U.S. Route 36 (US 36) is an east–west

United States highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these hi ...

that travels approximately from Rocky Mountain National Park,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

Uhrichsville, Ohio Uhrichsville( ) is a city in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,413 at the 2010 census. Claymont City School District is the major education provider for the city of Uhrichsville and for the village of Dennison, Ohio. The ...

. The highway's western terminus is at Deer Ridge Junction, an intersection in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, where it meets US 34. Its eastern terminus is at US 250 in

Route description

Colorado

US Route 36 begins at US 34 at Deer Ridge Junction in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, just west of Estes Park. It then passes through Boulder and

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

on its way to

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

. Between Boulder and Denver, the road that is now US 36 was originally built as the ''Denver-Boulder Turnpike''. It serves today as a major arterial

freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

in the Front Range Urban Corridor. Between Denver and Byers, US 36 exists in unsigned overlaps with I-270 and

I-70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the c ...

, while some parts of its original route are signed separately as

Colorado State Highway 36 U.S. Route 36 (US 36) is a United States highway that travels from Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado to Uhrichsville, Ohio. In Colorado, the highway traverses an east–west route mostly in the northern portion of the Great Plains. At its w ...

. After it diverges from I-70 in Byers, US 36 is a relatively lightly-traveled two-lane rural highway to the

state line.

Kansas

US-36 passes through all 13 counties in Kansas which border

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

. The highway enters the Sunflower State from Colorado in Cheyenne County, and leaves the state by crossing the Missouri River on the Pony Express Bridges entering Missouri. The section of US-36 from Washington, Kansas to St. Joseph, Missouri is officially called the ''Pony Express Highway'' because it marks the starting section of the

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pi ...

. It crosses the Missouri River on the Pony Express Bridges. From the western junction with K-383 to the Missouri state line, US-36 is part of the National Highway System. Except for wider sections in towns and passing lanes on hills, US-36 through

is mostly a two-lane surface road. However some of the principal intersections all along the road are grade-separated

diamond interchange A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road. Design The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. Approaching the ...

s. From the Little Blue River just west of the K-148 junction to the US-77 North junction just west of the Big Blue River at Marysville, US-36 is a four-lane divided surface highway. From Hiawatha to west of Wathena, the road is a

two-lane freeway A two-lane expressway or two-lane freeway is an expressway or freeway with only one lane in each direction, and usually no median barrier. It may be built that way because of constraints, or may be intended for expansion once traffic volumes ris ...

. After passing through Wathena as a surface street (Riverside High School in Wathena fronts the westbound lanes), it becomes a four-lane freeway to the Missouri state line.

Missouri

US 36 across Missouri is a four-lane expressway with some

sections, passing through or near St. Joseph, Cameron, Chillicothe, Brookfield, Macon, Monroe City and Hannibal. Between I-35 in Cameron and the

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

state line, it forms part of the principal route between Kansas City and

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois

In the state of

, U.S. 36 runs concurrently with much of

Interstate 72 Interstate 72 (I-72) is an Interstate Highway in the midwestern United States. Its western terminus is in Hannibal, Missouri, at an intersection with U.S. Route 61 (US 61); its eastern terminus is at Country Fair Drive in Champ ...

. It enters from Missouri across the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

on the Mark Twain Memorial Bridge, and runs east, crossing

Interstate 55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The h ...

in Springfield. At the

U.S. Route 51 U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south-north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered Highw ...

bypass in Decatur, U.S. 36 leaves I-72 and runs due east through downtown Decatur. U.S. 36 then continues east, through Tuscola and several smaller communities, to the Indiana border.

Indiana

US 36 enters Indiana near Dana in Vermillion County. It then passes through the towns of Montezuma, Rockville, Bainbridge, Danville, and Avon before approaching Indianapolis. US 36 then joins I-465, traveling around the south side of the city (counter-clockwise in the eastbound direction). East of the city, US 36 exits onto Pendleton Pike and travels northeast. It passes through

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

, McCordsville, and Fortville before passing around the east side of Pendleton, where the route turns east. The route then travels mostly in a straight line, passing through

Sulphur Springs Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produces hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage under ...

, Losantville, Modoc, and Lynn before entering Ohio. The former routing through Indianapolis consisted of Rockville Road, Washington Street, West Street/Michigan Road (the latter once Northwestern Avenue, now Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Street), 38th Street, and Pendleton Pike.

Ohio

US 36 enters Ohio in Darke County near the small village of Palestine, after which it passes through Darke,

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

Champaign Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, Knox, and Coshocton counties before reaching its terminus at Uhrichsville in Tuscarawas County. It travels concurrent with US 127 in Greenville for about . Within the state, US 36 is classified as 83.1% rural and 16.9% urban with only coded as freeway (out of total). It also travels concurrent with US 33 in Marysville for about . The Birthplace of

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governo ...

, 19th

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

, 17 E. William St.,

, is on the north side of US 36, approximately west of the US 23 overpass. The home was demolished in 1926 and the location is marked with a historical monument.

Major intersections

;Colorado : in Deer Ridge Junction : in Estes Park : in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

: on the Sherrelwood– Twin Lakes– Welby line. I-270/US 36 travels concurrently to

. : in Welby : in Commerce City : in Denver. I-70/US 36 travels concurrently to Byers. : on the Denver–

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

city line : in Aurora. The highways travel concurrently to Byers. : east of Idalia. The highways travel concurrently to northeast of Idalia. ;Kansas : in Oberlin : in

Norton Norton may refer to: Places Norton, meaning 'north settlement' in Old English, is a common place name. Places named Norton include: Canada * Rural Municipality of Norton No. 69, Saskatchewan *Norton Parish, New Brunswick **Norton, New Brunswick, a ...

: in Phillipsburg. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Smith Center. The highways travel concurrently to south of

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

. : in Belleville : in Marysville. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : west of Fairview : in

Hiawatha Hiawatha ( , also : ), also known as Ayenwathaaa or Aiionwatha, was a precolonial Native American leader and co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy. He was a leader of the Onondaga people, the Mohawk people, or both. According to some account ...

;Missouri : in St. Joseph : in St. Joseph : in St. Joseph : in Cameron : in Cameron : in Chillicothe : in Macon : in Monroe City. The highways travel concurrently to Miller Township. : in Hannibal. I-72/US 36 travel concurrently to Harristown, Illinois. ;Illinois : in Levee Township : in Griggsville Township : southwest of

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

: in Springfield. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Harristown : in Tuscola Township : in Tuscola : on the Edgar– Ross township line ;Indiana : in Rockville : in Monroe Township : in Indianapolis. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Indianapolis. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Indianapolis : in Indianapolis. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Indianapolis : in Indianapolis. US 36/US 421 travels concurrently through the city. : in Indianapolis. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Indianapolis : in Indianapolis : in Union Township : in Lynn ;Ohio : in Neave Township. The highways travel concurrently to Greenville. : in Piqua : in Urbana : in Paris Township. The highways travel concurrently to Marysville. : in

: in Berkshire Township : in Union Township : in Salem Township : in Uhrichsville

References

External links

U.S. 36 Highway Association

Illinois Highway Ends: US 36

Indiana Highway Ends: US 36
{{DEFAULTSORT:36 United States Numbered Highway System U.S. Highways in Ohio