Battle of Backbone Mountain

State Highway 109 (SH 109) is a 65.327 mi (105.134 km) long state highway in southeastern Colorado. SH 109's southern terminus is at U.S. Route 160 (US 160) north of Kim, and the northern terminus a continuation north as Grand Avenue in Cheraw.

Route description

The road begins in the south at its junction with US 160 roughly two miles north of Kim. From there the road proceeds northward for 55 miles (89 km) through remote, sparsely populated land, including a section of Comanche National Grassland, before reaching La Junta, the first of only two towns along the route's length. At La Junta, SH 109 intersects US 50 indirectly via SH 109 Spur (3rd Street). After crossing over US 50, the road continues northward, passing the La Junta Municipal Airport, to the small town of Cheraw where the road officially ends by becoming a city street called Grand Avenue.

History

The route was established in the 1920s, when it began at Karval and headed eastward to Genoa. Several new sections including spurs and extensions were added in 1939. The route was paved in several segments by 1946. In 1954, most of the route was deleted, leaving only a segment from La Junta to Cheraw. The terminus was corrected by 1983. The entire route was paved by 1965.^[2]

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Las Animas	​	0.000	0.000	US 160 – Springfield, Kim, Trinidad	Southern terminus
Bent	No major junctions
Otero	La Junta	56.010	90.139	SH 109 Spur (3rd Street) To US 50 – Las Animas, Lamar, Rocky Ford, Pueblo
	​	57.435	92.433	SH 194 east – Bents Fort	Western terminus of SH 194
	​	63.255	101.799	SH 266 west – Rocky Ford	Eastern terminus of SH 266
	Cheraw	65.327	105.134	4th Street	Northern terminus
				Grand Avenue	Continuation past 4th Street
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Related route

SH 109 has a spur route in La Junta that spans for about 0.2 miles. It runs down on Bradish Avenue from US 50 and then heads east on 3rd street, then terminating at SH 109 (Adams Avenue)

References

External links

Media related to Colorado State Highway 109 at Wikimedia Commons