Time Machine Tuesday: Planning the Valley Highway

I-25 through Denver, originally known as the Valley Highway, dramatically changed transportation through and in the city when it was constructed in the 1950s. For a glimpse inside the early planning process for the Valley Highway, check out The Valley Highway: A North-South Limited-Access Highway Through Denver, published in 1944. This study, done for the state highway department, describes the need for a highway; a location study; lanes needed; cost; and coordination with the City of Denver. The document includes location maps, charts, and comparisons to other cities’ highways, including photographs. This is a fascinating look at the early planning and design for one of Colorado’s most significant transportation systems. The Valley Highway opened fourteen years later, in November 1958. Another publication, Commemorating the Opening of the Denver Valley Highway, November 23, 1958, can be viewed in our library.