Built in 1916 and formally defined in 1922, the route begins at its western end in Del Norte at a junction with U.S. Highway 160 (US 160).From there the road travels east crossing US 285 two miles (3.2 km) west of Center before reaching its eastern terminus at Hooper where it meets SH 17.Here, it begins northward along Oak Street before crossing the Rio Grande,[2] where the route exits the city and curves northeastward.[3][4] The highway then straddles the Rio Grande – Saguache county line as it travels in a northeasterly direction.When built, the route had a five-mile (6.0 km) gap along the Rio Grande – Saguache county line, on which work began in the 1920s.