E-470
| E-470 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by E-470 Public Highway Authority | ||||
| Length: | 46.950 mi[1] (75.559 km) | |||
| Existed: | 1991 – present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end: | ||||
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| North end: | ||||
| Highway system | ||||
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E-470 is a 47-mile-long (76 km) controlled-access toll road traversing the eastern portion of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area in the US state of Colorado. The toll road is not a state highway, but is instead maintained by the E-470 Public Highway Authority.
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[edit] Route description
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.
[edit] The 470 beltway
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.
[edit] Tolls
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][citation needed] There are six toll stations along the 47-mile (76 km) route and the average toll to pass each is $3.00.[2] 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.[4] 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).[5] 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.[6]
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.[7]
[edit] History
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.
[edit] Exit list
| County | Location | Mile[1] | Exit | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas |
Lone Tree | 0.000 | 1A | 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 | ||||||
| 2.700 | Toll Plaza A | ||||||
| Stonegate | 3.502 | 3 | Chambers Road | ||||
| Stonegate– Parker |
4.380 | 4 | Jordan Road – Parker | ||||
| Parker | 5.180 | 5 | |||||
| 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 | Northbound exits signed as 20A (east) and 20B (west); northbound entrance and southbound exit | ||||
| Adams |
22.610 | Toll Plaza C | |||||
| 24.477 | 24 | ||||||
| 25.523 | 25 | 64th Avenue | |||||
| City of Denver |
27.849 | 28 | 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 | ||||||
| Commerce City – Brighton |
35.491 | 35 | Northbound entrance and southbound exit | ||||
| Brighton | 38.465 | 38 | |||||
| Todd Creek | 40.220 | Toll Plaza E | |||||
| Thornton | 43.817 | 43 | Colorado Boulevard – Thornton | ||||
| 44.843 | 45 | York Street | |||||
| 46.398– 46.950 |
47 | 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 |
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Staff. "Highway Data". Colorado Department of Transportation. http://www.dot.state.co.us/app_DTD_DataAccess/Highways/index.cfm?fuseaction=HighwaysMain&MenuType=Highways. Retrieved October 2007. Note that not every interval between mileposts is exactly a mile, explaining why more exits than expected are at the exact milepost.
- ^ a b Staff (2011). "Calculating Tolls". E-470 Public Highway Authority. https://www.expresstoll.com/CalculatingTolls/Pages/Calculating-Tolls.aspx. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
- ^ Lewis, Al (January 1, 2006). "Toll roads: Future fodder for the Junk Bond Market: Roads take their toll on wallets". The Denver Post. http://corridornews.blogspot.com/2006/01/toll-roads-future-fodder-for-junk-bond.html. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
- ^ Staff (2011). "How E-470 Works". E-470 Public Highway Authority. https://www.expresstoll.com/HowE-470Works/Pages/HowE-470Works.aspx. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
- ^ Staff (2005). "C.R.S 43-4-506.5 (6)(a)". Colorado Revised Statutes. Colorado General Assembly. http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/leg_dir/olls/sl2005a/sl_225.htm. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
- ^ Staff (2011). "Tolls". E-470 Public Highway Authority. https://www.expresstoll.com/Help/Pages/Tolls.aspx. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
- ^ Staff (2011). "EXpress Toll". E-470 Public Highway Authority. https://www.expresstoll.com/Help/Pages/EXpressToll.aspx. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
[edit] External links
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