We begin our journey along southbound Interstate 225 on the transition ramp from eastbound Interstate 70. Multiple lanes carry traffic between both heavily traveled freeways as part of an interchange reconfiguration that was completed in the early 2000s. Photo taken 08/29/04.
Now traveling due south, Interstate 225 enters the city of Aurora, through which the freeway travels between Interstate 70 and Cherry Creek Reservoir. Once the freeway is in the shadow of the dam, it enters the city/county of Denver. Photo taken 08/29/04.
The two lane transition ramp from eastbound Interstate 70 merges with the lanes from westbound Interstate 70 at this point. Photo taken 08/29/04.
The first exit along southbound Interstate 225 is Exit 10, Junction Business Loop I-70 and U.S. 40-287, Colfax Avenue. The freeway still has four lanes in each direction here, but those lanes will decrease at the Colfax Avenue interchange. Colfax Avenue is a very long city street, perhaps one of the longest continuous city streets in the country, and it extends west to Denver, Lakewood, and Golden, while it travels east through Aurora. Photo taken 08/29/04.
This mileage sign provides the distance to the next three exits along southbound: Exit 10, Junction Business Loop I-70 and U.S. 40-287, Colfax Avenue; Exit 9, Junction Colorado 30/Sixth Avenue; and Exit 8, Alameda Avenue. Photo taken 08/29/04.
The right two lanes become exit only for Colfax Avenue (Business Loop I-70 and U.S. 40-287). Only two lanes continue south on the mainline of Interstate 225, but ongoing construction to expand and widen the freeway is changing that. Photo taken 08/29/04.
U.S. 40 is a major east-west highway that crosses Colorado, and it generally stays close to Interstate 70 between Empire (west of Idaho Springs) and Limon in the Great Plains. Through Denver, U.S. 40 is nearly synonymous with Colfax Avenue. U.S. 287 parallels U.S. 40 from Kit Carson (southeast of Limon) northwest to Denver, where it turns north toward Fort Collins and Laramie, Wyoming. Notably, the business loop is omitted from any advance signage for Exit 10. Photo taken 08/29/04.
The next exit along southbound Interstate 225 is Exit 9, Junction Colorado 30/6th Avenue. Use Colorado 30 east to Aurora, Buckley Air Force Base, and Gun Club Road. Use Colorado 30 west to Havana Street, which basically parallels Interstate 225 southwest to Interstate 25. Photo taken 08/29/04.
Southbound Interstate 25 reaches Exit 9, Junction Colorado 30/6th Avenue. Note the final configuration of this interchange has not yet been realized due to the ongoing construction at the time this photo was taken. Photo taken 08/29/04.
The extent of the freeway widening is made abundantly clear in this photo, which was taken immediately after the onramp from 6th Avenue. It appears that Interstate 225 will double in width after work is completed. Photo taken 08/29/04.
Southbound Interstate 225 reaches Exit 8, Alameda Avenue west to Denver and Glendale and east to Alameda Parkway in Aurora. Photo taken 08/29/04.
The next exit along southbound is Exit 7, Mississippi Avenue. Use Mississippi Avenue west to Buckingham Square and Colorado 83 (Leetsdale Drive). To the east, Mississippi Avenue serves the various neighborhoods of Aurora. Photo taken 08/29/04.
This roadside sign is the final indication of the Mississippi Avenue offramp. There probably should be an overhead sign for the offramp, and perhaps one will be added once the freeway is widened through here. Photo taken 08/29/04.
A state-name Interstate 225 Colorado shield is posted on southbound Interstate 225 after the Mississippi Avenue onramp. There were not many reassurance shields posted on southbound due to the extensive construction projects underway. Photo taken 08/29/04.
The next exit along southbound Interstate 225 is Exit 5, Iliff Avenue. Iliff Avenue is another east-west arterial that parallels Mississippi Avenue, but it extends further west, transitioning into Evans Avenue in Denver. Photo taken 08/29/04.
The next exit along southbound Interstate 225 is Exit 4, Junction Colorado 83/Parker Road. Between Exit 5 and Exit 4, Interstate 225 begins to turn gradually toward the southwest. While the change in direction is subtle here, it becomes more pronounced as Interstate 225 skirts the north edge of Cherry Creek Dam. Photo taken 08/29/04.
The right lane of Interstate 225 becomes exit only for Colorado 83/Parker Road. Once on the offramp, the lanes split between north and south Colorado 83. This has become a major interchange due to the high volume of commuter traffic coming to work at the many business parks and industrial areas in and around this interchange. Even a flyover ramp was installed here to alleviate traffic congestion. Photo taken 08/29/04.
Cherry Creek Dam sits to the south of Interstate 225 as the freeway travels west-southwest toward Interstate 25 and the Denver Tech Center. There is a road on top of the dam that used to allow vehicle access. Behind the dam is the waters of Cherry Creek Reservoir, which is used for all sorts of recreational water sports. Photo taken 08/29/04.
The next three exits along southbound Interstate 225 are Exit 2B, Yosemite Street; Exit 2A, Tamarac Street and the Denver Tech Center (DTC); and Exits 1B-A, Junction Interstate 25/U.S. 87 north to Denver and south to Castle Rock and Colorado Springs. Photo taken 08/29/04.
The first exit is Yosemite Street, followed by Tamarac Street. Note that the signage for Yosemite Street is permanent, while the Tamarac Street sign is temporary. This arrangement has to do with the continuing upgrade to this stretch of Interstate 225, which will have more lanes ultimately. Photo taken 08/29/04.
During the time when this picture was taken, both directions of traffic were diverted onto the future southbound lanes of Interstate 225. Photo taken 08/29/04.
The final exit along southbound Interstate 225 is the junction with Interstate 25/U.S. 87, the Valley Highway. Photo taken 08/29/04.
Southbound Interstate 225 reaches Exit 2B, Yosemite Street. The next exit along southbound is Exit 2A, Tamarac Street to the Denver Tech Center (DTC). Photo taken 08/29/04.
The arrows on these two Interstate 25 signs will make more sense once the construction is complete. Photo taken 08/29/04.
Southbound Interstate 225 reaches Exit 2A, Tamarac Street to the Denver Technology Center. Photo taken 08/29/04.
Immediately thereafter, Interstate 225 ends at its junction with Interstate 25. The left lanes transition to southbound Interstate 25/U.S. 87, while the right lane exits only to northbound Interstate 25/U.S. 87. There is no END shield present. Photo taken 08/29/04.
