Colorado State Highway 263

{{Infobox road

|state=CO

|type=CO

|route=263

|map=Colorado State Highway 263 Map.svg

|map_notes=Map of Weld County in northern Colorado with SH 263 highlighted in red

|length_mi=2.733

|length_ref={{cite web|title=Highway Data Explorer|url=http://dtdapps.coloradodot.info/otis/HighwayData#/ui/1/0/criteria/263A/0.635/2.733|publisher=Colorado Department of Transportation|accessdate=July 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910013513/http://dtdapps.coloradodot.info/Otis/HighwayData#/ui/1/0/criteria/263A/0.635/2.733|archive-date=September 10, 2012|url-status=dead}}

|established=

|direction_a=West

|terminus_a={{Jct|state=CO|US-Bus|85|dab1=Greeley}} in Greeley

|direction_b=East

|terminus_b=Fern Road in Greeley

|counties=Weld

|previous_type=CO

|previous_route=257

|next_type=CO

|next_route=265

}}

State Highway 263 (SH 263) is a {{convert|2.73|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}}, two-lane state highway located within the city limits of Greeley, Colorado. The average daily traffic of the route, which was recorded in 2008, was about 5700 cars entering at the junction with U.S. Highway 85, and 4700 cars exiting at the intersection with Fern Avenue It is classified as a Major Urban Collector highway by the Colorado Department of Transportation, and does not have any truck limitations.

Route description

File:Downtown Greeley Colorado 2016.jpg

The route begins at the junction with U.S. Route 85 Business (US 85 Bus.) east of downtown Greeley. Within the town, it is known as 8th Street. 8th Street itself beings at an intersection with 26th Avenue inside the town As it begins to exit metropolitan Greeley, the road passes over the Cache La Poudre River. From there, the highway heads east on 8th Street out of town. After that, it continues on for a while, past a junction with former SH 37 until it reaches Fern Avenue, where it abruptly turns into a county road, near the beginning of Greeley-Weld Airport and the Sand Creek.

History

The highway was constructed and opened in 1939. At that time, it extended from U.S. Highway 85 (then known as 11th Avenue in Greeley) east out of town and ended at State Highway 37 north of Kersey. At some point the location of U.S. Highway 85 was moved to 8th Avenue, so the highway then had its west end there, for a total length of 6.74 miles from U.S. Highway 85 to State Highway 37. The highway was paved by 1946. Even after the construction of the U.S. Highway 85 Bypass half a mile to the east, turning the former US 85 into US 85 Business, the highway continued to have its west end at U.S. Highway 85. In March 2007, two sections of the highway were turned back (removed) as part of the North Front Range Route Swap.{{cite web|url=http://www.mesalek.com/colo/r234-266.html|title=List of colorado State highways between 234 and 266|author=Salek, Matthew E.|accessdate=2010-04-03}}{{self-published inline|date=July 2017}} The first was near U.S. Highway 85, and the second from Fern Avenue to State Highway 37. The final remaining stretch of the highway was turned back to City of Greeley in 2021. It is now E 8th St.https://dtdapps.coloradodot.info/otis/HighwayData