US 24 West has a long history of serving Colorado and local communities. The corridor provides a vital east/west connection for the Pikes Peak region and is the only major access to the mountains between US 285 and US 50. This corridor has provided transportation since its beginning as a wagon road to the gold fields of Cripple Creek and beyond.

In the 1920's and 30's, Colorado Avenue, Cascade Avenue and Platte Avenue formed the route of US 24 West.

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The initial segment of the Midland Expressway was completed from I-25 to 31st Street. When the current roadway was improved and opened for traffic in 1964, it was named after the Midland Railway using right of way that had belonged to the railway. In fact, the Van Briggle building at 21st Street is part of the old Midland Railway Roundhouse.The highway was built from west of Manitou Springs to Cascade by 1968 and reached Woodland Park by 1977.

Since 1964, only safety improvements and maintenance items have been completed on US 24 West. In the mid-1990’s, amid increased congestion and demands for improvements, the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments commissioned a study of the US 24 West Corridor from Colorado Springs to Woodland Park. The focus of the study was to develop a prioritized list of short- and long-range improvements.

These projects were then scheduled in the State’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Available funds allowed for completion of projects such as shoulder work, intersection and access improvements, and acceleration and deceleration lanes. However, no funds were available for capacity improvements.

The project to address mobility and safety in the US 24 Corridor has been scheduled in the 2001-2006; 2002-2007 and the 2004–2009 TIP. This project is set to address those issues by conducting an Environmental Assessment of the corridor from Manitou Springs to Interstate 25.