 From 1923 through the early 1930s , the SH 74 designation was from Echo Lake at what is now an intersection between SH 103 and SH 5 east along Squaw Pass Road to Bergen Park . From here , it followed its current designation to Morrison . SH 74 was paved from Morrison to Evergreen using an oil surface resembling asphalt in late 1928 . This oil surface , which was approximately 1 inch ( 25 mm ) deep , prevented erosion along the roadway in the Bear Creek canyon during floods . By 1938 , the section west of Bergen Park was redesignated as SH 68 , and SH 74 was turned northward to US 40 . The east end was extended into Denver along Alameda Avenue by 1947 . This section terminated at what was then SH 87 in Denver . In 1956 , the Colorado State Highway Department opted to realign sections of SH 74 away from Bear Creek . A section of the road between Evergreen and Kittredge was resurfaced and widened the next year . By then , US 285 replaced the eastern segment , and the terminus of the route was cut back to its original and current terminus in Morrison . Construction on I @-@ 70 through the region was completed in 1972 and included an interchange at El Rancho at the northwest end of SH 74 . During the 1990s , CDOT sought to further upgrade SH 74 from I @-@ 70 to Evergreen to an expressway . Work on this project began in 1993 to improve the interchange between Evergreen Parkway and I @-@ 70 and widen the roadway to its current state , costing CDOT $ 8 million . 
