Colorado State Highway 45

State Highway 45 (SH 45), also known as Pueblo Boulevard, is an expressway in the city of Pueblo. It is 9.126 miles (14.687 km) long. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 25 (I-25) and its northern terminus is U.S. Route 50 (US 50). Plans are waiting to be approved to expand the expressway to six lanes, build a new interchange with US 50, and fix lane narrowing.

State Highway 45
Pueblo Boulevard
Map of Pueblo County in south central Colorado with SH 45 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by CDOT
Length	9.126 mi[1] (14.687 km)
Existed	1964[2]–present
Major junctions
South end	I-25 in Pueblo
Major intersections	SH 78 in Pueblo SH 96 in Pueblo
North end	US 50 in Pueblo West
Location
Country	United States
State	Colorado
Counties	Pueblo
Highway system
Colorado State Highway System Interstate US State Scenic
← SH 44 → SH 46

Route description

The route begins at I-25. It traverses just south of Lake Minnequa and the Minnequa Business District in southern Pueblo. It intersects SH 78 and SH 96.^[2] The route then continues, intersecting several other city streets. The road comes to an end at US 50. The street continues northwest as Wildhorse Road in Pueblo West.

History

The route started as a rural highway in the 1960s, with the first section from I-25 northwest to SH 96 opening by 1966. By 1973, it was extended north to 11th Street, and was completed north to US 50 by 1975.

Future

Because of growing population in Pueblo, especially in the western side around SH 96, an extension of Highway 45 into a major highway in the area has been proposed. In theory, it would be useful to alleviate traffic jams in the area. SH 45 is planned to eventually continue northeast from US 50 to I-25 around Milepost 103.^[2]

Major intersections

The entire route is in Pueblo County.

Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Pueblo	0.000– 0.218	0.000– 0.351	I-25 / US 87 – Colorado Springs, Walsenburg	Southern terminus; I-25 exit 94
	3.306	5.320	SH 78 south (Northern Avenue) – Beulah	Northern terminus of SH 78
	4.918– 4.920	7.915– 7.918	SH 96 (Thatcher Avenue) – Westcliffe
Pueblo West	9.038	14.545	US 50 – Cañon City, Pueblo	Northern terminus; Road continues north as Wildhorse Rd.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi