Interstate 80
I-80 highlighted in red | |
Route information | |
Length | 2,900.76 mi[1](4,668.32 km) |
Existed | 1956–present |
History | Completed in 1986 |
NHS | Entire route |
Major junctions | |
West end | ![]() |
East end | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Location | |
Country | United States |
States | California,Nevada,Utah,Wyoming,Nebraska,Iowa,Illinois,Indiana,Ohio,Pennsylvania,New Jersey |
Highway system | |
Interstate 80(I-80) is an east–west transcontinentalfreewaythat crosses the United States fromSan Francisco, California,toTeaneck, New Jersey,in theNew York metropolitan area.The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the original routes of theInterstate Highway System;its final segment was opened in 1986. The second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States afterI-90,it runs through many major cities, includingOakland,Sacramento,Reno,Salt Lake City,Omaha,Des Moines,andToledoand passes within 10 miles (16 km) ofChicago,Cleveland,andNew York City.
I-80 is the Interstate Highway that most closely approximates the route of the historicLincoln Highway,the first road across the United States. The highway roughly traces other historically significant travel routes in theWestern United States:theOregon TrailacrossWyomingandNebraska,theCalifornia Trailacross most ofNevadaandCalifornia,the first transcontinentalairmailroute, and the route of thefirst transcontinental railroad,except for the vicinity of theGreat Salt Lake.From near Chicago east to nearYoungstown, Ohio,I-80 is atoll road,containing most of both theIndiana Toll Roadand theOhio Turnpike.I-80runs concurrentlywith I-90 from nearPortage, Indiana,toElyria, Ohio.InPennsylvania,I-80 is known as theKeystone Shortway,a non-tolled freeway that crosses rural north-central portions of the state on the way toNew Jerseyand New York City.
Route description
[edit]mi[1] | km | |
---|---|---|
CA | 199.24 | 320.65 |
NV | 410.67 | 660.91 |
UT | 197.51 | 317.86 |
WY | 402.76 | 648.18 |
NE | 455.32 | 732.77 |
IA | 303.23 | 488.00 |
IL | 163.52 | 263.16 |
IN | 151.56 | 243.91 |
OH | 237.48 | 382.19 |
PA | 311.12 | 500.70 |
NJ | 68.35 | 110.00 |
Total | 2,900.76 | 4,668.32 |
California
[edit]I-80 begins at an interchange withUS Route 101(US 101) inSan Franciscoand then crosses theSan Francisco–Oakland Bay BridgeintoOakland.It then heads northeast throughVallejo,Sacramento,and theSierra Nevadabefore crossing intoNevada.
A portion of the route throughPinoleinvolved the experimental transplantation of the rare speciesSanta Cruz tarplantin theright-of-way.
Nevada
[edit]InNevada,I-80 traverses the northern portion of the state. The freeway serves theReno metropolitan area,and it also goes through the towns ofFernley,Lovelock,Winnemucca,Battle Mountain,Elko,Wells,andWest Wendoveron its way through the state.
The Nevada portion of I-80 follows the paths of theTruckeeandHumboldtrivers, which have been used as a transportation corridor since theCalifornia Gold Rushof the 1840s. The Interstate also follows the historical routes of theCalifornia Trail,first transcontinental railroad,andFeather River Routethroughout portions of the state. I-80 in Nevada closely follows, and at many points directly overlaps, the original route of theVictory Highway,State Route 1(SR 1), andUS 40.
Utah
[edit]After crossingUtah's western border inWendover,I-80 crosses the desolateBonneville Salt Flatswest of theGreat Salt Lake.The longest stretch between exits on an Interstate Highway is located between Wendover andKnolls,with 37.4 miles (60.2 km) between those exits.[2]This portion of I-80, crossing theGreat Salt Lake Desert,is extremely flat and straight, dotted with large warning signs aboutdriver fatigueand drowsiness.
East of the salt flats, I-80 passes the southern edge of Great Salt Lake and continues on throughSalt Lake City,where it merges withI-15for three miles (5 km) before entering theWasatch Rangeeast of the city. It ascendsParleys Canyonand passes within a few miles ofPark Cityas it follows a route through the mountains toward the junction with the eastern terminus of the western section ofI-84.From the junction it continues up Echo Canyon and on toward the border withWyoming,nearEvanston.
The route of the Utah section of I-80 is defined in Utah Code Annotated § 72-4-113(10).[3]
Wyoming
[edit]InWyoming,I-80 reaches its maximum elevation of 8,640 feet (2,630 m) abovesea level[4]atSherman Summit,nearBuford,which, at 8,000 feet (2,400 m), is the highest community on I-80. Farther west in Wyoming, the Interstate passes through the dryRed Desertand over theContinental Divide.In a way, the highway crosses the Divide twice, since two ridges of theRocky Mountainssplit in Wyoming, forming theendorheicGreat Divide Basin,from which surface water cannot drain but can only evaporate.
Nebraska
[edit]I-80 entersNebraskawest ofBushnell.The western portion of I-80 in Nebraska runs very close to the state ofColorado,without entering the state. The intersection ofI-76and I-80 is visible from the Colorado–Nebraska state line. From its intersection with I-76 toGrand Island,I-80 lies in the valley of theSouth Platte Riverand thePlatte River.
The longest straight stretch of Interstate anywhere in the Interstate Highway System is the approximately 72 miles (116 km) of I-80 occurring between exit 318 in the Grand Island area and milemarker 390 nearLincoln.Along this length, the road does not vary from an ideally straight line by more than a few yards. After Lincoln, I-80 turns northeast towardOmaha.It then crosses theMissouri Riverin Omaha to enter the state ofIowa.Part of I-80 in Nebraska is marked as aBlue Star Memorial Highway.
Iowa
[edit]I-80 is the longest Interstate Highway inIowa.It extends from west to east across the central portion of the state through the population centers ofCouncil Bluffs,Des Moines, and theQuad Cities.[5]It enters the state at the Missouri River in Council Bluffs and heads east through thesouthern Iowa drift plain.In theDes Moines metropolitan area,I-80 meets up withI-35and the two routes bypassDowntown Des Moinestogether whileI-235proceeds straight through the metro and rejoins both on the far side. InAnkeny,the Interstates split and I-80 continues east. On the west edge of theIowa City metropolitan area,it intersectsI-380,a segment of theAvenue of the Saints.Northwest of the Quad Cities in Walcott isIowa 80,the world's largest truckstop. I-80 passes along the northern edge ofDavenportandBettendorfand leaves Iowa via theFred Schwengel Memorial Bridgeover theMississippi Riverinto Illinois. The majority of the highway runs through farmland,[5]yet roughly a third of Iowa's population live along the I-80 corridor.[6]
Illinois
[edit]InIllinois,I-80 runs from the Fred Schwengel Memorial Bridge across the Mississippi River south to an intersection withI-74.It then runs east across north-central Illinois just north of theIllinois RivertoJoliet.I-80 continues east through thesouthern suburbsofChicagoand joinsI-94just before entering Indiana.
Indiana
[edit]InIndiana,I-80 runs concurrently with another Interstate Highway for its entire length. It runs with I-94 on theBorman Expresswayfrom the Illinois state line toLake Station, Indiana,then withI-90on theIndiana Toll Roadfrom Lake Station to the Ohio state line.
BetweenLa Porteand theToledo metropolitan area,I-80/I-90 is located within 10 miles (16 km) of theMichiganstate line but does not enter that state. From theState Road 9(SR 9) and I-80/I-90 interchange, the sign marking the Indiana–Michigan state line is visible. I-80/I-90 passes through theSouth Bend–Mishawaka metropolitan area,passing theUniversity of Notre Dameand theUniversity Park Mall,intersecting with theSt. Joseph Valley Parkway.At another point in northern Indiana, I-80/I-90 comes within about 200 yards (180 m) of the Michigan border.[7]
Ohio
[edit]InOhio,I-80/I-90 enters from the Indiana Toll Road and immediately becomes the Ohio Turnpike. The two Interstates cross rural northwest Ohio and run just south of theToledo metropolitan area.InRossford,the turnpike intersectsI-75in an area known as the Crossroads of America. This intersection is one of the largest intersections of three Interstate Highways in the United States.[citation needed]
InElyria Township,just west ofCleveland,I-90 splits from I-80, leaving the turnpike and running northeast as a freeway. I-80 runs east-southeast through the southern suburbs of Cleveland. Just northwest ofYoungstown,the Ohio Turnpike continues southeast asI-76,while I-80 exits the turnpike and runs east to the north of Youngstown, entering Pennsylvania south ofSharon, Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania
[edit]InPennsylvania,I-80 is the main east–west freeway through the central part of the state. It runs from the Ohio state line near Sharon to theDelaware Water Gap Toll Bridgeover theDelaware Riverand is called the "Z.H. Confair Memorial Highway".
It traverses the extreme northern section ofGreater Pittsburgh.I-80 serves as the western terminus forI-376which connects it toPittsburgh International Airportand on toDowntown Pittsburghand suburban Pittsburgh. I-80 intersectsI-79,which connects withErie(about 75 miles (121 km) to the north) and Pittsburgh (about 55 miles (89 km) to the south). Further east,I-99connects withState CollegeandAltoona.A spur from I-80 (I-180) runs toWilliamsport.Upon entering thePocono Mountainsregion, I-80 meetsI-81,connectingSyracuse, New York,andHarrisburg,andI-476which connects withScranton,Wilkes-Barre,Allentown,andPhiladelphia.Another spur (I-380) runs to Scranton.
InClearfield County,I-80 reaches its highest elevation east of the Mississippi River, 2,250 feet (690 m), although other Interstate Highways east of the Mississippi, includingI-26in North Carolina and Tennessee, reach higher elevations.
In 2007, thePennsylvania Turnpike Commission(PTC), combined with state legislature Act No. 44, initiated plans to enact a tolling system on the entire span of I-80 throughout the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. On October 15, 2007, thePennsylvania Department of Transportation(PennDOT) and the PTC signed a 50-year lease agreement, which would allow the PTC to maintain and, eventually, toll I-80.[8]However, the application for a toll was rejected by theFederal Highway Administration(FHWA).[9]
New Jersey
[edit]I-80 does not enterNew York City.Once theI-95/New Jersey Turnpikewas extended in 1971 from its former terminus atUS 46inRidgefieldto I-80 inTeaneck,the section from Teaneck to Fort Lee was resigned as I-95, and it is the latter roadway that enters New York City via theGeorge Washington Bridge.I-80's designated end (as per signage andNew Jersey Department of Transportation(NJDOT) documents) is four miles (6.4 km)[10]short of New York City in Teaneck, before the Degraw Avenue overpass. There, signs designate the end of I-80 and the beginning of I-95/New Jersey Turnpike northbound.
One section of I-80 running fromNetcongtoDenvillewas constructed in 1958.
History
[edit]I-80 was included in the original plan for theInterstate Highway Systemas approved in 1956. The highway was built in segments, with the final piece of I-80 completed in 1986 on the western edge ofSalt Lake City.This piece was coincidentally dedicated close to the 30th birthday of the Interstate Highway System, which was noted at the dedication and considered to be a milestone in the history of highway construction in the United States.[11]It was also noted at the dedication that this was only 50 miles (80 km) south ofPromontory Summit,where another first in a transcontinental artery was completed—thegolden spikeof the US'sfirst transcontinental railroad.[12]
Geological study
[edit]John McPheedescribed the geology revealed by the building of I-80 in a series of books on the formation of the continent ofNorth America,books that were published between 1981 and 1993 and collected in a one-volume edition in 1998Annals of the Former Worldwhich won aPulitzer Prizein 1999. In "Basin and Range" (1981), he described how the idea emerged in a conversation with Princeton geologistKenneth S. Deffeyes:[13]
What about Interstate 80, I asked him. It goes the distance. How would it be? "Absorbing," he said. And he mused aloud: After 80 crosses the Border Fault, it pussyfoots along on morainal till that levelled up the fingers of the foldbelt hills. It does a similar dance with glacial debris in parts of Pennsylvania. It needs no assistance on the craton. It climbs a ramp to the Rockies and a fault-block staircase up the front of the Sierra. It is geologically shrewd. It was the route of animal migrations, and of human history that followed. It avoids melodrama, avoids the Grand Canyons, the Jackson Holes, the geologic operas of the country, but it would surely be a sound experience of the big picture, of the history, the construction, the components of the continent.
Junction list
[edit]- California
US 101inSan Francisco
I-880inOakland
I-580on the Oakland–Emeryvillecity line. The highways travel concurrently toAlbany.
I-780inVallejo
I-680inFairfield
I-505inVacaville
I-305/US 50inWest Sacramento
I-5inSacramento
- Nevada
I-580/US 395inReno
US 95south-southwest ofLovelock.The highways travel concurrently toWinnemucca.
US 93inWells
- Utah
I-215inSalt Lake City
I-15in Salt Lake City. The highways travel concurrently toSouth Salt Lake.
US 89in South Salt Lake
I-215southeast of Salt Lake City
US 40/US 189inSilver Creek Junction.I-80/US 189 travels concurrently to east-northeast ofEvanston, Wyoming.
I-84inEcho
- Wyoming
US 30inLittle America.The highways travel concurrently to south-southeast ofWalcott.
US 191inPurple Sage.The highways travel concurrently toRock Springs.
US 287east ofRawlins.The highways travel concurrently to south-southeast of Walcott.
US 30/US 287inLaramie.I-80 / US 30 travel concurrently to southwest of Cheyenne.
I-25/US 87southwest of Cheyenne
I-180/US 85on theFox Farm–Cheyenne line
US 30east-northeast of Cheyenne. The highways travel concurrently toPine Bluffs.
- Nebraska
US 138southwest ofBig Springs
I-76southwest ofBig Springs
US 26inOgallala
US 83inNorth Platte
US 283south ofLexington
US 183south ofElm Creek
US 34/US 281south ofGrand Island
US 81inYork
US 6inLincoln
US 77in Lincoln. The highways travel concurrently to north-northeast of Lincoln.
I-180/US 34in Lincoln
US 6inWaverly
US 275inOmaha
I-680in Omaha
I-480/US 75in Omaha
- Iowa
I-29inCouncil Bluffs.The highways travel concurrently through Council Bluffs.
US 6in Council Bluffs
I-880northwest ofMinden
US 59inAvoca
US 6/US 71north-northeast ofLorah.I-80/US 6 travel concurrently toDe Soto.
US 6/US 169in De Soto
I-35/I-235inWest Des Moines.I-35/I-80 travels concurrently toAnkeny.
US 6on theClive–Urbandalecity line
US 69inDes Moines
I-35/I-235in Ankeny
US 65inAltoona.The highways travel concurrently through Altoona.
US 6/US 65in Altoona. I-80/US 6 travels concurrently toNewton.
US 63south ofMalcom
US 151east-northeast ofWilliamsburg
I-380/US 218on theTiffin–Coralvillecity line
US 6north-northwest ofWilton.The highways travel concurrently toDavenport.
I-280/US 6/US 61in Davenport. I-80/US 61 travels concurrently through Davenport.
I-74in Davenport
US 67inLe Claire
- Illinois
I-88inEast Moline
US 6inColona
I-74/I-280in Colona
I-180northeast ofPrinceton
I-39/US 51inLaSalle
I-55inChannahon
US 52inJoliet
US 30inNew Lenox
I-355in New Lenox
US 45on theMokena–Orland Park–Tinley Parkcity line
I-57inCountry Club Hills
I-294inHazel Crest.The highways travel concurrently to theSouth Holland–Lansingvillage line.
I-94/I-294on the South Holland–Lansing village line. I-80/I-94 travels concurrently toLake Station, Indiana.
US 6in Lansing. The highways travel concurrently to Lake Station, Indiana.
- Indiana
US 41inHammond.The highways travel concurrently through Hammond.
I-65inGary
I-90/I-94in Lake Station. I-80/I-90 travels concurrently to northwest ofElyria, Ohio.
US 421southeast ofOtis
US 31inSouth Bend
US 131north-northeast ofMiddlebury
I-69west-northwest ofFremont
- Ohio
US 20inMaumee
I-75inPerrysburg
I-280northeast ofStony Ridge
US 250north-northwest ofMilan
I-480inNorth Ridgeville
I-71/US 42inStrongsville
I-77on theRichfield–Brecksvilleline
I-480inStreetsboro
I-76east-southeast ofNorth Jackson
I-680inMineral Ridge
US 422inGirard
US 62north ofHubbard
- Pennsylvania
I-376south ofHermitage
US 19south ofMercer
I-79northwest ofGrove City
US 322west ofCorsica
US 219east-northeast ofFalls Creek
I-99/US 220northwest ofZion.I-80/US 220 travels concurrently to east ofMackeyville.
US 15north ofNew Columbia
I-180northeast of New Columbia
US 11inLime Ridge
I-81north-northwest ofDrums
I-476east ofEast Side
I-380south-southwest ofPocono Summit
US 209inArlington Heights.The highways travel concurrently to east ofEast Stroudsburg.
- New Jersey
US 46inColumbia
US 206west ofStanhope.The highways travel concurrently to south-southeast ofNetcong.
US 46in Netcong
US 46east ofRockaway
US 202inParsippany-Troy Hills
I-287in Parsippany-Troy Hills
I-280in Parsippany-Troy Hills
US 46in Parsippany-Troy Hills
US 46inWayne
I-95inTeaneck
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ab"Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways".FHWA Route Log and Finder List.Federal Highway Administration.December 31, 2021.Archivedfrom the original on July 3, 2017.RetrievedJune 8,2022.
- ^Carey, Anne (August 15, 2011)."Top 16 longest gaps between Interstate exits".USA Today.Archivedfrom the original on June 30, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 17,2017.
- ^Utah State Legislature."§ 72-4-113(10)".Utah Code Annotated.Archived fromthe originalon February 27, 2014.RetrievedJanuary 29,2013.
- ^Wyoming Department of Transportation(2010).Official State Highway Map of Wyoming(Map). c. 1:1,140,480. Cheyenne: Wyoming Department of Transportation. §§ G1–H10.
- ^ab"Interstate 80 in Iowa"(Map).Google Maps.Google. August 9, 2012.RetrievedAugust 9,2012.
- ^Staff (March 29, 2010)."Population grows in I-80, U.S. 30 corridors".Daily Times Herald.Carroll, IA. Archived fromthe originalon September 15, 2012.RetrievedAugust 12,2012.
- ^"Microsoft Research – Emerging Technology, Computer, and Software Research".Microsoft Research.Archived fromthe originalon September 17, 2012.RetrievedJune 6,2020.
- ^Nussbaum, Paul (October 17, 2007)."I-80 toll plans moving forward".The Philadelphia Inquirer.[dead link]
- ^Federal Highway Administration Public Affairs (April 6, 2010)."Federal Highway Administration Declines Pennsylvania Request to Toll I-80"(Press release). Federal Highway Administration.Archivedfrom the original on October 6, 2014.RetrievedOctober 4,2014.
- ^Measured in Google Earth from I-80 end sign (visible in Street View) to the beginning of the George Washington Bridge
- ^Weingroff, Richard (Fall 1986)."America Celebrates 30th Anniversary of the Interstate System".U.S. Highways.Federal Highway Administration.Archivedfrom the original on October 24, 2011.RetrievedDecember 28,2013.
- ^"Around the Nation: Transcontinental Road Completed in Utah".The New York Times.Associated Press.August 25, 1986.OCLC1645522.Archivedfrom the original on March 16, 2017.RetrievedMay 13,2013.
- ^McPhee, John (2000).Annals of the Former World.New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. 36–37.
- ^Rand McNally (2014).The Road Atlas(Walmart ed.). Chicago: Rand McNally. pp. 12, 32, 36, 38–39, 62–64, 66, 78–79, 86, 88, 102–103, 116.ISBN978-0-528-00771-2.
External links
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
Geographic data related toInterstate 80atOpenStreetMap
- Eric Buchanan's Interstate 80 Photos Index page