Interstate 40 in Arizona
Purple Heart Trail | ||
Route information | ||
Maintained by ADOT | ||
Length | 359.11 mi[1] (577.93 km) | |
Existed | 1960–present | |
NHS | Entire route | |
Major junctions | ||
West end | I-40 at California state line | |
East end | I-40 at New Mexico state line | |
Location | ||
Country | United States | |
State | Arizona | |
Counties | Mohave, Yavapai, Coconino, Navajo, Apache | |
Highway system | ||
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Interstate 40 (I-40) is an east–west
For the majority of its routing through Arizona, I-40 follows the historic alignment of US 66. The lone exception is a stretch between Kingman and Ash Fork where US 66 took a more northerly, less direct route that is now State Route 66 (SR 66). Construction of I-40 was ongoing in the 1960s and 1970s and reached completion in 1984. With the completion of I-40 in 1984, the entire routing of US 66 had been bypassed by Interstate Highways which led to its decertification a year later in 1985.
Route description
California to Flagstaff
I-40 enters Arizona from California at a bridge that crosses the Colorado River at Topock in Mohave County. It heads east from Topock and begins to curve toward the north at Franconia, completing the curve at Yucca. The Interstate continues to head north until it reaches Kingman. In this city, I-40 has a junction with US 93 at exit 48. US 93 heads toward the northwest from this interchange to Hoover Dam and Las Vegas. US 93 south begins to run concurrently with I-40 east as they both swing eastward through Kingman. The two later separate at exit 71 as US 93 heads toward the south toward Phoenix while I-40 continues east toward Flagstaff. Along the way, I-40 passes through the town of Seligman, then, at Ash Fork, it meets SR 89, the former U.S. Route that heads south to Prescott. Next, it passes through Williams, where it has an interchange with SR 64 (exit 165), which heads north toward Grand Canyon National Park. I-40 continues to the east to Flagstaff, where it has a major junction with I-17 at exit 195. I-17 heads south from this interchange to Phoenix.[1]
Flagstaff to New Mexico
East of Flagstaff, I-40 heads toward the east-southeast direction as it goes through the town of Winslow. It continues toward this direction until it reaches Holbrook, where it curves toward the northeast. Along this stretch, it passes through Petrified Forest National Park and continues to the northeast, passing through Chambers, and enters the Navajo Nation. The highway still continues to the northeast to the New Mexico border southwest of Gallup, New Mexico, as it continues on toward Albuquerque.[1]
History
With the exception of a stretch between Kingman and Flagstaff, I-40 directly replaced the famed US 66 across northern Arizona. Where possible, US 66 was upgraded to
Before the U.S. Routes
The routing of a road near the current corridor of I-40 in Arizona was first surveyed and built between 1857 and 1859. Lt. Edward Beale and his soldiers built the road along the 35th parallel that would come to be known as the Beale Wagon Road from Fort Smith, Arkansas, to the Colorado River to serve as a military wagon road. The road was a popular route for immigrants during the 1860s and 1870s until the transcontinental railroad was built across northern Arizona in the 1880s. In the early 1900s, the road became part of the National Old Trails Road, a transcontinental route from Baltimore, Maryland, to California, and the National Park to Park Highway, an auto trail linking the national parks of the west.[4]
U.S. Route 66
In the 1920s, as a nationwide system of highways called the
By 1927, the routing of US 66 through Arizona had been laid out, but none of it had been paved yet.[6] By 1935, nearly the entire route had been paved, with the lone exceptions being a short stretch northeast of Valentine and a stretch between Peach Springs and Seligman.[7] By 1938, the entire route in Arizona had been paved.[8] In 1953, US 66 was realigned between the California border and Kingman to an alignment to the southeast to avoid the mountain curves and grades of the original alignment. By 1961, several sections of the highway had been expanded to a four-lane divided highway in anticipation of the coming Interstate Highway. Four-lane sections included a section near Ash Fork, another section east of Winslow, and a section east of Holbrook near the Petrified Forest National Monument.[9]
Planning
In Flagstaff, several different alternatives were considered as a potential routing of the new Interstate through the area. The alternatives consisted of a routing north of downtown, south of downtown, through downtown along the
In 1965, the routing of I-40 west of Kingman was being reconsidered from the planned route through
Construction
The construction of the 360-mile (580 km) route of I-40 across Arizona took nearly 25 years to complete with the last segment being completed in 1984, much longer than the ambitious goal of finishing by 1972. By the end of 1960, 15 miles (24 km) had been completed with an additional 23 miles (37 km) being worked on.
Exit list
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles | Continuation into California | |||||
Arizona–California line | ||||||
Historic US 66 east – Golden Shores, Oatman | To SR 95 north | |||||
| 2.99 | 4.81 | 2 | Needle Mountain Road | ||
| 9.79 | 15.76 | 9 | SR 95 south – Lake Havasu City, Parker | ||
| 13.16 | 21.18 | 13 | Franconia Road | ||
| 20.14 | 32.41 | 20 | Santa Fe Ranch Road | ||
Yucca | 25.19 | 40.54 | 25 | Alamo Road | No eastbound entrance | |
26.18 | 42.13 | 26 | Proving Ground Road | No westbound entrance | ||
| 28.75 | 46.27 | 28 | Old Trails Road | ||
| 37.03 | 59.59 | 37 | Griffith Road | ||
Historic US 66 (Historic Route 66) | Former US 66 | |||||
Las Vegas | Current west end of US 93 overlap; Beale St. is former US 466 | |||||
49 | ||||||
51.69 | 83.19 | 51 | Stockton Hill Road | |||
53.07 | 85.41 | 53 | BL 40 south; former US 66 | |||
57 | Rancho Santa Fe Parkway | Planned interchange[28] | ||||
| 59.21 | 95.29 | 59 | CR 259 (DW Ranch Road) | ||
| 66.02 | 106.25 | 66 | Blake Ranch Road | ||
| 71.52 | 115.10 | 71 | Future I-11 south / US 93 south – Wickenburg, Phoenix | East end of Future I-11/US 93 overlap | |
| 78.90 | 126.98 | 79 | Silver Springs Road | ||
| 87.01 | 140.03 | 87 | Willows Ranch Road | ||
| 91.12 | 146.64 | 91 | Fort Rock Road | ||
Yavapai | | 95.45 | 153.61 | 96 | Cross Mountain Road | |
| 102.99 | 165.75 | 103 | Jolly Road | ||
| 109.07 | 175.53 | 109 | Anvil Rock Road | ||
Historic US 66 – Seligman, Peach Springs | Former US 66 east | |||||
122.72 | 197.50 | 123 | Historic US 66 – Seligman, Peach Springs | Former US 66 west | ||
| 139.28 | 224.15 | 139 | Historic US 66 west (Crookton Road) | Former US 66 west | |
Historic US 66 east – Ash Fork | Former US 66 east | |||||
145.69 | 234.47 | 146 | Former US 66 west/US 89 south | |||
Coconino | | 147.68 | 237.67 | 148 | County Line Road | |
| 148.57 | 239.10 | 149 | Monte Carlo Road | ||
| 151.23 | 243.38 | 151 | Welch Road | ||
| 157.20 | 252.99 | 157 | Devil Dog Road | ||
Historic US 66 east – Williams, Grand Canyon | Former US 66 east/US 89 north | |||||
162.95 | 262.24 | 163 | Williams, Grand Canyon National Park | |||
165.41 | 266.20 | 165 | I-40 BL is former US 66 west/US 89 south | |||
167.09 | 268.91 | 167 | Garland Prairie Road / Circle Pines Road | |||
Parks | 171.10 | 275.36 | 171 | Deer Farm Road (CR 146) / Pittman Valley Road | ||
177.81 | 286.16 | 178 | Parks Road | |||
Bellemont | 183.66 | 295.57 | 184 | Camp Navajo | Proposed interchange[29] | |
184.68 | 297.21 | 185 | Hughes Avenue – Bellemont | Formerly signed for Transwestern Road | ||
| 190.10 | 305.94 | 190 | A-1 Mountain Road | ||
| 191.26 | 307.80 | 191 | Historic US 66 east | Former US 66 east/US 89 north; access to United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station | |
| 192.12 | 309.19 | 192 | Flagstaff Ranch Road | ||
Flagstaff | 193.47 | 311.36 | 194 | Woody Mountain Road | Proposed interchange[29] | |
194.63– 195.25 | 313.23– 314.22 | 195 | I-17 exits 340A-B; northern terminus of I-17; SR 89 north is former SR 79 | |||
196.70 | 316.56 | 197 | Lone Tree Road | Proposed interchange on new alignment east of current Lone Tree Road underpass[29] | ||
197.86 | 318.42 | 198 | Butler Avenue | |||
200.65 | 322.91 | 201 | West end of US 180 overlap; eastbound signed as "US 89 north – Page" only | |||
204.42 | 328.98 | 204 | SR 166 | |||
| 206.79 | 332.80 | 207 | Cosnino Road (CR 510C) | ||
| 210.72 | 339.12 | 211 | Winona | Access via CR 510 | |
| 219.13 | 352.66 | 219 | Twin Arrows | ||
| 224.60 | 361.46 | 225 | Buffalo Range Road | ||
| 230.01 | 370.17 | 230 | Two Guns | ||
| 233.43 | 375.67 | 233 | Meteor Crater Road | ||
| 239.22 | 384.99 | 239 | Meteor City Road | ||
| 244.94 | 394.19 | 245 | SR 99 north – Leupp | West end of SR 99 overlap | |
Historic US 66 (Hipkoe Drive) | East end of SR 99 overlap; Former I-40 BL east | |||||
253.08 | 407.29 | 253 | N. Park Drive | |||
255.21 | 410.72 | 255 | Transcon Lane | Former I-40 BL west | ||
| 257.16 | 413.86 | 257 | Historic US 66 east – Payson, Second Mesa | ||
| 264.18 | 425.16 | 264 | Hibbard Road | ||
| 269.43 | 433.61 | 269 | Jackrabbit Road | ||
Historic US 66 east – Joseph City | Former US 66 east | |||||
276.55 | 445.06 | 277 | Historic US 66 west – Joseph City | Former US 66 west | ||
| 280.13 | 450.83 | 280 | Hunt Road / Geronimo Road | ||
Holbrook | 283.13 | 455.65 | 283 | Perkins Valley Road | ||
284.67 | 458.13 | 285 | East end of US 180 overlap; former US 66 east; signed as I-40 BL (Hopi Drive) only westbound | |||
286.38 | 460.88 | 286 | Heber | West end of SR 77 overlap; Former US 66; Historic US 66 is unsigned at this exit | ||
289.00 | 465.10 | 289 | Historic US 66 west | Former US 66 west | ||
| 292.32 | 470.44 | 292 | SR 77 north – Indian Wells | East end of SR 77 overlap | |
| 294.03 | 473.20 | 294 | Sun Valley Road | ||
| 299.67 | 482.27 | 300 | Goodwater | ||
| 303.09 | 487.78 | 303 | Adamana Road | ||
Apache | Petrified Forest NP | 311.06 | 500.60 | 311 | Petrified Forest National Park | |
| 319.49 | 514.17 | 320 | Pinta Road | ||
| 325.41 | 523.70 | 325 | Navajo | ||
| 329.49 | 530.26 | 330 | McCarrell Road | ||
SR 63 | ||||||
US 666 south | ||||||
| 341.33 | 549.32 | 341 | Ortega Road | ||
| 343.32 | 552.52 | 343 | Querino Road | ||
| 346.05 | 556.91 | 346 | Pine Springs Road | ||
| 347.65 | 559.49 | 348 | St. Anselm Road – Houck | ||
| 350.85 | 564.64 | 351 | Allentown Road | ||
| 354.11 | 569.88 | 354 | Hawthorne Road | ||
| 357.02 | 574.57 | 357 | BIA Route 12 north – Window Rock | ||
Lupton | 358.69 | 577.26 | 359 | Grants Road – Rest Area | Former US 66 east; Rest Area not signed eastbound | |
| 359.11 | 577.93 | I-40 east – Albuquerque | Continuation into New Mexico; former US 666 north | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
References
- ^ a b c d "2008 State Highway System Log" (PDF). Arizona Department of Transportation. December 31, 2008. Retrieved April 21, 2008.
- ^ "Veterans attend re-naming of I-40 as 'Purple Heart Trail'". Prescott Valley Tribune. September 28, 2004. Retrieved April 27, 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Arizona Department of Transportation (October 26, 1984). "ADOT Right-of-Way Resolutions 1984-10-A-064, 1984-10-A-065, 1984-10-A-066, 1984-10-A-067". Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 21, 2008.
- ^ Arizona Department of Transportation. Good Roads Everywhere: A History of Road Building in Arizona. Archived from the original on April 12, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
- ^ Weingroff, Richard. "From Names to Numbers: The Origins of the U.S. Numbered Highway System". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
- ^ Auto Road Map of Arizona and New Mexico (Map). Rand McNally. 1927. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
- ^ Road Map of Arizona (Map). Arizona State Highway Department. 1935. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
- ^ Auto Road Map of Arizona and New Mexico (Map). Rand McNally. 1938. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
- ^ Road Map of Arizona (Map). Rand McNally. 1961. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
- ^ Lowery, Dennis (March 1, 1960). "Initiative Part of Bigger Dispute". Arizona Daily Sun. p. 1.
- ^ "Relocation Here Impossible, SF Says". Arizona Daily Sun. May 20, 1959. p. 1.
- ^ Lowery, Dennis (February 29, 1960). "Initiative 200 Brews Up a Storm". Arizona Daily Sun. p. 1.
- ^ "Flagstaff City Election Results". Arizona Daily Sun. March 10, 1960. p. 5.
- ^ "Needles Future at Stake in Routing of Highway 40". The Independent. Pasadena, California. November 4, 1965.
- ^ "Interstate 40 Routing Plea Made". Los Angeles Times. September 9, 1965. p. A10.
- ^ "Needles Wins Its Fight to Keep Interstate 40". Los Angeles Times. February 3, 1966. p. 3.
- ^ Lesure, Thomas (December 11, 1960). "Arizona Highway Dream Comes True". The New York Times. p. XX20.
- Yuma Daily Sun. September 22, 1964. p. 10.
- Fresno Bee.
- ^ "Butler Busy Center". Arizona Daily Sun. October 21, 1971. p. B7.
- ^ Gross Domestic Product deflatorfigures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
- ^ "Kingman, Ash Fork Cutoff Progressing". Arizona Daily Sun. March 2, 1971. p. 9.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sundt Gets Contract For Winslow Bypass". December 4, 1977. p. 3.
- Philadelphia Inquirer. October 14, 1984. p. A17.
- Wichita Eagle. June 29, 1985. p. 1A.
- ^ "US 93, I-40 West Kingman Traffic Interchange Project". Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ "I-40: Rancho Santa Fe Traffic Interchange". Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ a b c "3.0 Design Concept Alternatives" (PDF). Arizona Department of Transportation. August 2019. p. 1. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
External links
- Media related to Interstate 40 in Arizona at Wikimedia Commons