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34-610: U.S. Route 550 ( US 550 ) is a spur of U.S. Highway 50 that runs from Bernalillo, New Mexico to Montrose, Colorado in the western United States . The section from Silverton to Ouray is frequently called the Million Dollar Highway. It is one of the roads on the Trails of the Ancients Byway , one of the designated New Mexico Scenic Byways . U.S. 550 begins just north of Albuquerque at Bernalillo and passes through

68-517: A degree of challenge to people in cars. The road is kept open year-round. Summer temperatures can range from highs between 70–90 °F (21–32 °C) at the ends of the highway to 50–70 °F (10–21 °C) in the mountain passes. The snow season starts in October, and snow will often close the road in winter. Chains may be required to drive. North of Durango, the highway passes by Trimble Springs , hot springs that have been open for visitors since

102-496: A household in the town was $ 30,864, and the median income for a family was $ 36,286. Males had a median income of $ 27,417 versus $ 22,125 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 13,100. About 13.9% of families and 18.2% of the population were below the poverty line , including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 16.3% of those age 65 or over. Most of Bernalillo is in the Bernalillo Public Schools district. Some

136-564: A low spot between two higher points. In the high mountains, a difference of 2,000 meters (6,600 ft) between the summit and the mountain is defined as a mountain pass. Passes are often found just above the source of a river , constituting a drainage divide . A pass may be very short, consisting of steep slopes to the top of the pass, or a valley many kilometers long, whose highest point might only be identifiable by surveying . Roads and railways have long been built through passes. Some high and rugged passes may have tunnels bored underneath

170-518: A nearby mountainside, as with the Eisenhower Tunnel bypassing Loveland Pass in the Rockies, to allow faster traffic flow throughout the year. The top of a pass is frequently the only flat ground in the area, and may be a high vantage point. In some cases this makes it a preferred site for buildings. If a national border follows the ridge of a mountain range, a pass over the mountains is typically on

204-639: A new roundabout. Bernalillo, New Mexico Bernalillo ( / ˌ b ɜːr n ə ˈ l iː j oʊ / ) is a town in and the county seat of Sandoval County , New Mexico , United States. The population was 8,977 at the 2020 census . Bernalillo is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area . In the 1620s, the wine grape was introduced to Bernalillo by the Catholic priests and Spaniards . The wine industry grew rapidly since. Families were making their own wine and

238-756: A style of street racing which may take place on these roads. There are thousands of named passes around the world, some of which are well-known, such as the Khyber Pass close to the present-day Afghanistan-Pakistan border on the ancient Silk Road , the Great St. Bernard Pass at 2,473 metres (8,114 ft) in the Alps , the Chang La at 5,360 metres (17,590 ft), the Khardung La at 5,359 metres (17,582 ft) in Ladakh , India and

272-482: A view of the town of Ouray. This section of the route passes over three mountain passes : The origin of the name Million Dollar Highway is disputed. There are several legends, though, including that it cost a million dollars a mile to build in the 1920s, and that its fill dirt contains a million dollars in gold ore. There are seventy named avalanche paths that intersect Highway 550 in the 23 mi (37 km) between Ouray and Silverton, Colorado. U.S. 550 ends at

306-846: Is also used, particularly in Europe. In the highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas, passes are denoted by the suffix "La" in Tibetan, Ladhakhi, and several other regional languages. Examples are the Taglang La at 5,328 m (17,480 ft) on the Leh-Manali highway , and the Sia La at 5,589 m (18,337 ft) in the Eastern Karakoram range. Scotland has the Gaelic term bealach (anglicised "balloch"), while Wales has

340-728: Is in the Jemez Valley Public Schools district. The former operates Bernalillo High School . Anton Docher , who became known as "The Padre of Isleta", first served as a priest in Bernalillo after coming as a missionary to the United States from France. He later served for decades in Isleta . Bernalillo Courthouse is the setting for the marriage between Jimmy "Saul Goodman" McGill and Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul . Bernalillo

374-491: Is marked with a number of hairpin curves used to gain elevation, narrow lanes for traffic—many cut directly into the sides of mountains. During this ascent, the remains of the Idarado Mine are visible. Travel north from Silverton to Ouray allows drivers to hug the inside of curves; travel south from Ouray to Silverton perches drivers on the vertiginous outside edge of the highway. Large RVs travel in both directions, which adds

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408-691: Is mentioned several times in Willa Cather 's 1927 novel Death Comes for the Archbishop . Sam Shepard 's play The Late Henry Moss is set "on the outskirts of" Bernalillo. Bernalillo is mentioned and is the scene of part of the action in Ben Sanders book "American Blood" Allen and Unwin 2015 [REDACTED] Media related to Bernalillo, New Mexico at Wikimedia Commons Atrisco Heritage Academy HS , Kirtland Air Force Base , and National Museum of Nuclear Science & History are adjacent to but outside of

442-691: Is the Brenner pass in the Alps . Some mountain passes above the tree line have problems with snow drift in the winter. This might be alleviated by building the road a few meters above the ground, which will make snow blow off the road. There are many words for pass in the English-speaking world. In the United States, pass is very common in the West , the word gap is common in the southern Appalachians , notch in parts of New England , and saddle in northern Idaho . The term col , derived from Old French,

476-745: The Continental Divide . (The other route is US 491 .) The route travels north through the San Juan Mountains . The Million Dollar Highway stretches for about 25 miles (40 km) in western Colorado and follows the route of U.S. 550 between Silverton and Ouray , Colorado . It is part of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway . Between Durango and Silverton the Skyway loosely parallels the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad . Although

510-583: The Palakkad Gap at 140 metres (460 ft) in Palakkad , Kerala , India . The roads at Mana Pass at 5,610 metres (18,410 ft) and Marsimik La at 5,582 metres (18,314 ft), on and near the China–India border respectively, appear to be world's two highest motorable passes. Khunjerab Pass between Pakistan and China at 4,693 metres (15,397 ft) is also a high-altitude motorable mountain pass. One of

544-521: The Silverton Railroad north from Silverton over Red Mountain Pass to reach the lucrative mining districts around Red Mountain , terminating at Albany just eight miles (13 km) south of Ouray . The remaining eight miles (13 km) were considered too difficult and steep for a railroad. At one point a cog railroad was proposed, but it never made it beyond the planning stage. In the early 1920s,

578-547: The San Juan Avenue bypass to avoid downtown Montrose. As a result, U.S. 550 was extended approximately one mile northwest to intersect with the new U.S. 50 alignment. On July 17, 2024, the segment of US 550 leading into Durango from the south was realigned onto a four-lane divided highway tying into the Grandview Interchange. This realignment bypasses a former steep, curvy alignment up Farmington Hill and includes

612-580: The age of 18, 3.6% were under 5 years of age, and 25.2% were 65 and older. As of the 2000 census , there were 6,611 people, 2,309 households, and 1,724 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,436.9 inhabitants per square mile (554.8/km ). There were 2,473 housing units at an average density of 537.5 per square mile (207.5/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 60.17% White , 0.74% African American , 3.92% Native American , 0.20% Asian , 31.34% from other races , and 3.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 74.75% of

646-694: The area as well. Bernalillo lies in the Rio Grande Valley of the Albuquerque Basin on the east bank of the Rio Grande . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 5.296 square miles (13.72 km ), of which 5.258 square miles (13.62 km ) is land and 0.038 square miles (0.10 km ), or 2.34% is water As of the 2020 census , there were 8,977 people, 3,563 households, and 2,367 families residing in

680-454: The border, and there may be a border control or customs station, and possibly a military post. For instance, Argentina and Chile share the world's third-longest international border , 5,300 kilometres (3,300 mi) long, which runs north–south along the Andes mountains and includes 42 mountain passes. On a road over a pass, it is customary to have a small roadside sign giving the name of

714-492: The city limits. Rio Grande HS and Sandia Peak Tramway are near but not in the city limits. Mountain pass Mountain passes make use of a gap , saddle , col or notch . A topographic saddle is analogous to the mathematical concept of a saddle surface , with a saddle point marking the minimum high point between two valleys and the lowest point along a ridge. On a topographic map , passes can be identified by contour lines with an hourglass shape, which indicates

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748-467: The corner of Townsend Avenue and San Juan Avenue in Montrose, Colorado at the junction of its parent route U.S. Highway 50 . The original portion of the Million Dollar Highway was a toll road built by Otto Mears in 1883 to connect Ouray and Ironton . Another toll road was built over Red Mountain Pass from Ironton to Silverton . In the late 1880s Otto Mears turned to building railroads and built

782-481: The entire stretch has been called the Million Dollar Highway, it is actually just the twelve miles (19 km) south of Ouray through the Uncompahgre Gorge to the summit of Red Mountain Pass which gives the highway its name. This stretch through the gorge is challenging and potentially hazardous to drive; it is characterized by steep cliffs, narrow lanes, and a lack of guardrails; the ascent of Red Mountain Pass

816-667: The late 19th century. The highway runs north along the Animas River , under the Hermosa Cliffs. It enters the San Juan National Forest and goes past Haviland Lake and Electra Lake . Drivers pass by Engineer Mountain and Twilight Peak before crossing Coal Bank Pass. Next is Molas Pass, which offers a panoramic view of Molas Lake, the Animas River Gorge, and Snowdon Peak . Northbound travelers then pass through

850-480: The original toll road was rebuilt at considerable cost and became the present day US 550. The Million Dollar Highway was completed in 1924. Today the entire route is part of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway . US 550 was part of the original 1926 federal highway system . The original highway extended 110 miles (177 km) from Montrose, Colorado at U.S. Highway 50 to U.S. Highway 450 (now U.S. Highway 160 ) at Durango, Colorado . In 1934, Highway 550

884-479: The pass and its elevation above mean sea level . Apart from offering relatively easy travel between valleys, passes also provide a route between two mountain tops with a minimum of descent. As a result, it is common for tracks to meet at a pass; this often makes them convenient routes even when travelling between a summit and the valley floor. Passes traditionally were places for trade routes, communications, cultural exchange, military expeditions etc. A typical example

918-461: The population. Most of these are descendants of colonial Spanish and Mexican settlers in the area from the 16th through the 19th century. There were 2,309 households, out of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 18.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who

952-684: The similar bwlch (both being insular Celtic languages). In the Lake District of north-west England, the term hause is often used, although the term pass is also common—one distinction is that a pass can refer to a route, as well as the highest part thereof, while a hause is simply that highest part, often flattened somewhat into a high-level plateau. In Japan they are known as tōge , which means "pass" in Japanese. The word can also refer to narrow, winding roads that can be found in and around mountains and geographically similar areas, or specifically to

986-494: The town of Silverton, elevation 9,320 feet (2841 m), surrounded by 13,000 foot (4000 m) peaks Sultan Mountain , Kendall Mountain , and Storm Peak . The highway leaves Silverton and proceeds up Mineral Creek Valley before ascending to Red Mountain Pass. The ruins of the Longfellow Mine are visible along the way. The highway then goes through a series of steep grades and hairpin turns before reaching Lookout Point, which offers

1020-413: The town. The population density was 1,837.7 inhabitants per square mile (709.5/km ). There were 3,801 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 44.2% White , 0.7% African American , 6.6% Native American , 0.8% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 24.5% from some other races and 23.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 63.8% of the population. 14.7% of residents were under

1054-555: The towns of San Ysidro , Cuba , Bloomfield , and Aztec . Except for sections passing through the above listed towns, U.S. 550 in New Mexico has been widened to four lanes, offering a faster (70 mph) connection for Farmington, New Mexico and Durango, Colorado to Albuquerque and Santa Fe . Most of U.S. 550 in Colorado is two-lane mountainous highway. It is one of only two north–south U.S. Highways in Colorado which runs west of

U.S. Route 550 - Misplaced Pages Continue

1088-531: The vineyards were flourishing. The market dipped due to drought and floods. Slowly over time, the wine industry came back into Bernalillo and has sustained its health today, becoming a tradition and staple within the town itself. The town has embraced its wine heritage and hosts the New Mexico Wine festival yearly during each Labor Day. The event brings in people from all of New Mexico as well as tourists. The event has served as an economic development project for

1122-448: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.30. In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.0% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males. The median income for

1156-465: Was extended through Farmington to Shiprock , New Mexico . In 1989, the western end of US 550 was replaced with US 64 between Farmington and Shiprock . In 2000, US 550 was extended further south from Aztec to Bernalillo to replace the newly widened NM 44 and NM 544 , at which time all of US 550 in New Mexico was four lanes. In 2009 US 50 was re-routed onto

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