The Mousetrap is an informal name for the interchange of

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 Mexic ...

and

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 c ...

in the northern part of

Denver Denver () is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States#State capital, capital, and List of municipalities in Colorado#, most populous city of th ...

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 ...

, United States. The interchange pre-dates the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

, originally built as an intersection between two local roads in 1951. The interchange was completely rebuilt, starting in 1987. The re-design was prompted from an incident where a U.S. Navy truck hauling

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...

es overturned, causing panic and major disruptions in the city.

History

The interchange was built in 1951, as an intersection between 46th Avenue, and U.S. Highway 87. The name "

mousetrap A mousetrap is a specialized type of animal trap designed primarily to catch and, usually, kill mice. Mousetraps are usually set in an indoor location where there is a suspected infestation of rodents. Larger traps are designed to catch other ...

" was coined by the long-time airborne radio traffic reporter Don Martin in the 1960s, calling the interchange "a maze that could trap a mouse". In the original design, interchange ramps included sharp curves, some of which were left exits instead of right exits. When construction began on

, the alignment of 46th Avenue was used for the freeway, while

was built directly over top of the alignment of US 87. Although the design of the Mousetrap did not conform to

Interstate Highway standards Standards for Interstate Highways in the United States are defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in the publication ''A Policy on Design Standards: Interstate System''. For a certain highway to ...

, the interchange was

grandfathered A grandfather clause, also known as grandfather policy, grandfathering, or grandfathered in, is a provision in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations while a new rule will apply to all future cases. Those exempt from t ...

into the Interstate Highway system.

U.S. Navy Torpedo Incident

One accident at the Mousetrap had national ramifications. On August 1, 1984, a truck carrying six

es to Connecticut for the U.S. Navy overturned. The situation was made worse as no one answered at the phone number provided with the cargo, and an unknown liquid was leaking from one of the torpedoes. It took more than three hours before any military personnel arrived on the scene—

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

personnel from a nearby base. The incident left thousands of cars stranded and Denver's transportation network paralyzed for about eight hours. Approximately 50 residents in the area were evacuated. Investigations later revealed that the truck driver did not follow a recommended route provided by the

state police State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction ...

, and was specifically warned to avoid the Mousetrap. The Navy promised reforms after being criticized for not providing a valid, staffed phone number with a hazardous cargo shipment, a violation of federal law, and failing to notify Denver officials about the shipment. The incident provided momentum to rebuild the interchange with a more modern and safer design. Construction began in several phases in 1987 and the last bridge was dedicated in 2003.{{cite news , work=The Denver Post , date = 2003-12-16 , title= This Mousetrap Wasn't a Snap , last = Flynn , first = Kevin

References

External links

Colorado Highways: Interchange Names
by Matthew E. Salek. Interstate 25 Interstate 70 Road interchanges in the United States Transportation in Denver