderinFortuna, North Dakota,where the route continues north asSaskatchewan Highway 35.The highway route is part of theCanAm Highway.Sections of US 85 are designated as theTheodore Roosevelt Expressway.

Route description

Lengths
	mi^[1]	km
TX	21	34
NM	483	777
CO	310	499
WY	256	412
SD	154	248
ND	255	410
Total	1479	2380

The highway passes throughTexas,New Mexico,Colorado,Wyoming,South Dakota,andNorth Dakota.FromLas Cruces, New MexicotoFountain, Colorado,US-85 shares its alignment withI-25and is not signed.

Texas

US 85 in Texas begins at the Mexico–US border withUS 62and travels north throughEl Paso,beginning at theSanta Fe Street Bridge,and following Santa Fe Street, then Paisano Drive westward, along theRio Grandeuntil Paisano Drive ends where it joins withInterstate 10,about 14 miles (23 km) before both reach the New Mexico border. The route is concurrent with I-10 for the remainder of its route within Texas.

The original route of US 85 in Texas had the highway concurrent with Doniphan Drive (after Paisano Drive), and parallelling theAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railwaythrough theMesilla Valleycommunities ofCanutillo,VintonandAnthonybefore crossing the Texas/New Mexico state line inAnthony, New Mexico,then following the road which is nowNew Mexico State Road 478(NM 478) up the Mesilla Valley toLas Cruces.This route is marked asTexas State Highway 20north of the intersection with Mesa Street/Country Club Drive.

New Mexico

The unsigned route of US 85 through New Mexico exists only on paper to maintain continuity with signed sections in Colorado and Texas. Except for a 4-mile segment throughLas Vegas(signed as Business Loop 25), US 85 in New Mexico is entirely concurrent with Interstate Routes. For the first 20 miles (32 km) it shares its route with I-10, then continues north for the remainder of its length in New Mexico concurrent with I-25.^[2]US-85 was de-signed in segments between 1970 and 1990 as I-25 was built through the state. I-25 betweenBernalilloand a point just south ofSanta Fewas built over the old US 85 alignment. I-25 was also built directly over US 85 from east of Santa Fe toLas Vegasand from US 64 to the Colorado border atRaton Pass.At one point, the route went along the historicEl Camino Real.

The original route fromAnthonytoLas Crucesis now signed asNM 478.The original route from Las Cruces toHatchis now signed asNM 185;NM 187south ofTruth or Consequences(T or C);NM 181north of T or C;NM 1(the route's pre-US-85 designation) fromRedrocktoSocorro;NM 314fromBelentoAlbuquerque;NM 313from Albuquerque to Bernalillo;NM 14andNM 466through Santa Fe; andNM 445from Maxwell toUS 64^[3]Remnant US-85 signs can still be seen on Fourth Street in downtown Albuquerque, the original route through the city before I-25 was built.

For concurrencies of interstate, US routes, and routes of different levels of significance, the New Mexico Department of Transportation's policy is to sign only the route of greater significance, while leaving the route of lesser significance unsigned. Consistent with this policy, NMDOT has removed US 85 from its route logs, but the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) retains US 85 on a concurrent alignment with I-10 and I-25 to maintain continuity with signed segments in Texas and Colorado. Many mapmakers, such as theAmerican Automobile Association,Rand McNallyandGoogle Mapsfollow AASHTO's practice and still sign US 85 along its concurrent stretches with the respective interstates.

Colorado

US 85 entersColoradofrom New Mexico concurrent withI-25but is not signed. US 85 leaves I-25 at Exit 128 and follows Santa Fe Avenue throughFountainbefore turning west briefly onto Lake Avenue, then turning north following Nevada Avenue throughColorado Springsbefore rejoining I-25 at Exit 148. Approaching the south side ofDenver,US 85 again leaves I-25 at Exit 184. From there it heads west and north as a two lane rural highway. It becomes an expressway nearChatfield Reservoirand the southern Denver suburbs ofLittletonandEnglewood,where it is commonly known as Santa Fe Drive. It continues north through Denver for a few miles before once again joining with I-25 at mile marker 207. There it becomes a concurrency withUS 87as well as I-25 and heads north through downtown Denver. At exit 214, US 85 turns east and becomes a concurrency withI-70andUS 6for about a mile where it exits with U.S. 6 and heads northeast throughCommerce City.In just a few miles the US 6/US 85 concurrency merges withI-76at mile marker 9. They travel concurrently for 3 miles (4.8 km) until exit 12 when US 85 becomes an expressway and continues north out of the Denver area throughBrighton.From there it parallels I-25 for about 75 miles (121 km) passing throughFort Lupton,Platteville,LaSalle,Evans,Greeley,Eaton,Ault,Pierce,andNunnbefore crossing intoWyoming.

Wyoming

US 85 enters Wyoming from Colorado 8 miles (13 km) south ofCheyenne.In Cheyenne it joins with Business Route 87, and a mile later withI-180until it meets withUS 30.The segment with I-180 is the only fully at-grade interstate route in the U.S.^[4]At exit 12, it joins with I-25 andUS 87in a concurrency for 5 miles (8.0 km) until US 85 leaves at exit 17 and travels northeast towardsMeriden.From there it heads north toTorrington,where it meets withUS 26and concurrencies for 10 miles (16 km) untilLingle,and 47 miles (76 km) later it meetsUS 20andUS 18atLusk.It shares the next 47 miles (76 km) with US 18 and 33 miles (53 km) later meetsUS 16nearNewcastle.From here it is 29 miles (47 km) until it entersSouth Dakotain theBlack Hills.

South Dakota

TheSouth Dakotasection of US 85, with the exception of twoconcurrencieswithUS 14 Alternateand a concurrency withI-90,is defined at South Dakota Codified Laws § 31-4-181.^[5]

US 85 enters theBlack Hillsfrom Wyoming and travels northeast until it meets withUS 14 Alternateeast atCheyenne Crossing.The two routes form a concurrency from there, along the way coming to the road which leads toTerry Peak.Upon entering toLead,the two routes are separated, and the overlap with US 85 is replaced by atruck route.As the route US 85 and US 14 are separated until both meet again inDeadwood,but not before US 85 serves as the northern terminus ofU.S. Route 385.The routes run together through Deadwood before splitting, and US 85 then runs north to meetI-90.US 85 overlaps I-90 for 8 miles (13 km) while heading west. At exit 10 on the north side ofSpearfish,US 85 heads back north. AtBelle Fourcheit crossesstate highway 34andUS 212.From there it continues toNorth Dakotapassing only through the small towns ofRedig,Buffalo(where it meetsstate highway 20), andLudlow,as well as coming to theGeographic Center of the United States.

North Dakota

US 85 entersNorth Dakotain the southwest part of the state. The first city on its route isBowmanat the junction ofUS 12.Continuing north, it passes between North Dakota's two highest points,White Butteand Black Butte. NearAmidonUS 85 heads east for 9 miles (14 km) before going back north along theLittle Missouri National Grasslandfor about 125 miles (201 km). NearBelfieldit junctions withI-94.After forming a concurrency withNorth Dakota Highway 200,it eventually passes through part of the scenicBadlands,crosses theLittle Missouri Riverand passes near theTheodore Roosevelt National Park(North Unit).

Then, atWatford Cityit travels west for 16 miles (26 km) where it turns back north beforeAlexander.U.S. 85 continues north as North Dakota 200 turns west toward Montana. South ofWillistonit crosses theMissouri River.The stretch from Watford City to Williston is in the process of being converted into an undivided four-lane highway, and should be substantially completed in 2014. A few miles later it meets withUS 2where the two overlap for 19 miles (31 km) as anexpressway,which now bypasses Williston to the northwest. After US 2 heads east, US 85 continues north to a concurrency withNorth Dakota Highway 5.From there it is 7 miles (11 km) toFortunawhere US 85 heads back north for its remaining 6 miles (9.7 km) to the Canada–US border.

History

What is now US 85 fromEl Paso, Texasto then-US 66(nowNM 6) inLos Lunas, New Mexico(south ofAlbuquerque) was shown asU.S. Route 466in an early 1925 plan for theU.S. Highway System.This north–south route was never signed in the field; instead, the route was designated asU.S. Route 570and then as part of US 85.^[6]The number "466" was later used alonganother routing.

Major intersections

Texas: Benito JuárezStreet andUS 62at theMexico–US borderinEl Paso.US 62/US 85 travels concurrently through the city.; I-10/US 180in El Paso. The highways travel concurrently to theLas Cruces–University Park, New Mexicoline.
New Mexico: I-10/I-25/US 180on the Las Cruces–University Park line. I-25/US 85 shares a hidden concurrency toFountain, Colorado.; US 70in Las Cruces; US 380west ofSan Antonio; US 60inSocorro.The highways travel concurrently to south-southwest ofAbeytas.; I-40inAlbuquerque; US 550inBernalillo; US 84/US 285south ofSanta Fe.US 84/US 85 travels concurrently toRomeroville.US 85/US 285 travels concurrently toEldorado at Santa Fe.; US 64south ofRaton.The highways travel concurrently to Raton.; US 64/US 87in Raton. US 85/US 87 travels concurrently to Fountain, Colorado.
Colorado: US 160inTrinidad.The highways travel concurrently toWalsenburg.; US 50inPueblo.The highways travel concurrently through Pueblo.; I-25/US 24/US 87inColorado Springs; I-25/US 87in Colorado Springs. The highways travel concurrently toCastle Rock.; I-25/US 87in Denver. The highways travel concurrently through Denver.; US 6in Denver. The highways travel concurrently to nearCommerce City.; US 40/US 287in Denver; I-25/I-70/US 87in Denver. I-70/US 85 travels concurrently through Denver.; I-270/US 36in Commerce City; I-76/US 6in Henderson; US 34inEvans.The highways travel concurrently toGreeley.
Wyoming: I-80/I-180on theFox Farm-College–Cheyenneline. I-180/US 85 travels concurrently into Cheyenne proper.; I-180/US 30in Cheyenne; I-25/US 87in Cheyenne. The highways travel concurrently toRanchettes.; US 26inTorrington.The highways travel concurrently toLingle.; US 18/US 20inLusk.US 18/US 85 travels concurrently to the northeastern part ofNiobrara County.US 20/US 85 travels concurrently through Lusk.; US 16inNewcastle
South Dakota: US 385inDeadwood; I-90/US 14inSpearfish.The highways travel concurrently toNorth Spearfish.; US 212inBelle Fourche
North Dakota: US 12inBowman.The highways travel concurrently through Bowman.; I-94inBelfield; US 2/ND 1804west ofWilliston.; US 2/US 85B/ CR 6 onWillistoncity line. Southern end of US 2 concurrency. Northern terminus of US 85B.; US 2About 7 miles (11 km) North ofWilliston.Northern end of US 2 concurrency.; Highway 35at theCanada–US bordernorth-northwest ofFortuna

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References

^"U.S. Route Number Database"(December 2009 ed.).American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.Archived fromthe originalon July 14, 2011.RetrievedFebruary 17,2011.
^"End of US Highway 85".US Ends.com.RetrievedOctober 9,2014.^{[self-published source]}
^"US Highways in New Mexico".RetrievedMay 22,2009.^{[self-published source]}
^"Interstate 180 Wyoming".Interstate-Guide.RetrievedJanuary 26,2013.^{[self-published source]}
^"South Dakota Legislature".state.sd.us.
^"U.S. 666: 'Beast of a Highway'?".Federal Highway Administration.June 18, 2003.RetrievedJuly 19,2019.
^Rand McNally (2014).The Road Atlas(Walmart ed.). Chicago: Rand McNally. pp. 21, 68, 77, 93, 99, 116.ISBN 978-0-528-00771-2.

External links

KML file(edit•help)

Template:Attached KML/U.S. Route 85

KML is from Wikidata

Endpoints of U.S. Highway 85

Browse numbered routes
←US 84	NM	→US 87
←US 84	CO	→SH 86
←I-80	WY	→US 87
←US 83	SD	→SD 87

[AASHTO_lengths-1] "U.S. Route Number Database"(December 2009 ed.).American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.Archived fromthe originalon July 14, 2011.RetrievedFebruary 17,2011.

[2] "End of US Highway 85".US Ends.com.RetrievedOctober 9,2014.^{[self-published source]}

[3] "US Highways in New Mexico".RetrievedMay 22,2009.^{[self-published source]}

[4] "Interstate 180 Wyoming".Interstate-Guide.RetrievedJanuary 26,2013.^{[self-published source]}

[5] "South Dakota Legislature".state.sd.us.

[FHWA-6] "U.S. 666: 'Beast of a Highway'?".Federal Highway Administration.June 18, 2003.RetrievedJuly 19,2019.

[randmcnally-7] Rand McNally (2014).The Road Atlas(Walmart ed.). Chicago: Rand McNally. pp. 21, 68, 77, 93, 99, 116.ISBN 978-0-528-00771-2.

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v t e United States Numbered Highway System
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 87 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 101 163 400 412 425
Mainline highways Divided routes Special routes
Routes initalicsare no longer a part of the system. Highlighted routes are considered main routes of the system.