U.S. Route 70 in New Mexico
U.S. Route 70 | |
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Route information | |
Maintained by NMDOT | |
Length: | 451.0 mi (725.8 km) |
Existed: | 1926 – present |
Major junctions | |
West end: | US 70 at the Arizona state line |
I-10 in Lordsburg | |
East end: | US 70 / US 84 at the Texas state line |
Highway system | |
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U.S. Route 70 (US 70) is the portion of an east–west highway in New Mexico that starts at the Arizona state line south of Virden and ends at the Texas state line in Texico.
Route description
After entering the state of New Mexico, US 70 heads southeast. Five miles (8.0 km)[1] after crossing the state line, it serves as the southern terminus for New Mexico State Road 92 (NM 92). US 70 does not have another highway junction for 21 miles (34 km),[1] where it meets New Mexico State Road 464 (NM 464) and New Mexico State Road 90 (NM 90) three miles (4.8 km)[1] north of Lordsburg. At Lordsburg, US 70 joins with Interstate 10 (I-10) eastbound, splitting off in Las Cruces, and becoming Picacho Avenue in Las Cruces. When Picacho Avenue meets Main Street, US 70 follows Main Street northbound. US 70 then crosses I-25, and has been upgraded at this point to a controlled-access highway until entering the foothills of the Organ Mountains.
As a divided highway, US 70 then crosses the Organ Mountains via San Augustin Pass descends to the valley floor of the Tularosa Basin, and next crosses the White Sands Missile Range. Overhead missile tests can close the highway for a few hours; this generally happens once or twice a week, and typically only for an hour at a time.[2][3] The road then passes the entrance to the White Sands National Monument, and shortly after that passes the southern end of Holloman Air Force Base. It then turns northbound, and picks up a concurrency with US 54 upon entering Alamogordo. On the north end of Alamogordo, US 54/US 70 intersects the beginning of US 82 near La Luz. The concurrency with US 54 lasts until Tularosa, and the highway remains divided until US 70 and US 54 diverge. After splitting off to the northeast, US 70 begins an ascent into the Sacramento Mountains and enters the Lincoln National Forest. The road then runs across the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation and near the resort town of Ruidoso. In Hondo, it begins another concurrency, this time with US 380. US 70 then bypasses Roswell to the northwest, together with US 285. US 70 then heads off to the northeast, running through Portales and Clovis before entering Texas at Texico.
History
When commissioned in 1926, ran from present day US 70 in Clovis, New Mexico through Vaughn, Willard all the way to Holbrook, Arizona. In 1932, US 70 was rerouted to El Paso, Texas, and the old routing was transferred to US 60 and US 260.[4] In 1934, the routing of US 70 was changed again, to Las Cruces, the old route transferred to US 54.[5]
Junction list
County | Location | mi | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arizona state line | 0.0 | 0.0 | US 70 continues west into Arizona | ||||
Hidalgo | | 4.6 | 7.4 | NM 92 – Virden | |||
| 25.6 | 41.2 | NM 464 – Redrock | ||||
| 27.1 | 43.6 | NM 90 – White Signal, Silver City | ||||
Lordsburg | 29.3– 29.5 | 47.2– 47.5 | NM 494 begin / I-10 Bus. to I-10 – Deming, Tucson | Interchange eastbound; at-grade intersection westbound; western terminus of NM 494 concurrency | |||
30.1 | 48.4 | I-10 west / NM 494 south (Main Street) | Western terminus of I-10 concurrency, eastern terminus of NM 494 concurrency; I-10 exit 22 | ||||
See I-10 | |||||||
Doña Ana | | 141.8– 142.3 | 228.2– 229.0 | I-10 east (US 180 east) – Las Cruces, El Paso | Eastern terminus of I-10/US 180 concurrency; I-10 exit 135 | ||
Fairacres | 144.8 | 233.0 | NM 359 – Mesilla | ||||
Bridge over the Rio Grande | |||||||
Las Cruces | 146.7 | 236.1 | NM 292 – Mesilla | ||||
147.8 | 237.9 | NM 185 / NM 188 – Radium Springs, Mesilla | |||||
151.1– 151.5 | 243.2– 243.8 | — | I-25 (US 85) – El Paso, Albuquerque | Partial interchange; west end of freeway; I-25 exit 6 | |||
151.7 | 244.1 | — | Del Rey Boulevard / Telshor Boulevard | Direct eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |||
152.4 | 245.3 | — | Sunridge Drive / Roadrunner Parkway | No direct eastbound entrance | |||
152.9 | 246.1 | — | Rinconada Boulevard | No direct westbound entrance | |||
153.7 | 247.4 | — | Sonoma Ranch Boulevard | ||||
155.3 | 249.9 | — | Mesa Grande Drive | ||||
156.3 | 251.5 | — | Porter Drive | ||||
157.4 | 253.3 | — | Holman Road / Dunn Drive | ||||
| 159.1 | 256.0 | — | Weisner Road / Balsam Road | |||
| 160.7 | 258.6 | — | Brahman Road | |||
Organ | 161.9 | 260.6 | — | NASA Road / Baylor Canyon Road | East end of freeway | ||
| 170.7 | 274.7 | Missile Range Headquarters / HTA | Interchange | |||
Otero | Holloman AFB | 207.3– 207.9 | 333.6– 334.6 | Holloman AFB Main Gate | Partial interchange | ||
Alamogordo | 211.9 | 341.0 | To Alamogordo White Sands Airport | ||||
213.8– 214.5 | 344.1– 345.2 | US 54 south / White Sands Boulevard – El Paso, Alamogordo | Interchange; western terminus of US 54 concurrency; White Sands Boulevard not signed westbound | ||||
219.3 | 352.9 | US 82 – Artesia, Lubbock | Western terminus of US 82 | ||||
| 221.6 | 356.6 | NM 545 – La Luz | ||||
Tularosa | 229.2– 229.3 | 368.9– 369.0 | US 54 north – Carrizozo | Eastern terminus of US 54 concurrency | |||
Mescalero | 246.0 | 395.9 | Hospital, Bureau of Indian Affairs | Interchange; serves Mescalero Indian Hospital | |||
| 250.5 | 403.1 | NM 244 – Cloudcroft | ||||
Lincoln | Ruidoso Downs | 262.2 | 422.0 | NM 48 – Capitan | |||
Hondo | 285.8 | 460.0 | US 380 – Capitan | Western terminus of US 380 concurrency | |||
See US 380 | |||||||
Chaves | Roswell | 332.9 | 535.8 | US 285 south (Main Street south) / US 380 east (2nd Street east) – Artesia, Brownfield | Eastern terminus of US 380 concurrency; western terminus of US 285 concurrency | ||
337.0 | 542.3 | NM 246 – Capitan | |||||
338.4 | 544.6 | B | US 70 Truck west / US 285 Truck south (Relief Route) / US 285 north – Vaughn, Ruidoso | Interchange; eastern terminus of US 285 concurrency; exit number is for US 285; no exit number eastbound; US 70 Truck exit A | |||
Roosevelt | Elida | 399.6 | 643.1 | NM 114 / NM 330 – Dora, Floyd | |||
| 417.6 | 672.1 | NM 480 | ||||
Portales | 419.6 | 675.3 | Portales Municipal Airport | ||||
423.6 | 681.7 | To NM 267 – Floyd, Melrose | |||||
423.9 | 682.2 | NM 206 – Dora, Tatum | |||||
424.2 | 682.7 | To NM 88 – Arch | |||||
425.6 | 684.9 | NM 236 – Floyd | |||||
425.8 | 685.3 | NM 467 – Clovis | |||||
| 430.2 | 692.3 | NM 202 | ||||
Curry | Clovis | 442.3 | 711.8 | US 60 / US 84 east (1st Street west) / NM 209 north (Prince Street) – Fort Sumner, Vaughn, Santa Rosa | Western terminus of US 60/US 84 concurrency | ||
See US 84 | |||||||
Texas state line | 451.0 | 725.8 | US 70 / US 84 continue east into Texas | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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Roswell truck route
U.S. Route 70 Truck | |
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Location: | Roswell, New Mexico |
Length: | 7.5 mi[6] (12.1 km) |
U.S. Route 70 Truck (US 70 Truck) runs for seven and a half miles (12.1 km) around the northwest side of Roswell. For it's entire length, it is multiplexed with Roswell's Relief Route (US 285 Truck).
The entire route is in Chaves County.
Location | mi[6] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Roswell | 0.00 | 0.00 | US 285 Truck south (Relief Route south) / US 70 / US 380 (2nd Street) – Artesia, Ruidoso, Roswell | Western terminus; western terminus of US 285 Truck concurrency; road continues south as US 285 Truck (Relief Rte.) | |
| 5.0 | 8.0 | NM 246 (Pine Lodge Road) – Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge | ||
| 7.1 | 11.4 | A | US 70 west / US 285 south to US 380 junction – Clovis | Interchange; no exit number eastbound |
| 7.4– 7.5 | 11.9– 12.1 | US 285 Truck end / US 70 east (Clovis Highway) / US 285 north | Interchange; eastern terminus; eastern terminus of US 285 Truck concurrency; northern terminus of US 285 Truck | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
- 1 2 3 Rand McNally (2007). "New Mexico" (Map). The Road Atlas '07. Chicago: Rand McNally. p. 68.
- ↑ Crossley, John. "White Sands National Monument, Alamogordo, New Mexico". The American Southwest. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
- ↑ Signage indicating closings
- ↑ Sanderson, Dale. "Map of US highway 60 and family, and US 412". Dale Sanderson. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
- ↑ Sanderson, Dale. "End of US highway 70". Dale Sanderson. Map of US highway 70 and family, and US 412; US Highway endpoints in El Paso, TX; US Highway endpoints in Los Angeles, CA;US Highway endpoints in Holbrook, AZ. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
- 1 2 "Overview of US 70 Truck (Roswell, NM)". Google Maps. Google, Inc. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
U.S. Route 70 | ||
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