Business Loop I-70 - Grand Junction

Grand Junction represents both the largest city in western Colorado and along Interstate 70 between Denver and I-15 at Cove Fort, Utah. I-70 straddles northern reaches of the city by Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT) eastward to the foothills of the Book Cliffs. Parallel U.S. 50 crosses paths with I-70 from Fruita to the northwest and enters Grand Junction alongside both Business Loop I-70 and U.S. 6 from Exit 26. The three routes combine along a commercial arterial southeast from the diverging diamond interchange with I-70 to Mesa Mall, Rimrock Marketplace and a wye interchange with North Avenue. The DDI at I-70 replaced a diamond interchange as part of a $4 million project by CDOT and the City of Grand Junction. It was completed by November 2013 (CDOT, 2013).

U.S. 6 splits with Business Loop I-70/U.S. 50 via North Avenue east along an older bypass route to Colorado Mesa University and Lincoln Park. The business route and U.S. 50 continue southeast and circumvent Downtown along 1st Street and the couplet of Pitkin Avenue (east) and Ute Avenue (west) to their separation at S 5th Street. U.S. 50 departs Grand South across the Colorado River to Orchard Mesa while Business Loop I-70 travels solo east to become a controlled access arterial.

U.S. 6 and Business Loop I-70 reconvene ahead of 30 Road and overlap once again eastward to F Road at Clifton. U.S. 6 stays south of I-70 to Palisade while the business loop (Route 070B) concludes a 13.265 mile route at a trumpet interchange (Exit 37).