Highways - drive times question (Denver, Westminster: rentals, home, live in)

[kasey270]

Hello - My husband and I are relocating to the area in Feb. No jobs yet. We have friends that live in the Westminster/Thornton area so we have been looking for rentals in Central Denver or in the north suburban areas. My friends that live there have said the I-25 does a fairly good job of pushing traffic from central Denver to the North areas but that it can get a little sticky going to the more southern parts. For that reason we have shied away from renting in a southern area. However, I've noticed that on here people are always suggesting the Littleton/Highlands Ranch area for starting out. Is traffic a very big factor? Also, could someone go over the highway lingo again? ie: t-rex?

thanks so much for your help!

[Katiana]

It really depends on where you work. When we moved out here w/o jobs, we rented a short-term apt and then moved closer to the jobs once they had been secured. T-Rex is a highway building project.

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by kasey270

Hello - My husband and I are relocating to the area in Feb. No jobs yet. We have friends that live in the Westminster/Thornton area so we have been looking for rentals in Central Denver or in the north suburban areas. My friends that live there have said the I-25 does a fairly good job of pushing traffic from central Denver to the North areas but that it can get a little sticky going to the more southern parts. For that reason we have shied away from renting in a southern area. However, I've noticed that on here people are always suggesting the Littleton/Highlands Ranch area for starting out. Is traffic a very big factor? Also, could someone go over the highway lingo again? ie: t-rex?

thanks so much for your help!

T-REX (Transportation Expansion) was a transportation improvement project by Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Regional Transportation District (RTD). It included the expansion of I-25 and I-225 and the building of the Southeast Rail Line. This project was completed in 2006.

If you are concerned about the traffic on I-25 to central Denver, then you should be looking at mass transit and locating yourself along a good transit route. See The Regional Transportation District Home Page for information

Livecontent

[NickMan7]

Drive times from the Thornton area can be a mess, particularly south-bound from 120th to 84th in the morning and north-bound in the evening (perhaps running 45 minutes or so in the worst traffic - longer with bad weather). With the widening of US 36 several years ago, the drive into the Westminster/Broomfield area has significantly improved, although with the influx of new residents in the north/northwestern suburbs, jamming is becoming more common. In "normal" traffic conditions, the drive from Westminster to downtown and vice versa along US 36/I-25 runs about 25-35 minutes.

[denverian]

It seems like every morning the first freeway slowdown is always southbound I-25 in Thornton. The reversable carpool lanes seem to keep it running smoothly from 36 on south to downtown, but they should have continued that north into Thornton.

I never drive 25 south of downtown, but I'd guess it runs better now that they've added a lane in each direction.

[txp]

Where does the slowdown on 25 start? 120th? 104th? Also, how long does it take to get from the slowdown to 76?

[NickMan7]

Originally Posted by txp

Where does the slowdown on 25 start? 120th? 104th? Also, how long does it take to get from the slowdown to 76?

During the morning commute on south-bound I-25, the slowdown typically begins at about 120th and carries through to the US 36/I-270 interchange area. Once you're south of this area, traffic usually breaks up a bit (needless to say, accidents or bad weather can change this). The I-76 interchange is the next exit after US 36; in "normal" traffic this won't take but a minute or two.

[JourneyCC]

My husband commutes from 36/I-25 to 25/225 and the commute takes him 25-45 depending on traffic.

[steveco.]

On weekends I often go up to Ft. Collins to visit friends and usually leave on a Friday around rush hour. You pretty much have stop and go traffic all the way up into loveland now. The other direction is solid mostly from the longmont exit till downtown denver roughly

[EscapeCalifornia]

Is the 25/76/270 interchange area a perennial slow spot? I went through that area several times on my first weekend in Denver last May and it was always slow in both directions. It was the only traffic I encountered that weekend.