Roadtrippin' Colorado Style

Headed south on SH 115, we're shown where SH 83 begins.

Once you exit 115 and head north (actually east at this point) on SH 83, you cross over 115 and have the option of returning north.

Sh 83 is incomplete the first mile of its existance. The first three bridge structures are all only two lanes wide. To better handle the diamond interchanges with SH 115 and Westmeadow Road, the southbound lanes zig zag through here. This is also the first reassurance shield along the highway.

Heading south now (actually west). This is the intersection for the Centennial Campus of Pikes Peak Community College. Fort Carson's Gate 4 is reached via B Street, which is the next half-diamond interchange. It's also where Academy narrows to two lanes. Keep left: there's no way to return to SB 83 once you exit onto B Street.

On the bridge over B Street, we see the railyard for Fort Carson.

This shot was taken the day new troops were assigned to the base and some troops were returning from Iraq. This was a very busy railyard today and for the week after.

This is the exit for Westmeadow Drive/Gate 3. Since this is the only commercial access point to the base, truck traffic often gets backed up onto the offramp, but the backups haven't reached the mainline. They pull over far enough so that you can still exit here. Also note how the offramp crosses where the future SB lanes will go. Widening this section if Academy will simply be the matter of installing the bridges.

Just after the Westmeadow bridge the southbound lanes split from the northbound lanes. This is to assist with the merging traffic, as you can see in the distance.

Just before hitting SH 115, the southbound lane again curve to meet the northbound lanes.

On the bridge over SH 115 now. SH 83 actually continues past SH 115 and ends at the intersection in the background, making this one of the rare state highways that doesn't end at another numbered highway. The Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station is just another title for NORAD, the strategic facility buried deep within Cheyenne Mountain.

Here's the southern terminus of SH 83. Lucky for us, the sign was attacked by some wind. You can now see how many roads intersect here.

Another shot of where SH 83/Academy Blvd end. The mountain in the background is Cheyenne Mountain.

Just before Academy Blvd. intersects I-25 in the northern part of Colorado Springs, SH 83 turns right. The section of Academy between SH 83 and I-25 is know as Spur SH 83. You're looking at all of it right now, since the signal in the background is the NB offramp from I-25.

On the far northern section of Colorado Springs, SH 83 turns again. Have I mentioned how much Colorado Springs loves changing names of streets? No? Well, they do.

North of Colorado Springs, the next state highway SH 83 meets is SH 105. This is the southern terminus of 105. It heads west to Monument, curves northwest to get to Palmer Lake, then heads north from there to it's northern terminus at SH 67. There's a bit of a break, though, north of Palmer Lake where the highway was turned back to Douglas County.