Interstate 25
Route information
Length:	1,062.77 mi[1] (1,710.36 km)
Major junctions
South end:	I-10 / US 85 / US 180 near Las Cruces, New Mexico
	I-40 in Albuquerque, New Mexico I-70 in Denver, Colorado I-76 in Welby, Colorado I-80 in Cheyenne, Wyoming
North end:	I-90 / US 87 near Buffalo, Wyoming
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main • Auxiliary • Business

Interstate 25 (I-25) is an Interstate Highway in the western United States. It is primarily a north–south highway. I-25 stretches from Interstate 10 at Las Cruces, New Mexico, (approximately 25 miles (40 km) north of El Paso, Texas), to Interstate 90 in Buffalo, Wyoming, (approximately 60 miles (97 km) south of the Montana/Wyoming border).^[2]

Interstate 25 is the main north–south expressway through Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. From north to south, it passes through or near Casper, Wyoming; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Fort Collins, Colorado; Denver, Colorado; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Pueblo, Colorado; Raton, New Mexico; Las Vegas, New Mexico; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Socorro, New Mexico; Truth or Consequences, New Mexico and Las Cruces, New Mexico. The I-25 corridor is mainly rural, especially in Wyoming, excluding the Albuquerque, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, and the Denver areas. The part of I-25 in Colorado passes just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. That stretch was recently involved in a large-scale renovation named the T-REX^[3] (TRansportation EXpansion) in Denver, and the COSMIX ^[4] (Colorado Springs Metropolitan Interstate Expansion). These projects and others in New Mexico were necessitated because these stretches of I-25 were inadequately designed and constructed originally (the pavement was deteriorating rapidly), and also because urban areas like Denver, Colorado Springs, and Albuquerque had tripled and quadrupled in population much earlier than anyone had anticipated back in the 1950s and 1960s. Major highway work for the T-REX project ended on August 22, 2006. The COSMIX project was completed in December 2007. Several other smaller improvement projects for I-25 are still ongoing within Colorado and New Mexico.

Route description[link]

New Mexico[link]

Interstate 25 begins at Interstate 10's exit 144 in Las Cruces.^[5] Immediately, three exits provide access to the city, including one for U.S. Route 70.^[6] After this, there are no major cities along the corridor until Albuquerque. However, when I-25 reaches Truth or Consequences, it is parallel to Elephant Butte Lake State Park.^[7]

As I-25 nears Albuquerque, it has interchanges with highways such as U.S. Route 380 and a concurrency with U.S. 60.^[8] Further north, State Road 6, former U.S. Route 66, meets up with I-25 in Los Lunas.^[9] Through Albuquerque, there are frequent exits to city streets,^[10] and a major interchange with Interstate 40.^[11] Named the Big I, it was given an honorable mention by the United States Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration for excellence in urban highway design in 2002.^[12]

Leaving Albuquerque to the north, I-25 curves to the northeast as it approaches Santa Fe.^[13] Continuing 'northbound' at Santa Fe, I-25 heads southeasterly for approximately 45 miles (72 km) and turns north again at Blanchard toward Las Vegas.^[14] The highway maintains a north and northeast orientation as it leaves New Mexico traversing Raton Pass and enters Colorado. For its entire length in the state, I-25 shares its alignment with US-85, although US-85 is unsigned.

Colorado[link]

Rush hour on I-25 through downtown Denver

Interstate 25 has many nicknames through the state's larger cities. In Denver it is called the Valley Highway, as the highway parallels the course of the South Platte River throughout the downtown area and is often sunken below ground level. The section in El Paso County is named the Ronald Reagan Highway, and through Pueblo it is named the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway.

John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway in scenic southern Colorado

I-25 enters Colorado 14 miles (23 km) south of the city of Trinidad. It is the main north–south route through Colorado with a length of 300 miles (480 km). The Interstate exits Colorado in the north about 8 miles (13 km) south of Cheyenne, Wyoming. I-25 serves all the major cities in Colorado that are east of the Rocky Mountains, such as Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Fort Collins, and Greeley. For the entire distance in Colorado, from the north to the south, the Rocky Mountains are clearly visible.

There are also several important military and air bases and institutions along this route, such as Buckley Air Force Base, the Cheyenne Mountain headquarters of NORAD, Fort Carson, Peterson Air Force Base, the United States Air Force Academy, and Francis E. Warren Air Force Base.

I-25 crosses the Palmer Divide between Denver and Colorado Springs, providing some of the highway's most scenic views of the Rocky Mountains and its foothills. Blizzards and high winds on this stretch (particularly over Monument Hill) are notorious for causing traffic problems during the winter months.

The section of I-25 that is between the northern border of Pueblo County, Colorado, and the New Mexico state line is named the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway", in honor of President Kennedy's support of water resources development in the Arkansas River Valley.

Wyoming[link]

I-25 bridge over the North Platte River close to Douglas

I-25 enters Wyoming 8 miles (13 km) south of the state capital city, Cheyenne. After traveling through Cheyenne, Interstate 25 continues north to Douglas, Wyoming, passing many plateaus and also railroad tracks. Commonly, very long trains can be seen slowly moving alongside this highway. Around Douglas, this interstate highway curves somewhat to the west toward Casper. Once through Casper, I-25 turns due north, and it goes as far as Buffalo, Wyoming, where it ends at an intersection with Interstate 90. Then, Interstate 90 provides the connection to Montana.

History[link]

The section between Romeroville, N.M., and Los Lunas, New Mexico, closely follows the original alignment of U.S. Highway 66, which was later shortened and realigned to run due west from Santa Rosa. Now, that has been replaced with Interstate 40.

Major intersections[link]

• I-10 in Las Cruces, New Mexico
• US 70 in Las Cruces, New Mexico
• US 60 in Socorro, New Mexico
• I-40 in Albuquerque, New Mexico
• US 64 in Raton, New Mexico
• US 87 in Raton, New Mexico
• US 50 in Pueblo, Colorado
• E-470/C-470 in Lone Tree, Colorado
• Interstate 225 in Denver, Colorado
• I-70 in Denver, Colorado
• Interstate 76 at Welby, Colorado
• Interstate 270 at Welby, Colorado
• Northwest Parkway/E-470 in Broomfield/Thornton, Colorado
• I-80 in Cheyenne, Wyoming
• US 30 in Cheyenne, Wyoming
• US 20 in Orin, Wyoming
• I-90 in Buffalo, Wyoming

Exit list[link]

Wyoming[link]

County	Location	#	Destinations	Notes
Laramie		2	WYO 223 north (Terry Ranch Road)
		4	High Plains Road
		7	I-25 Bus. north / WYO 212 east – Cheyenne
	Cheyenne	8	I-80 – Salt Lake City, Omaha	Signed as exits 8A (east) and 8B (west)
		9	I-80 Bus. / US 30 (Lincoln Way)
		10	WYO 210 (Missile Road) – Francis E. Warren Air Force Base	Signed as exits 10A (east) and 10B (west)
		11	Randall Avenue, Pershing Boulevard – Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, State Capitol
		12	I-25 Bus. south / US 85 south – Cheyenne	South end of US 85 overlap
		13	Vandehei Avenue
		16	WYO 211 – Horse Creek
		17	US 85 north – Torrington	North end of US 85 overlap
		21	Ridley Road
		25	County Road 224
		29	Whitaker Road
		34	County Road 120
		39	County Road 238
Platte		47	Bear Creek Road
	Chugwater	54	I-25 Bus. / WYO 211 south – Chugwater, Horse Creek
		57	I-25 Bus. south / WYO 321 south – Chugwater
		65	WYO 314 – Slater
		66	Hunton Creek Road
		68	Antelope Creek Road
		70	Bordeaux Road
		73	WYO 34 – Bosler
	Wheatland	78	I-25 Bus. / WYO 312 – Wheatland
		80	I-25 Bus. – Wheatland
		84	Laramie River Road
		87	Johnson Road
		92	US 26 east – Torrington	South end of US 26 overlap
		94	WYO 319
		100	WYO 319
		104	Cassa Road
	Glendo	111	A Street
Converse		126	US 18 east / US 20 east – Lusk	South end of US 20 overlap
		135	I-25 Bus. – Douglas
	Douglas	140	I-25 Bus. – Douglas
		146	County Road 30
		151	County Road 29
		152	Old Douglas Highway
		154	Barber Road
		156	Bixby Road
		160	I-25 Bus. north / US 20 west / US 26 west / US 87 north – Glenrock	North end of US 20/26/87 overlap
		165	I-25 Bus. south – Glenrock
Natrona	Evansville	182	WYO 253 (Hat Six Road)
		185	WYO 258 (SE Wyoming Boulevard)
	Casper	186	I-25 Bus. north / US 20 east / US 26 east / US 87 south – Casper	South end of US 20/26/87 overlap
		187	McKinney Street
		188A	Center Street
		188B	WYO 252 (Poplar Street)
		189	US 20 west / US 26 west – Thermopolis, Riverton, Natrona County International Airport, Yellowstone National Park	North end of US 20/26 overlap
		191	WYO 254 south (Salt Creek Highway) – Bar Nunn
		197	Ormsby Road
		210	WYO 259 north – Midwest
		216	Branton Ditch Reservoir
		223	Shepperson Rad
		227	WYO 387 – Midwest
Johnson		235	WYO 196 – Kaycee
		246	To Hwy 196
		249	WYO 196 – Kaycee
	Kaycee	254	WYO 191 – Kaycee
		265	Reno Road
		280	Middle Fork Road
		291	Buffalo Sussex Cutoff Road
		298	I-25 Bus. north – Buffalo
	Buffalo	299	US 16 – Buffalo, Clearmont
		300	I-90 east – Sioux Falls	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
			I-90 west / US 87 north – Billings	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; north end of US 87 overlap; north end of I-25

Auxiliary routes[link]

• Business routes of Interstate 25
• Interstate 225

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Interstate 25

• Interstate 25 by Matthew Salek

v t e Main Interstate Highways Signed 4 5 8 10 12 15 16 17 19 20 22 24 25 26 27 29 30 35 37 39 40 43 44 45 49 55 57 59 64 65 66 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 (W) 76 (E) 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 (W) 84 (E) 85 86 (W) 86 (E) 87 88 (W) 88 (E) 89 90 91 93 94 95 96 97 99 H-1 H-2 H-3 Unsigned A-1 A-2 A-3 A-4 PRI-1 PRI-2 PRI-3 Lists Primary Main Intrastate Suffixed Temporary Future Gaps Auxiliary Main Future Unsigned Other Standards Business Bypassed Tolled Major Interstates highlighted