State Highway 16 (SH 16) is east–west
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in
El Paso County,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
, United States, that connects
Interstate 25/
U.S. Route 87 (I-25/US 87) on the border of
Fort Carson
Fort Carson is a United States Army post located directly south of Colorado Springs in El Paso, Pueblo, Fremont, and Huerfano counties, Colorado, United States. The developed portion of Fort Carson is located near the City of Colorado Springs i ...
and
Fountain
A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or Spring (hydrology), spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. ...
with
Colorado State Highway 21
State Highway 21 (SH 21), also known as Powers Boulevard, is an expressway in El Paso County, in eastern Colorado Springs. SH 21 currently extends from SH 16 (Mesa Ridge Parkway) in Fountain at its southern end to Interquest Park ...
(SH 21) in Fountain. SH 16 constitutes the westernmost portion of a longer road known as the Mesa Ridge Parkway.
Route description
SH 16 is a four-lane expressway for its entire length. It begins at an
interchange with I-25/US 87 (Exit 132). (McGrath Avenue heads west from the interchange through Fort Carson.) From its western terminus SH 16 heads east with a 45 mph speed limit. After briefly leaving the
city limits
City limits or city boundaries refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limit can be called the city proper. Town limit/boundary and village limit/boundary apply to towns and villages. Similarly, corporate limi ...
of Fountain, the highway crosses over
Fountain Creek
Fountain Creek is a stream that originates in Woodland Park in Teller County and flows through El Paso County to its confluence with the Arkansas River near Pueblo in Pueblo County, Colorado. The creek,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydr ...
.
Just after re-entering Fountain, SH 16 passes over the
CanAm Highway
CanAm Highway is an international highway that connects Mexico to Canada through the United States. It travels along U.S. Route 85 (US 85) and Interstate 25 (I-25), passing through six U.S. states (Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Sou ...
/North Santa Fe Avenue (
U.S. Route 85
U.S. Route 85 (US 85) is a north–south United States Highway that travels in the Mountain and Northern Plains states of the United States. The southern terminus of the highway is at the Mexican border in El Paso, Texas, connecting wi ...
), forming a
partial cloverleaf interchange
A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange.
The design has been well received, and has since become one of the most popular freeway-to-arterial interchange designs in North America. It has also bee ...
. (US 85 heads north through
Security-Widefield and
Stratmoor before merging with I-25/US 87. US 85 heads south to also merge with I-25/US 87.)
After the interchange with US 85, the speed limit increases to 55 mph and the route makes a southeast trajectory through neighborhoods in northern Fountain. SH 16 then turns to the northeast and reaches its eastern terminus at an intersection with the southern end of SH 21 (Powers Boulevard) at a
T intersection. (From the eastern terminus Mesa Ridge Parkway continues east and SH 21 heads north through Security-Widefield and into
Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
to end at
U.S. Route 24
U.S. Route 24 (US 24) is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Missouri, in the west. Today, the highway's eastern terminus is in Independence Township, Mic ...
.).
History
The route was established in 1970 and the first mile was constructed from I-25 east to US 85 (CanAm Highway). It was gradually extended in 2007 from CanAm Highway/Santa Fe Avenue to Powers Boulevard, when Mesa Ridge Parkway was added to the route, and the route length almost tripled.
Major intersections
See also
*
List of state highways in Colorado
The state highways of Colorado are a system of public paved roads funded and maintained by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) in the U.S. state of Colorado. These are state highways, which are typically abbreviated SH. The numbered h ...
References
External links
Colorado Routes, Highway 16
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colorado State Highway 016
Transportation in El Paso County, Colorado
016
Expressways in the United States