End of US highway 36 |
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Summa
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Summa
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1926-1928
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1928-1931
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1931-1933
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1933-1937
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1937-1967
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1967-1974
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1974-1977
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1977-present
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Mileage: in 1989 AASHTO listed a figure of 1431 miles for US 36... however, that included the mileage of US 36's associated business routes. According to the state subtotals on AASHTO's 1989 spreadsheet, mainline US 36's actual end-to-end total at the time was 1414 miles. Our own 2020 measurement yielded 1402.8 miles (reroutings and realignments likely explain the difference).
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The closest town to US 36's midpoint is Wheeling, Missouri.
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When the US routes were originally commissioned in late 1926, the east end of US 36 was in Indianapolis. It came in via Rockville Road, junctioning US 40 at Washington Street:
c. 1928, State Highway Commission of Indiana
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US 36 could have ended at that intersection, but it is more likely that it overlapped with US 40 into the city, ending at its junction with the main north-south highway, US 31. This intersection would have been at Meridian Street. This image was looking west along Washington:
c. late 1950s, attribution unknown
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Historically that was westbound US 40-52. At the time of that photo, southbound US 31 traffic was directed to use Pennsylvania Street to the left. But thirty years earlier, when US 36 ended in the city, US 31 used Meridian Street, which is the next block ahead, so that intersection was probably the east beginning of US 36.
But already by 1931, US 36 had been extended east to Cadiz: |
c. 1956, Gousha
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Traffic came in on Dennison Avenue, which merges with Lincoln Avenue in town, which in turn becomes Market Street near downtown. So at first, US 36 ended at Main Street, which carried US 22. This photo was taken looking southeast on Market:
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Nelson, May 2008
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Today Market carries US 250. The crossroad is Main, or historic US 22, so US 36 ended there. This historic photo shows signage at that intersection as it appeared in 1940. This next photo was taken looking northeast on Main:
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Nelson, May 2008
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That was westbound US 22, and US 36 began to the right on Market. In 1961, today's US 22 bypass was built around the north edge of town. When that happened, it is possible that the US 36 designation was truncated to its junction with the new US 22. This photo was taken from westbound US 22-250:
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Nelson, May 2008
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There, US 250 splits off by exiting to the right. That could have been the east beginning of US 36 for a time. However, after the US 22 bypass was built, Main was probably signed as Business 22, so it is also possible that US 36 continued to end at its original downtown location. Then, in 1974...
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...US 36's multiplex with US 250 was eliminated by truncating the east end to its current terminus in Uhrichsville (the image above is from the AASHTO meeting minutes where that action was approved). These shots show the east beginning of US 36 from the perspective of drivers heading south on eastbound US 250:
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Reighard, Sep. 2002
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Google Maps Street View, Sep. 2018
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This photo shows the last eastbound US 36 shield:
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Stuve, Oct. 2016
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The green signs visible in the distance mark the east terminus of US 36, shown close-up in these photos:
Reighard, Sep. 2002
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Stuve, Oct. 2016
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Note the "End" sign at far left. These photos were taken from the opposite direction:
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Mortell, Aug. 2006
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That was on westbound US 250 / northbound OH 800, both of which exit to the right. Straight ahead is the east beginning of US 36. Those Highway Gothic panels were later replaced with Clearview versions:
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Ferguson, Apr. 2018
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And finally, one more perspective. This image was taken looking north on Water Street, or historic westbound US 250. From here, the east beginning of US 36 is signed thus:
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Google Maps Street View, Aug. 2019
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The original west terminus of US 36 was in Colby, but the designation was extended incrementally westward over the years, first to Byers, then Strasburg, Denver, and Estes Park. More info and photos from each of those places can be found on the historic US 36 page. In 1968, shortly after US 36 had been extended to Estes, Colorado sought permission from AASHO to further extend the designation along former CO hwy. 66, to its current terminus in Rocky Mountain National Park. The initial request was not approved (apparently because AASHO was under the impression that it was National Park Service policy to not have US routes running within their properties), but then Colorado provided the following explanation, and the request was granted later in 1977:
Thirty years later there was no "End" sign, but these photos show the signage that has been posted at the west end:
Sanderson, Feb. 2005
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Sanderson, Jun. 2011 (unchanged as of 2022)
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Turner, Sep. 2024 (panels reversed in 2024)
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In the background is the "T" intersection where 36 ends (known as "Deer Ridge Junction"). If a traveler goes straight, they are heading west on US 34, over Trail Ridge Road towards Grand Lake. If one turns right, they will wind around and head east on US 34, back to Estes. Heading that direction (east on US 34, down from Trail Ridge), drivers would see this signage where US 34 continues to the left, while straight ahead is the west beginning of US 36:
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Summa, after 1978
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Sanderson, 1999 (still there in 2005)
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Sanderson, Jun. 2011 (unchanged as of 2020)
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US routes are not signed in Yellowstone National Park (which is of particular interest to roadfans, because it means that highways which enter the Park from two directions [such as US 20] technically have interruptions in their mileage). However, as these photos attest, not all National Parks follow that practice. NPS signs both US 34 and US 36 within RMNP, and not only at Deer Ridge Jct:
Sanderson, Oct. 2020 (wb US 36 at Beaver Meadows Entrance)
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Sanderson, Oct. 2020 (nb Bear Lake Rd at jct. US 36)
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Additionally, the 1999 sign pictured above demonstrates how the Park Service did not have any qualms about signing US routes within their boundaries however they pleased: note how each route was formerly signed as an alternate for the other (since they join again in Estes).
As drivers approach Deer Ridge Jct. on US 34 westbound from Estes, they see this sign... 
Sanderson, Feb. 2005
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Turner, Sep. 2024
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...and just around the curve at the stop sign, a fantastic view of Longs Peak appears straight ahead (one of Colorado's more well-known 14-ers):
Sanderson, Feb. 2005
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That sign was removed sometime after 2007, but note how the destination for westbound US 34 (to the right) was not shown: it was covered up during most of the year, when the road is closed. This photo shows what the predecessor sign looked like during the warmer months:
Sanderson, 1999
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If a traveler takes a left there, they will not see the first eastbound US 36 confirming marker for another five miles:
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Sanderson, Feb. 2005 (unchanged as of 2020)
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That is on the edge of the Park, almost to Estes city limits, just past where the former SH 66 comes in from the south and merges with US 36. Directly across the road from there is the last westbound marker, with some excellent scenery in the background:
Sanderson, Feb. 2005
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Sanderson, Oct. 2020
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Research and/or photo credits: Allan Ferguson; Robert Mortell; Steven Nelson; Jason Reighard; Mike Roberson; Dale Sanderson; Eric Stuve; Michael Summa; C.T. Turner
Page originally created 2000;
last updated Jan. 2, 2025.
last updated Jan. 2, 2025.
