If you drive south on Interstate 25 in Colorado, you will eventually end up at what could be considered the biggest interchange in the state. This interchange in Denver is where travelers can go in four different directions. West or east on Interstate 70, and north or south on Interstate 25.
This interchange has been at the heart of Colorado since 1951 and pre-dates the interstate highway system, yet it was incorporated into Colorado’s two major interstates.
Download the KUAD Mobile App Now
In 1951, this interchange was used as an intersection for 46th Avenue and U.S. Highway 87. When Interstate 70 was built, alongside 46th Avenue and Interstate 25 was built over the top of U.S. Highway 87. Eventually, both interstates used what was known as the Mousetrap as a changing point to get from one interstate to another.
Colorado’s Mousetrap Torpedo Debacle
In 1984, an incident involving six torpedoes made national headlines in the Colorado interchange. A truck that was transporting six torpedoes to Connecticut for the United States Navy overturned on August 1. When the truck overturned, one of the torpedoes started to leak an unknown liquid.
To make matters worse, no one answered the phone number that was provided with the transported cargo. More than three hours passed before any personnel from the military arrived on the scene of the crash…