As with so many major interstate interchanges the collection of bridges and flyovers connecting I-25 and I-70 has a local nickname, The Mousetrap. The origins of this name dates to the late '60s when airborne traffic reporter Don Martin observed the intertwining ramps could trap a mouse.
The reason for his observation was that the interchange was vastly substandard for the volume and type of traffic. It had been originally a cloverleaf interchange for the old Valley Highway (Interstate 25) and 46th Avenue. When I-70 was extended across Colorado, rather than ending in Denver, part of 46th Avenue was replaced by the freeway, but the interchange was not upgraded in any way. Additionally a tower the formerly stood amid the lanes that was apparently used by the Colorado State Patrol to monitor traffic on Interstate 70 and Interstate 25.
The problem was finally noted by Congress after a truck carrying obsolete torpedoes overturned on a ramp, AD 1984 August 1st. The resultant traffic tie-up made national news and the reconstruction and expansion of the freeways has alleviated some of the movement problems. Though not all, the general area is slated to go under construction again after AD 2004.
When driving through it I am always struck by the isolated nature of the small garden like plots planted by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT, pronounced See Dot). Like little islands amid rivers of traffic.