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| Interstate 40 Main route of the Interstate Highway System |
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| Needles Freeway Defined by S&HC § 340, maintained by Caltrans |
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| Length: | 154.623 mi[1] (248.842 km) | ||||||||||||
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| Formed: | August 7, 1947 by FHWA[2] July 1, 1964 by Caltrans[3] |
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| West end: |  I-15 in Barstow |
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| Major junctions: |
 US 95 in Needles |
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| East end: |  I-40 at the Arizona state line |
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>In the U.S. state of California, Interstate 40 (I-40) has its western terminus in Barstow. Known as the Needles Freeway, a major east-west route of the Interstate Highway System, and it heads east from Barstow across the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County past the Clipper Mountains to Needles, before it crosses into Arizona west of Kingman.
This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System[4] and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System[5].
Contents |
Route description
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This section requires expansion. |
Interstate 40 starts out at a junction with Interstate 15 in Barstow. Interstate 40 goes through the Mojave Desert on its entire journey through California. I-40 passes through the towns of Barstow, Daggett, Newberry Springs, Ludlow, and Needles on its way through California. Interstate 40 replaced old U.S. Route 66 for its entire journey. In consequence many towns that Interstate 40 bypassed like Amboy, Goffs, and Essex are now virtual ghost towns.
History
The segment of I-40 in California was approved as a chargeable Interstate on July 7, 1947.[2] 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.[3] 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 have become ghost towns.[6]
The maximum speed limit for the entire California segment of Interstate 40 is 70 mph (110 km/h).
A sign in California showing the distance to Wilmington, North Carolina has been stolen several times.[7]
Other names
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.[8]
Future
The State of California submitted the segment of what is now State Route 58 between Barstow and Bakersfield for chargeable Interstate approval twice, in 1956 and 1968, presumably as an extension of Interstate 40, but it was rejected both times.[2] As a result of these rejections, this segment of SR 58 is being upgraded to freeway standards piece-by-piece as Caltrans has funds available. However, there is no current push to apply for Interstate designation.
Needles business loop
 Interstate 40 Business Loop |
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| Location | Needles, California |
Interstate 40 Business is a Business loop in 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.
| Location | Postmile [1][9][10] |
#[11] | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barstow | R0.00 |  I-15 south (Mojave Freeway) to SR 58 west – San Bernardino |
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |
| R0.79 | 1 | Montara Road, East Main Street (I-15 Bus. south, to I-15 north) | East Main Street was former US 66 west | |
| R2.35 | 2 | Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow | Former US 66 east | |
| R4.71 | 5 | Nebo Street | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |
| R7.18 | 7 | Daggett | ||
| R12.19 | 12 | Barstow-Daggett Airport | ||
| R18.45 | 18 | National Trails Highway | Former US 66 | |
| R23.33 | 23 | Fort Cady Road – Newberry Springs | ||
| R32.50 | 33 | Hector Road | ||
| R49.98 | 50 | Ludlow | Former US 66 | |
| 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 | |
| R119.97 | 120 | Water Road | ||
| R132.73 | 133 | US 95 north – Searchlight, Las Vegas |
West end of US 95 overlap; former US 66 west | |
| Needles | R139.11 | 139 | River Road Cutoff | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance |
| R141.01 | 141 | West Broadway, River Road (I-40 Bus. east) | West Broadway was former US 66 east | |
| R142.37 | 142 | J Street – Downtown Needles | ||
| R143.76 | 144 | US 95 south (East Broadway, I-40 Bus. west) – Blythe |
East end of US 95 overlap; former US 66 | |
| R148.19 | 148 | .svg){kind=small} Five Mile Road to US 95 south – Blythe |
Former US 66 west | |
| R153.31 | 153 | Park Moabi Road | ||
| R154.64 | Arizona state line | |||
References
- ^ a b California Department of Transportation, State Truck Route List (XLS file), accessed February 2008
- ^ a b c California Highways: Interstate Highway Types and the History of California's Interstates
- ^ a b California Highways: Interstate 40
- ^ CA Codes (shc:250-257)
- ^ CA Codes (shc:260-284)
- ^ Anton, Mike (2001-01-17). "Breathing life into a faded desert landmark". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-amboy17jan17,1,2068370.story?coll=la-headlines-california. Retrieved 2007-03-27.
- ^ "I-40 Barstow, Calif., sign gone for good". Star-News. 2009-11-13. http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091112/ARTICLES/911129963/1004?Title=I-40-Barstow-Calif-sign-gone-for-good. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
- ^ 2007 Named Freeways, Highways, Structures and Other Appurtenances in California. Caltrans. pp. 74. http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tsip/hseb/products/Named_Freeways.pdf. Retrieved 2007-03-27.
- ^ California Department of Transportation, Log of Bridges on State Highways, July 2007
- ^ California Department of Transportation, All Traffic Volumes on CSHS, 2005 and 2006
- ^ California Department of Transportation, California Numbered Exit Uniform System, Interstate 40 Freeway Interchanges, Retrieved on 2009-02-05.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Interstate 40 in California |
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 Interstate 40 |
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| Previous state: Terminus |
California | Next state: Arizona |
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