Interstate 25 in New Mexico

Route description

I-25 begins at I-10's exit 144 in Las Cruces (elevation 4000 ft), just south of the New Mexico State University (NMSU) campus. I-25 is concurrent with US 85 at this point, and carries US 85 concurrently for the remainder of its run in New Mexico, save for a 4 mi through Las Vegas where unsigned US 85 follows Interstate 25 Business (I-25 Bus., Business Loop 15) through the town. Immediately, the Interstate passes east of the NMSU campus, and the next three exits provide access to the city. The first exit is University Avenue, which provides access to NMSU. The final exit in Las Cruces is US 70. Upon exiting the city, the speed limit increases by 10 mph to 75 mph. Before I-25 reaches Truth or Consequences and just south of Elephant Butte Reservoir State Park, it crosses over to the west side of the Rio Grande. From Las Cruces to Santa Fe I-25 follows the route of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro.

South of Albuquerque near Socorro, it passes through the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. As I-25 nears Albuquerque, it has interchanges with roads such as US 380 and a concurrency with US 60. State Road 6 (NM 6), the original US 66, meets up with I-25 in Los Lunas. Just to the south of Albuquerque, I-25 enters Isleta Pueblo where it crosses back to the east side of the Rio Grande.

The speed limit on I-25 in Albuquerque is 65 mi/h, except for one 1.5 mi 55 mi/h section between Gibson Boulevard and Central Avenue. Through Albuquerque, I-25 is named the Pan American Freeway and there are frequent exits to city streets. A major interchange with I-40 (which is styled as the Coronado Freeway in the city) is named the Big I. It was given an honorable mention by the United States Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration for excellence in urban highway design in 2002.

Leaving Albuquerque, the 75 mi/h speed limit resumes as the freeway passes through Sandia Pueblo. After Bernalillo, I-25 passes through four more Indian Reservations (from south to north: the Pueblos of Santa Ana, San Felipe, Kewa, and Cochiti). I-25 turns to the northeast and away from the Rio Grande, alongside which it has run from its southern terminus, as it heads toward Santa Fe. It climbs out of the Rio Grande Valley at a steep hill called La Bajada 11 mi southwest of Santa Fe.

Continuing 'northbound' at Santa Fe, I-25 heads southeast for approximately 45 mi, traveling through the Santa Fe National Forest and crossing Glorieta Pass (7452 ft). It turns north again at Blanchard toward Las Vegas. The highway maintains a north and northeast orientation as it leaves New Mexico traversing Raton Pass (7798 ft) and enters Colorado. The speed limit through Raton Pass is 65 mi/h. From Santa Fe to Raton Pass, I-25 approximates part of the route of the Santa Fe Trail. I-25 is 462.124 mi long in New Mexico.

Exit list

Related routes

Main article: Business routes of Interstate 25

I-25 in New Mexico currently has no auxiliary Interstates but it has six active business routes. The active business routes are located in Williamsburg–Truth or Consequences, Socorro, Belen, Las Vegas, Springer, and Raton. There was one other business route that was located in Santa Fe but was decommissioned.

References

References

1. "Interstate Highways". [[New Mexico Department of Transportation]].
2. American Association of State Highway Officials. (August 14, 1957). "Official Route Numbering for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". American Association of State Highway Officials.
3. "I-25 at I-10".
4. "I-25 in Las Cruces".
5. "I-25 parallels Elephant Butte Reservoir State Park".
6. Wilkerson, Lyn. (2003). "American Trails Revisited: Following in the Footsteps of the Western Pioneers". iUniverse.
7. "I-25 near Socorro".
8. "I-25 near Albuquerque".
9. "I-25 at SR 6".
10. "I-25 near Isleta".
11. "I-25 exits in Albuquerque".
12. Bryan, Howard. (1989). "Albuquerque Remembered". [[University of New Mexico Press]].
13. "I-25 at I-40".
14. (2002). "I-25/I-40 System-to-System Interchange". Federal Highway Administration.
15. "I-25 nearing Santa Fe".
16. Julyan, Robert. (1998). "The Place Names of New Mexico". University of New Mexico Press.
17. "Glorieta Pass". The Santa Fe Trail Scenic Byway Profile.
18. "I-25 near Las Vegas".
19. "Raton Pass". National Park Service.
20. Glassman, Steve. (2008). "It Happened on the Santa Fe Trail". Morris Publishing.
21. "NMDOT 2007 - Statewide milepost/point map".
22. "Special Project: Los Lunas Blvd. Corridor Phase I". Village of Los Lunas.