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US 550 at US Ends.com
Photo: US 550 in Durango CO (postcard)
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| ROUTE LOG |
I-25 (Exit 242), US 85: 0 - 0 US 64 WB: 152.0 - 152.0 US 64 EB: 0.3 - 152.3 CO STATE LINE: 22.9 - 175.2 US 160 EB: 16.7 - 191.9 US 160 WB: 4.9 - 196.8 US 50: 108.0 - 304.8
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Creation: Appeared in the 1925 plan and stayed unchanged through the inception of the US Highway system, running from US 450 (now College Dr) Durango CO to US 50 (now Main St) Montrose CO. US 550 was an addition to CO 19. The original length reported to AASHO was 118 miles.
| In 1934, US 550 was extended east with US 450 a short distance, then south with CO 19 to New Mexico. Here, US 550 replaced NM 19 through Aztec and Farmington to end at US 666 (now US 491) Shiprock. AASHO declined the October 1933 request to further extend it with US 666 to end at US 66 Gallup.
If US 550 ever used CR 219 south of US 160 it stopped doing so by 1936. About 1937, US 550 was removed from Old Aztec Hwy and CR 3500 northeast of Farmington, plus CR 3050 west of Aztec NM. This appears to also be when it was removed from San Juan Blvd/Hutton Ave/Cliffside Dr on the east side of Farmington. Also about 1937, US 550 eliminated 5 railroad crossings between Colona CO and Montrose to stay exclusively on the east side. The US 550 Frontage Rd between Uncompahgre through Vernal to where 550 turns north to Montrose is a survivng piece of the old alignment. Between 1937-39, US 550 was moved from its original alignment (which is now basically the current modern route) to CR 250 ascending the mouuntain near Keeley Reservoir near Rockwood CO; also US 550 was completely rerouted up to Molas Pass. The old route used to run around the west of Little Molas Lake and used the current access road to that lake (further south of the lake is abandoned). In 1938 or 1939, 6 more railroad crossings were eliminated from US 550 between Ridgway CO and Colona, again to stay exclusively on the east side. No former west side alignments survive.
About 1955, US 550 was removed from CR 31/abandoned routing over Mineral Creek at Silverton, as well as straightened out a few places from there to Molas Pass (some pullout area are the old 550). About 1956, US 550 was removed from Rd 6950 east of Shiprock; Rd 6700 west of Fruitland; Old Kirtland Hwy and Rd 6100 through Fruitland; abandoned segment northeast to Troy King Rd, then W. Piedras St to NM 170, abandoned routing across La Plata River to Deer Trail south. I believe this is also when US 550 was removed from Apache St/Airport Dr on the west side of Farmington. Between 1957-60, US 550 was removed from abandoned/CR 250 in Ironton CO. About 1960, US 550 was removed from Chaco St and N Mesa Verde Ave through Aztec. About 1964, US 550 was removed from CR 203 Animas View Dr north of Durango CO. About 1975, US 550 was removed from the Old Kirtland Hwy segment west of Farmington. About 1977, US 550 was removed from Academy Dr/abandoned/lengthy CR 250 north of Hermosa CO. About 1979, US 550 was rerouted eastward to avoid the new Ridgway Reservoir. The first mile utilized an alignment of US 550 that was abandoned between 1937-39. The 1939-79 route abandoned here is underwater except for Dam Rd north of the reservoir. In December 1980 (AASHTO), US 550 was given its bypass around the west and south of Durango. The route through downtown became US 550 Business (this is now CO 3; E 8th Ave/E 3rd St/E 3rd Ave/College Dr/Main St).
In June 1989 (AASHTO), US 550 south was truncated to US 64 (now Main at Broadway) Farmington NM. The route to Shiprock became part of US 64. In April 1998 (AASHTO), US 550 south was rerouted at Aztec to replace NM 544 south to Bloomfield, then replace NM 44 southeast to I-25 Bernalillo. US 550 from Aztec to Farmington became NM 516. It remains so except US 550 was using Main St all the way through Farmington.
In May 2010 (AASHTO), US 550 north was extended about a mile over US 50 to meet the rerouted US 50 in Montrose CO. In 2024, US 550 was removed from the frontage road and abandoned alignment leading up to US 160 east of Durango.
Comments: US 550 provides easy access from Albuquerque to reach the 4-corners region. US 550 also follows the famous Million Dollar Highway from Silverton CO to Ouray CO. | |||||||||||||||||
Bernalillo, NM
Montrose, CO
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US 550 at US Ends.com
Page last modified 11 February 2026