State Highway 119 (SH 119) is a

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 north central

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 ...

. It extends in a southwest to northeast direction, from a junction with

U.S. Route 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast from Bishop, California, to P ...

(US 6) in

Clear Creek Canyon Clear Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 25, 2011 in north central Colorado in the United States. Th ...

between

Golden Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

and

Idaho Springs The City of Idaho Springs is the Statutory City that is the most populous municipality in Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States. Idaho Springs is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 ...

to a junction with

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 ...

(I-25) east of Longmont. The southwest portion of the road is a scenic mountain drive providing dramatic vistas of the Front Range, while the northeast portion is a busy interurban thoroughfare. The city of

Boulder In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In c ...

separates these two vastly different sections of SH 119.

Route description

Highway 119 begins at a signalized T intersection with

U.S. Highway 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War Grand Army of the Republic, veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast fr ...

in Clear Creek Canyon between

and

. It then heads north, alongside North Clear Creek, to the gambling town of Blackhawk; this section of the road carries heavy traffic to the casinos of Blackhawk and

Central City In urban planning, a core city, principal city metropolitan core, or central city, is the largest or most important city or cities of a metropolitan area. A core city is surrounded by smaller satellite cities, towns, and suburbs. A central city i ...

and experiences many accidents. Colorado Front Range View from Route 119

It continues north from Blackhawk as the

Peak to Peak Scenic and Historic Byway State Highway 72 (SH 72) is a state highway passing through the foothills and the eastern edge of the Front Range. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 70 in Colorado, Interstate 70 (I-70) in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, Wheat Ridge, and its northern ...

, skirting the western edge of

Golden Gate Canyon State Park Golden Gate Canyon State Park is a Colorado State Park located in Gilpin and Jefferson counties northwest of Golden, Colorado. The Front Range park established in 1960 has of hiking trails. Horse and bicycle travel is allowed on . Facilit ...

where it intersects State Highway 46. It continues north through the village of Mid Gilpin to Rollinsville, where it crosses over South Boulder Creek and the tracks of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

, on its way from

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

to the Moffat Tunnel. East Portal Road in Rollinsville provides access to the east portal of the railroad tunnel, and to the Moffat Road historic railroad grade across

Rollins Pass Rollins Pass, elevation , is a mountain pass and active archaeological siteLaBelle, Jason M. & Pelton, Spencer R. "Communal hunting along the Continental Divide of Northern Colorado: Results from the Olson game drive (5BL147)", 2013 in the South ...

. SH 119 continues northward, intersecting State Highway 72 with which it will be concurrent to Nederland. It provides access to the

Eldora Mountain Resort Eldora Mountain Resort is a ski area in the southwest corner of Boulder County, Colorado, near the unincorporated community of Eldora and west of the town of Nederland. Location Eldora is one of a few Colorado ski resorts on the east side of ...

ski area, about west of Nederland. In Nederland, SH 119 and SH 72 diverge at a

roundabout A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...

intersection where SH 72 takes the Peak to Peak Highway designation with it to the north, and Route 119 turns to the east. Leaving Nederland, SH 119 passes along the northern shore of

Barker Meadow Reservoir Barker Reservoir is a water supply reservoir in the Colorado Front Range located near the town of Nederland, Colorado in southwestern Boulder County. Barker Dam provides water to a downstream hydroelectric power generating facility, and its r ...

and enters the scenic Boulder Canyon, alongside Boulder Creek. In the canyon, the road experiences grades of up to 10%, which can be dangerous for heavy trucks heading downhill, as it does not have a

runaway truck ramp A runaway truck ramp, runaway truck lane, escape lane, emergency escape ramp, or truck arrester bed is a traffic device that enables vehicles which are having braking problems to safely stop. It is typically a long, sand- or gravel-filled lane co ...

. The walls of the canyon are popular for

rock climbing Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...

, and the scenic

Boulder Falls In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In co ...

is an easy walk from the highway. Colorado Route 119 and 52

At the mouth of the canyon, SH 119 suddenly enters

as Canyon Boulevard, intersecting State Highway 93 at Broadway, and turning north on 28th Street where it begins concurrency with

U.S. Highway 36 U.S. Route 36 (US 36) is an east–west United States highway that travels approximately from Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado to Uhrichsville, Ohio. The highway's western terminus is at Deer Ridge Junction, an intersection i ...

and with unsigned State Highway 7. This busy section of State 119 and US 36 on 28th Street serves Boulder's main shopping area. The overlap with US 36 ends at the northern edge of Boulder where US 36 continues north to

Rocky Mountain National Park Rocky Mountain National Park is an American national park located approximately northwest of Denver in north-central Colorado, within the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The park is situated between the towns of Estes Park to the east and ...

, and SH 119 turns east becoming Diagonal Highway. At an intersection with State Highway 157, SH 119 bends northeast, paralleling the tracks of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, and becomes an

expressway Expressway may refer to: * Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic. * Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road. *Expressway, the fictional s ...

with a very wide median, possibly intended to accommodate a future

freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

. At Niwot it passes a very large facility for the IBM Corporation at an intersection with State Highway 52. The Diagonal Highway expressway ends in Longmont, as SH 119 becomes Ken Pratt Blvd. and intersects

U.S. Highway 287 U.S. Route 287 (US 287) is a north–south (physically northwest–southeast) United States highway. At long, it is the second longest three-digit U.S. Route, behind US 281. It serves as the major truck route between Fort Worth and Ama ...

. East of US 287 in Longmont, a new expressway carries SH 119 directly to its northeastern terminus at a

diamond interchange A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road. Design The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. Approaching the ...

exit 240.

History

SH 119 was established in the 1920s, extending from

. It went up Virginia Canyon on the aptly named Oh My God Road, and then through

to Blackhawk. This section from Idaho Springs to Blackhawk was changed to the present, easier alignment in 1938, with the southern terminus no longer in Idaho Springs but instead at a road junction with US 6 several miles to the east in Clear Creek Canyon. In 1998, the somewhat confusing triangle intersection with US 6 was simplified to a T intersection controlled by a traffic signal, and the west side of the triangle was abandoned and its tunnel boarded up. Colorado Route 119 north terminus

In 1939 SH 119 was extended from Boulder to Longmont, zig-zagging along existing county roads. By 1960 it had been completely paved and straightened on a diagonal route (hence the name "Diagonal Highway") alongside the railroad tracks between Boulder and Longmont. When

was built east of Longmont by 1963, SH 119 was extended by overlapping US 287 to Third Avenue, where it replaced the previous SH 254 to connect to I-25. In 2003, a new

alignment for SH 119 was opened in Longmont, connecting directly from its intersection with US 287 to its terminus at I-25, bypassing the previous congested overlap with US 287.

Future

CDOT plans various safety upgrades for the section between US 6 and Blackhawk. A

is planned for the very busy intersection with SH 52 to ease the congestion at the large IBM facility.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{Attached KML
Peak to Peak Scenic and Historic BywayBoulder County Transportation Master Plan (2011)

119 119 may refer to: * 119 (number), a natural number * 119 (emergency telephone number) * AD 119, a year in the 2nd century AD * 119 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 119 (album), 2012 * 119 (NCT song) *119 (Show Me the Money song) * 119 (film), a ...

Transportation in Jefferson County, Colorado Transportation in Gilpin County, Colorado Transportation in Boulder County, Colorado Transportation in Weld County, Colorado Black Hawk, Colorado Boulder, Colorado Longmont, Colorado