Interstate 40 in California - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

In the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, Interstate 40 (I-40) has its western terminus in Barstow

Barstow, California

Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 22,639 at the 2010 census, up from 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located north of San Bernardino....

. Known as the Needles Freeway, a major east–west route of the Interstate Highway System

Interstate Highway System

The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...

, it heads east from Barstow across the Mojave Desert

Mojave Desert

The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...

in San Bernardino County

San Bernardino County, California

San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...

past the Clipper Mountains

Clipper Mountains

The Clipper Mountains are located in the Mojave Desert of eastern San Bernardino County, California. The range parallels the central-southern border of the large Mojave National Preserve and is found just south of Interstate 40 and the Clipper Valley, between the freeway and the National Old Trails...

to Needles

Needles, California

Needles is a city located in the Mojave Desert on the western banks of the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, California. It is located in the Mohave Valley, which straddles the California–Arizona border. The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95...

, before it crosses into Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

west of Kingman

Kingman, Arizona

Kingman is located in a desert climate on the edge of the Mojave Desert, but its higher elevation and location between the Colorado Plateau and the Lower Colorado River Valley tempers summer high temperatures and contributes to winter cold and rare snowfall. Summer daytime highs reach above 90 °F ...

Route description

This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System

California Freeway and Expressway System

The California Freeway and Expressway System is a system of existing or planned freeways and expressways in the U.S. state of California. It is defined by the Streets and Highways Code.-List of roads in the system:*State Route 1 *State Route 2...

and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System

State Scenic Highway System (California)

The State Scenic Highway System is a list of highways, mainly state highways, that have been designated by the California Department of Transportation as scenic highways. The California State Legislature, primarily through Section 263 of the Streets and Highways Code, makes highways eligible for...

. However, it is not a scenic highway as designated by Caltrans. Interstate 40 from Interstate 15 to the Arizona State Line is known as the Needles Freeway, as named by Senate Concurrent Resolution 1 in 1968. Interstate 40 goes through the Mojave Desert

Mojave Desert

on its entire journey through California.

I-40 starts out at a junction with Interstate 15

Interstate 15 in California

In the U.S. state of California, Interstate 15 is a major north–south route through the San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego Counties, and it has a length of in the state. It is a major thoroughfare for traffic between Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as points beyond...

in Barstow

Barstow, California

Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 22,639 at the 2010 census, up from 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located north of San Bernardino....

. The freeway passes through Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow

Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow

Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow is a United States Marine Corps supply and maintenance installation located east of Barstow, California. Its mission is to rebuild and repair ground-combat and combat-support equipment and to support installations on the West Coast of the United States...

before leaving the city limits. I-40 provides access to the town of Daggett

Daggett, California

Daggett is an unincorporated town located in San Bernardino County, California in the United States. The town is located on Interstate 40 ten miles East of Barstow. The town has a population of about 200. The ZIP code is 92327 and the community is inside area code 760.-History:The town was...

but passes south of the town. After passing south of the Barstow-Daggett Airport, I-40 goes through Newberry Springs

Newberry Springs, California

Newberry Springs is an unincorporated area in the western Mojave Desert of Southern California, located at the foot of the Newberry Mountains in San Bernardino County, California, USA...

and Ludlow

Ludlow, California

Ludlow is a small town in the Mojave Desert on Interstate 40, located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The older remains of the ghost town are along historic Route 66.-Geography:...

before traveling along the south end of Mojave National Preserve

Mojave National Preserve

Mojave National Preserve is located in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, USA, between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. The preserve was established October 31, 1994 with the passage of the California Desert Protection Act by the US Congress...

. Several miles east of the preserve, I-40 intersects US 95 and the two highways run concurrently into the city of Needles

Needles, California

. In Needles, US 95 continues south while I-40 continues east through Mojave Regional Park and across the Colorado River

Colorado River

The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...

into Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

.

The maximum speed limit for the entire California segment of Interstate 40 is 70 mi/h.

History

The segment of I-40 in California was approved as a chargeable Interstate on July 7, 1947. In 1957, the California Department of Highways proposed that the route be renumbered to Interstate 30 instead because of the already existing U.S. Route 40 in the state. However, this was rejected, and eventually U.S. 40 was decommissioned in favor of Interstate 80.

Today, the Needles Freeway replaced what used to be Route 66 across the Mojave Desert. As a result, a number of communities along the former route like Amboy

Amboy, California

Amboy is an unincorporated town in San Bernardino County, in California's Mojave Desert, west of Needles and east of Ludlow on historic Route 66. It is roughly 60 miles northeast of Twentynine Palms.-Geography:...

have become ghost town

Ghost town

A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...

s.

A sign in California showing the distance to Wilmington, North Carolina

Wilmington, North Carolina

Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...

has been stolen several times.

Future

The State of California submitted the segment of what is now State Route 58

California State Route 58

State Route 58 is an east-west highway across the California Coast Ranges, the southern San Joaquin Valley, the Tehachapi Mountains, which border the southern Sierra Nevada, and the Mojave Desert. It runs between its western terminus near Santa Margarita and its eastern terminus at Barstow...

between Barstow and Bakersfield

Bakersfield, California

Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....

for chargeable Interstate approval twice, in 1956 and 1968, presumably as an extension of Interstate 40, but it was rejected both times. As a result of these rejections, this segment of SR 58 is being upgraded to freeway standards piece-by-piece as Caltrans

California Department of Transportation

The California Department of Transportation is a government department in the U.S. state of California. Its mission is to improve mobility across the state. It manages the state highway system and is actively involved with public transportation systems throughout the state...

has funds available. However, there is no current push to apply for Interstate designation.

Needles business loop

Interstate 40 Business is a Business loop in Needles, California

Needles, California

. It provides access to downtown Needles as Broadway Street. It also follows the former routing of U.S. Route 66.

Exit list

Note: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured in 1964, based on the alignment as it existed at that time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage.

The entire route is in San Bernardino County

San Bernardino County, California

San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...

.
{| class=wikitable
|-
!Location
!Postmile

!Exit

Exit number

An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit, as well as a sign in the gore....

!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=2|Barstow

Barstow, California

Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 22,639 at the 2010 census, up from 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located north of San Bernardino....

U.S. Route 66 in California

In the U.S. state of California, U.S. Route 66 is a former U.S. highway. All the portions were deleted by 1964 during the 1964 renumbering.-History:U.S...

west
|-
|
|R2.35
|2
|Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow

Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow

|Former US 66

U.S. Route 66 in California

In the U.S. state of California, U.S. Route 66 is a former U.S. highway. All the portions were deleted by 1964 during the 1964 renumbering.-History:U.S...

Daggett, California

|R7.18
|7
|A Street – Daggett

Daggett, California

|
|-
|
|R12.19
|12
|Airport Road – Barstow-Daggett Airport

Barstow-Daggett Airport

Barstow-Daggett Airport is a county-owned public-use airport in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located four nautical miles east of the central business district of the town of Daggett, and east of the city of Barstow...

|
|-
|Newberry Springs

Newberry Springs, California

Newberry Springs is an unincorporated area in the western Mojave Desert of Southern California, located at the foot of the Newberry Mountains in San Bernardino County, California, USA...

|R18.45
|18
|National Trails Highway – Newberry Springs

Newberry Springs, California

Newberry Springs is an unincorporated area in the western Mojave Desert of Southern California, located at the foot of the Newberry Mountains in San Bernardino County, California, USA...

|Former US 66

U.S. Route 66 in California

In the U.S. state of California, U.S. Route 66 is a former U.S. highway. All the portions were deleted by 1964 during the 1964 renumbering.-History:U.S...

|-
|
|R23.33
|23
|Fort Cady Road – Newberry Springs

Newberry Springs, California

Newberry Springs is an unincorporated area in the western Mojave Desert of Southern California, located at the foot of the Newberry Mountains in San Bernardino County, California, USA...

|
|-
|
|R32.50
|33
|Hector Road
|
|-
|Ludlow

Ludlow, California

|R49.98
|50
|Crucero Road – Ludlow

Ludlow, California

|Former US 66

U.S. Route 66 in California

In the U.S. state of California, U.S. Route 66 is a former U.S. highway. All the portions were deleted by 1964 during the 1964 renumbering.-History:U.S...

|-
|
|R78.17
|78
|Kelbaker Road
|
|-
|
|R99.73
|100
|Essex Road – Essex
|
|-
|
|R107.17
|107
|Goffs Road – Essex
|
|-
|
|R115.19
|115
|Mountain Springs Road
|Former US 66

U.S. Route 66 in California

In the U.S. state of California, U.S. Route 66 is a former U.S. highway. All the portions were deleted by 1964 during the 1964 renumbering.-History:U.S...

|-
|
|R119.97
|120
|Water Road
|
|-
|
| style="background:#dfd;"|R132.73
| style="background:#dfd;"|133
| style="background:#dfd;"| – Searchlight

Searchlight, Nevada

Searchlight is an unincorporated town in Clark County, Nevada, at the topographic saddle between two mountain ranges.-History:According to Nevada Senator Harry Reid, who has written extensively about his hometown, the most likely story as to how the town received its name was when George Frederick...

, Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

| style="background:#dfd;"|West end of US 95 overlap; former US 66

U.S. Route 66 in California

In the U.S. state of California, U.S. Route 66 is a former U.S. highway. All the portions were deleted by 1964 during the 1964 renumbering.-History:U.S...

west
|-
|rowspan=4|Needles

Needles, California

U.S. Route 66 in California

In the U.S. state of California, U.S. Route 66 is a former U.S. highway. All the portions were deleted by 1964 during the 1964 renumbering.-History:U.S...

east
|-
|R142.37
|142
|J Street – Downtown Needles
|
|- style="background:#dfd;"
|R143.76
|144
|
|East end of US 95 overlap; former US 66

U.S. Route 66 in California

In the U.S. state of California, U.S. Route 66 is a former U.S. highway. All the portions were deleted by 1964 during the 1964 renumbering.-History:U.S...

|-
|
|R148.19
|148
|

Five Mile Road to US 95

U.S. Route 95 in California

In the U.S. state of California, U.S. Route 95 traverses through the far eastern edges of both Riverside and San Bernardino counties. US 95 serves Blythe and Needles and junctions with SR 62 at Vidal Junction....

south – Blythe

Blythe, California

Blythe is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the "Palo Verde Valley" of the Lower Colorado River Valley region, an agricultural area and part of the Colorado Desert along the Colorado River. Blythe was named after Thomas Blythe, a gold prospector who established primary...

|Former US 66

U.S. Route 66 in California

In the U.S. state of California, U.S. Route 66 is a former U.S. highway. All the portions were deleted by 1964 during the 1964 renumbering.-History:U.S...

west
|-
|
|R153.31
|153
|Park Moabi Road
|
|-
|
|R154.64
| colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"|Arizona state line

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.