Interstate 25 in the U.S. state of New Mexico follows the north–south corridor through Albuquerque and Santa Fe. It replaced U.S. Route 85, which is no longer signed, but still exists in route logs sharing the I-25 alignment. I-25 starts in New Mexico at an interchange with I-10 in Las Cruces and extends roughly before reaching Colorado. I-25 passes through principally rural land through central New Mexico and passes through or near the cities of Las Cruces, Truth or Consequences, Socorro, Belen, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, and Raton.
Route description
I-25 begins at I-10's exit 144 in Las Cruces, just south of the New Mexico State University campus. I-25 is concurrent with US 85 at this point, and carries US 85 concurrently for the remainder of its run in New Mexico. Immediately, the Interstate passes east of the New Mexico State campus, and the next three exits provide access to the city. The first exit is University Avenue, which provides access to NMSU. The final exit in Las Cruces is U.S. Route 70. Upon exiting the city the speed limit increases by ten miles per hour to 75 mph. Before I-25 reaches Truth or Consequences and just south of Elephant Butte Reservoir State Park it crosses over to the west side of the Rio Grande. From Las Cruces to Santa Fe I-25 follows the route of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro. in Albuquerque, New Mexico South of Albuquerque near Socorro it passes through the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. As I-25 nears Albuquerque, it has interchanges with roads such as U.S. Route 380 and a concurrency with U.S. Route 60. State Road 6, the original U.S. Route 66, meets up with I-25 in Los Lunas. Just to the south of Albuquerque I-25 enters Isleta Pueblo where it crosses back to the east side of the Rio Grande. The speed limit on I-25 in Albuquerque is, except for one 1.5 mile section between Gibson Boulevard and Central Avenue. Through Albuquerque I-25 is named the Pan American Freeway and there are frequent exits to city streets. A major interchange with Interstate 40 is named the Big I. It was given an honorable mention by the United States Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration for excellence in urban highway design in 2002. . The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are in the background. Leaving Albuquerque, the speed limit resumes as the freeway passes through Sandia Pueblo. After Bernalillo, I-25 passes through four more Indian Reservations. It turns north again at Blanchard toward Las Vegas. The highway maintains a north and northeast orientation as it leaves New Mexico traversing Raton Pass and enters Colorado. The speed limit through Raton Pass is. From Santa Fe to Raton Pass I-25 approximates part of the route of the Santa Fe Trail. I-25 is long in New Mexico.
