State Highway 71 (CO 71 or SH 71) is a state highway passing several other highways in northern and central

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, 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 wes ...

. SH 71's southern terminus is at

U.S. Route 350 U.S. Highway 350 (US 350) is a northeast-southwest United States highway located entirely within the state of Colorado. Route description US 350 starts at a junction with US 160 northeast of Trinidad, Colorado. The highway runs northe ...

(US 350) near

La Junta La Junta is a home rule municipality in , the county seat of, and the most populous municipality of Otero County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,322 at the 2020 United States Census. La Junta is located on the Arkansa ...

, and the northern terminus is a continuation as

Nebraska Highway 71 Nebraska Highway 71 is a highway in western Nebraska. Its southern terminus is at the Colorado border south of Kimball, as a continuation of Colorado State Highway 71. Its northern terminus is at the South Dakota border northwest of Crawford, ...

(N-71) at the

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...

border, which eventually crosses into South Dakota as

South Dakota Highway 71 South Dakota Highway 71 (SD 71) is a state highway in Fall River County, South Dakota, United States, that travels from the Nebraska state line (where it continues as N-2/N-71 through the Black Hills National Forest) to U.S. Route ...

(SD-71), making Highway 71 a triple-state highway. State Highway 71 is the subject of a truck freight diversion feasibility study being conducted by the

Colorado Department of Transportation The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT, pronounced See Dot) is the principal department of the Colorado state government that administers state government transportation responsibilities in the state of Colorado. CDOT is responsible fo ...

to explore diverting truck traffic from

Interstate 25 Interstate 25 (I-25) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States. It is primarily a north–south highway, serving as the main route through New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. I-25 stretches from I-10 at Las Cruces, New Mex ...

Route description

SH 71 begins at its southern terminus with

La Junta, Colorado La Junta is a home rule municipality in , the county seat of, and the most populous municipality of Otero County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,322 at the 2020 United States Census. La Junta is located on the Arkansas ...

. It proceeds north into Crowley County and the city of Ordway, where it is signed as Phantom Avenue. The highway continues northward to a junction with

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the co ...

(I-70) adjacent to US 24. In La Junta, the highway continues north for several miles to Ordway, then it takes a northeast turn to Limon. It then goes back north and skirts the town of

Brush A brush is a common tool with bristles, wire or other filaments. It generally consists of a handle or block to which filaments are affixed in either a parallel or perpendicular orientation, depending on the way the brush is to be gripped duri ...

. It then heads through rural country to

. In Stoneham, the state portion of the road overlaps County Road 142 and heads to the north. The route takes a northeast turn and continues in to

as N-71.

Major intersections

References

External links

Colorado Routes 60-79
The Highways of Colorado {{DEFAULTSORT:Colorado State Highway 071 071 Transportation in Otero County, Colorado Transportation in Crowley County, Colorado Transportation in Lincoln County, Colorado Transportation in Washington County, Colorado Transportation in Morgan County, Colorado Transportation in Weld County, Colorado