Colorado State Highway 83

State Highway 83 (SH 83) is a state highway that is located along the Front Range in the U.S. State of Colorado. Spanning about from the SH 21 (Powers Boulevard) interchange in northern Colorado Springs and SH 2 (Colorado Boulevard.) in Denver, the highway follows a south–north route, paralleling Interstate 25 to the east and serving rural areas. Along with I-25, it is one of the only two routes in the Colorado State Highway System that directly connects Denver and Colorado Springs. The section of SH 83 in Colorado Springs is signed as Interquest Parkway, which begins as a four-lane road. It drops down to two lanes as it exits the Colorado Springs area and is no longer signed as Interquest Pkwy. It remains as a two-lane, rural highway as it runs north out of El Paso County and into Douglas County. The road becomes signed as Parker Road as it enters Franktown and becomes a six-lane expressway heading into Parker and the Denver Metropolitan Area. It then becomes a four-lane road after interchanging Interstate 225 and becomes signed as Leetsdale Drive after crossing Quebec Street before ending at SH 2. Route description SH 83 begins in far northeastern Colorado Springs, at the intersection of CO 21 and Interquest Parkway. From there it becomes a 60 mph rural highway, continuing northward through rural countryside for 30 miles to Franktown, through a tree heavy and hilly portion of Douglas County, and passing the eastern border of Castlewood Canyon State Park, then intersecting SH 86. The route becomes a six lane divided expressway at Bayou Gulch Road with a 55 mph speed limit. The route continues on and enters the City of Parker and the southeastern portion of the Denver Metropolitan Area, where it interchanges with E-470. After, it enters Arapahoe County just north of E-470 and descends into Centennial where it interchanges with Arapahoe Road, which has been upgraded to a grade-separated interchange. SH 83 continues as a 55 mph expressway as it enters Aurora, intersecting Hampden Avenue and Interstate 225. The route enters suburban Aurora, and it becomes more of a city street, dropping to a 45 mph speed limit and narrowing to 4 lanes. It soon enters the Cherry Creek district of Denver and ends at Colorado Boulevard/SH 2.