| E-470 | |
|---|---|
| Route information | |
| Maintained by E-470 Public Highway Authority | |
| Length: | 46.950 mi[1] (75.6 km) |
| Existed: | 1991 – present |
| Major junctions | |
| South end: | I-25 / SH 470 in Lone Tree |
| I-70 in Aurora I-76 in Commerce City and Brighton |
|
| North end: | Northwest Parkway in Thornton |
| Highway system | |
E-470 is a 46-mile (74-km) limited-access tollway traversing the eastern portion of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area in Colorado. The toll road is not a state highway, but is instead maintained by the E-470 Public Highway Authority.
Contents |
The tollway begins at the I-25 / SH 470 interchange in Lone Tree and runs east and north through Aurora, intersecting with I-70. The highway continues north, passing west of Denver International Airport to connect with I-76 in Brighton and Commerce City before curving west and ending at an interchange with I-25 and the Northwest Parkway in Thornton.
E-470 is the eastern portion of what was originally conceived as I-470, an outer beltway for metropolitan Denver. Plans for this eastern extension of State Highway 470 gained momentum in the 1980s, as Denver moved forward with plans for a new international airport in its corridor. Recognizing the highway's development potential, a number of local governments joined together to create the E-470 Public Highway Authority, a quasi-governmental entity that would construct the highway. The highway would be financed through tolls, a relative rarity in the western U.S. The first section, between I-25 in the south and Parker Road in Douglas County, opened in 1991. The highway was opened segment by segment until the final stretch connecting to I-25 in the north in Adams County opened for traffic in 2003.
In its early years, traffic was light as the completed portion was short and traversed a largely undeveloped area. With the opening of Denver International Airport in 1995, E-470 came in as a direct route to the airport from the rapidly growing southern tier of the metropolitan area. Upon its completion, the highway provided the same access for northern Colorado, itself a high-growth area. However, perhaps the most significant growth in the region will occur in the E-470 corridor itself, which spawned numerous annexations by member cities; Commerce City, Colorado has doubled in land area in anticipation of this new development. In the coming decades, 250,000 new residents are expected along the E-470 corridor in Aurora alone, which would nearly double that city's population.
The toll rate on E-470, roughly 33 cents per mile, is one of the highest rates of any toll road in the United States.[2][3] There are six toll stations along the 47-mile (76 km) route and the average toll to pass each is $3.00.[4] Traveling the entire length of the road from I-25 in the north to I-25 in the south can cost in excess of $14.00 one way. The toll stations no longer accept cash; E-470 was one of the first highway in the United States to implement full highway-speed electronic tolling.[5] Cameras at each station photograph the front and rear license plate of each vehicle. A bill will is mailed after approximately 30 days to the registered owner of the vehicle in accordance with C.R.S 43-4-506.5 (6)(a).[6] Failure to pay the bill on time results in a $5 late fee after 30 days, followed by a $15 collection fee after 60 days, and a $25 penalty after a total of five months, and then an additional $20 court charge after six months totaling a maximum penalty of $65 for each unpaid set of tolls.[7]
Drivers with EXpressToll accounts, E-470's automated toll collection service, and transponders mounted on their vehicle save 20% on posted toll rates along E-470.[8]
The E-470 Public Highway Authority consists of eight member jurisdictions: Adams, Arapahoe, and Douglas counties and the cities of Aurora, Brighton, Commerce City, Thornton, and the town of Parker. In addition to all of these jurisdictions, E-470 also passes through the City and County of Denver near Denver International Airport. Affiliate, non-voting members of the Authority, which the highway does not directly serve, are the cities of Arvada and Greeley, and Weld County and the City and County of Broomfield. Ex-officio members are the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Denver Regional Council of Governments and the Regional Transportation District. The authority is headquartered in Aurora.
The I-70/E-470 Fly-By Interchange Complex in Aurora was recognized by the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA) with a National Design Build Award in 2008.
| County | Location | Mile[1] | Exit | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas |
Lone Tree | 0.000 | 1A | I-25 – Denver, Colorado Springs SH 470 |
South end of E-470; roadway continues as west SH 470 | ||
| 1B | Jamaica Street to County Line Road | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||||
| 1.711 | 2 | Peoria Street – Centennial Airport | |||||
| 2.700 | Toll Plaza A | ||||||
| Stonegate | 3.502 | 3 | Chambers Road | ||||
| Stonegate– Parker |
4.380 | 4 | Jordan Road – Parker | ||||
| Parker | 5.180 | 5 | SH 83 (Parker Road) – Parker, Centennial, Aurora | ||||
| Arapahoe |
Aurora | 8.887 | 9 | Gartrell Road | |||
| 10.683 | 10 | Smoky Hill Road | |||||
| 13.352 | 13 | Quincy Avenue – Aurora | |||||
| 16.150 | Toll Plaza B | ||||||
| 16.451 | 16 | Jewell Avenue to Iliff Avenue | |||||
| 19.000 | 19 | 6th Parkway | |||||
| Arapahoe– Adams |
20.375 | 20 | I-70 / Colfax Avenue, 19th Avenue, Gun Club Road – Limon, Aurora, Denver | Northbound exits signed as 20A (east) and 20B (west); northbound entrance and southbound exit | |||
| Adams |
22.610 | Toll Plaza C | |||||
| 24.477 | 24 | 56th Avenue – Front Range Airport | |||||
| 25.523 | 25 | 64th Avenue | |||||
| City of Denver |
27.849 | 28 | Peña Boulevard – Denver International Airport | Signed as exits 28A (east) and 28B (west) | |||
| Adams |
Commerce City | Toll Plaza D | |||||
| 30.562 | 31 | 96th Avenue | |||||
| 32.678 | 32 | 104th Avenue | |||||
| 34.130 | 34 | To I-76 west / 120th Avenue | |||||
| Commerce City – Brighton |
35.491 | 35 | I-76 east – Fort Morgan | Northbound entrance and southbound exit | |||
| Brighton | 38.465 | 38 | US 85 to I-76 west – Brighton, Greeley, Commerce City, Denver | ||||
| Todd Creek | 40.220 | Toll Plaza E | |||||
| Thornton | 43.817 | 43 | Colorado Boulevard – Thornton | ||||
| 44.843 | 45 | York Street | |||||
| 46.398– 46.950 |
47 | I-25 – Fort Collins, Denver Northwest Parkway |
North end of E-470; roadway continues west as Northwest Parkway | ||||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus • Closed/Former • Incomplete access • Unopened |
|||||||
|
||||||||||||||