Few things sound more boring than a highway history. However, few things impact a city as dramatically as a highway, and folks interested in the development of the city should take note.

Attached is a 65-page historical survey of the Southwest Corridor, including I-25 south from Broadway to Lincoln Avenue and I-225 from I-25 to Parker Road. The story begins in the 1930s, when plans to build a Platte Valley thoroughfare first originated and continues through much of the planning and discussion phase in the 1940s.

You'll enjoy reading about the 10-year project to build what became I-25, starting in 1948 and wrapping up in 1958. You'll see that what was built could have been done much differently, and that fights over the nature of the highway reached biblical proportions (e.g., city council candidate Ernest Marranzino huffed that highway supporters would never be admitted to heaven unless they reversed course!). You'll also enjoy hearing about the difficulty early motorists had with the highway, as the dizzying speeds and strange new terminology caused endless headaches.

The maps are a bit hard to read, but draft depictions of bridges and birds-eye views of interchanges give perspective to the land. Reading this 1999 report from Hermsen Consultants and Fraser Design heightens appreciation for the difficulty of laying out a new highway, but also its importance in the shaping of modern Denver. It's not exactly a thrilling read, but I highly recommend it nevertheless.