U.S. Route 70

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

U.S. Route 70 marker

U.S. Route 70

Map
US 70 highlighted in red
Route information
Length2,381 mi[1] (3,832 km)
Existed11 November 1926[2]–present
HistoryRe-routed several times west of New Mexico between 1926 and 1969.
Major junctions
West end US 60 / SR 77 at Globe, AZ
Major intersections
East endSeashore Drive / School Drive in Atlantic, NC[3]
Location
CountryUnited States
StatesArizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina
Highway system
← US 69→ US 71

U.S. Route 70 or U.S. Highway 70 (US 70) is an east–west

Los Angeles, California. The current western terminus was then truncated to US 60 / SR 77 in Globe, Arizona. Before the completion of the Interstate system, U.S. Highway 70 was sometimes referred to as the "Broadway of America", due to its status as one of the main east–west thoroughfares in the nation. It was also promoted as the "Treasure Trail" by the U.S. Highway 70 Association as of 1951.[4]

In the early years, US 70 had a different route between

Los Angeles, California
.

Route description

Lengths
  mi[1]
km
AZ 122 196
NM 448 721
TX 255 410
OK 290 467
AR 291 468
TN 480 773
NC 495 797
Total 2,381 3,382

Arizona

Main article: U.S. Route 70 in Arizona

U.S. 70 begins in

Indian Route 9. It has no other highway junctions until Safford, where it begins a ten-mile[5] (16 km) overlap with U.S. 191. U.S. 70 then runs an additional 37 mi (60 km).[5] (59 km) before crossing into New Mexico east of Franklin
.

New Mexico

Main article: U.S. Route 70 in New Mexico

After entering the state of New Mexico, U.S. 70 heads southeast. Five miles

controlled access highway until entering the foothills of the Organ Mountains
.

As a divided highway, U.S. 70 then crosses the Organ Mountains via San Augustin Pass, descends to the valley floor of the

U.S. 285. U.S. 70 then heads off to the northeast, running through Portales and Clovis before entering Texas at Texico
. From mile 170.6 to mile 197.25 on US 70 the speed limit is posted at 75 mph (120 km/h) across White Sands Missile Range. (26.6-mile stretch) just slightly longer than a standard marathon. US 70 is one of only two non-interstate roadways in New Mexico to receive a speed limit of 75 miles per hour (U.S. 285 between Roswell and Vaughn is also posted at 75 miles per hour).

Texas

Main article: U.S. Route 70 in Texas

U.S. 70 enters Texas joins with

U.S. 283). Near Oklaunion, U.S. 70/183 split off to the north to cross the Red River into Oklahoma. The route through Texas was cosigned with Texas State Highway 28 before 1939. SH 28 was designated in 1919 as a route from Muleshoe to Olney with a spur, SH 28A, from SH 28 at Crowell east to the Oklahoma border. In 1922, the route split in Benjamin, going south to Sagerton and east to Olney. In 1926, The portion from Crowell to Sagerton became SH 51, while the portion from Benjamin to Olney became SH 24
. SH 28 was instead rerouted over SH 28A to end at the Oklahoma border. By 1939, the route was cancelled due to US 70.

Oklahoma

Main article: U.S. Route 70 in Oklahoma

U.S. 183 splits away from U.S. 70 three miles (4.8 km)

75 freeway.[11]

East of

wrong-way concurrency
with SH-3. U.S. 70 then splits off to the east in Broken Bow before leaving the state.

Arkansas

Main article: U.S. Route 70 in Arkansas
Sheffield Nelson Dagmar Wildlife Management Area, Monroe County, Arkansas

U.S. 70 enters Arkansas eight miles

Little Rock, where U.S. 70 splits off from I-30 at Interstate 430 at Exit 129.[14] U.S. 70 follows Interstate Highway 430 for 1 mile to Exit 1 (Stagecoach Road), where it overlaps Arkansas Highway 5 heading northeast into Little Rock, becoming Colonel Glenn Rd at the intersection with Arkansas Highway 300. Continuing northeast through Little Rock, U.S. 70 turns east again at Roosevelt Road, before turning north through downtown Little Rock as Broadway Street, with during which it crosses Interstate 630 before crossing the Arkansas River into North Little Rock.[15] It then crosses Interstate Highway 30, and serves as the northern terminus of U.S. Route 165. U.S. 70 then crosses Interstate 440 and leaves the Little Rock area, paralleled by I-40.[13]

U.S. 70 continues its alignment near I-40 throughout eastern Arkansas, generally about two or three miles (5 km) apart. I-40 bypasses Forrest City to the north, while U.S. 70 serves the city center. The two routes remain close through West Memphis, Arkansas, where U.S. 70 runs along Broadway Blvd. Finally, U.S. 70 joins with I-55 to cross the Mississippi River into Tennessee.[16]

Tennessee

US64/US70/US79 overlap on Summer Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee. (2008)
Main articles: U.S. Route 70 in Tennessee, U.S. Route 70N, and U.S. Route 70S

US 70 enters Tennessee, as well as the city of Memphis, concurrent with Interstate 55, US 61, US 64, and US 79. At exit 12, the northernmost exit on I-55 in the state, I-55 turns south; however, the four US routes continue east onto the at-grade Crump Boulevard. US 61 splits from the concurrency soon afterward, heading south along 3rd Street to exit the city for Walls, Mississippi and points south. US 64, 70 and 79, however, remain overlapped through downtown Memphis, following Danny Thomas Boulevard north to Union Avenue, Union east to East Parkway (briefly overlapping with U.S. Route 51 along the western portion of Union), then East Parkway north to Summer Avenue, where the triple concurrency turns east. Near the city line, US 64/70/79 interchanges with Interstate 40 at exit 12A.[16]

Past the Memphis city limits in the suburb of Bartlett, U.S. 64 separates from U.S. 70/79, taking a more southerly routing through the state. U.S. 70 and US 79, meanwhile, head to the northeast, paralleling I-40 to Brownsville. East of the city, U.S. 79 breaks from U.S. 70, following U.S. 70 Alternate out of the city to the northeast. U.S. 70, now concurrent with only its unsigned designation of State Route 1, heads east, interchanging with I-40 at exit 66 before entering Jackson. The route continues northeastward from the city, meeting I-40 once more at exit 87 just outside the city limits. At Huntingdon, U.S. 70 Alternate rejoins US 70 as the main route turns to the east toward New Johnsonville, where it crosses the Tennessee River.

From the river, U.S. 70 continues eastward through

collector/distributor roads for I-40/I-65 for two blocks before joining U.S. 431 and U.S. 70S on a brief overlap. At an intersection with the concurrent U.S. 31/U.S. 41, U.S. 431 and U.S. 70S split from U.S. 70. U.S. 70 progresses eastward, roughly paralleling the Cumberland River to an interchange with State Route 155 east of downtown. U.S. 70, now paired with State Route 24, heads east out of Nashville to Lebanon, where U.S. Route 70N breaks from the main US 70. US 70 heads southeast, passing through Smithville before rejoining U.S. 70S in Sparta and U.S. 70N to the east in Crossville
.

From Crossville eastward to the North Carolina state line, U.S. 70 closely parallels I-40, passing through the Roane County cities of Rockwood and Kingston. At Dixie Lee Junction in eastern Loudon County U.S. 70 intersects U.S. 11 (also known as the Lee Highway) in Dixie Lee Junction and the two highways are concurrent from the junction intersection eastward through Farragut and into Knoxville. In Farragut and west of downtown Knoxville U.S. 70 carries the name Kingston Pike. On the east side of Knoxville it becomes concurrent with U.S. 25W and U.S. 11E and carries the name Asheville Highway from Knoxville to the community of Trentville in eastern Knox County. At Trentville, US 11E separates from the concurrency. U.S. 25W remains overlapped with U.S. 70 to Newport, where U.S. 70 is joined by U.S. 25E, which becomes US 25. U.S. 25 and U.S. 70 remain concurrent into North Carolina.

North Carolina

Main article: U.S. Route 70 in North Carolina

US 70 enters North Carolina as a two-lane road in concurrency with US 25. Going southeast, it widens to four-lane near Marshall, merging farther down with I-26/US 19/US 23 going into Asheville. In the downtown area, it breaks from the U.S. 19/23 freeway onto city streets and through Beaucatcher Tunnel as it goes east; paralleling north of I-40, going through the cities Marion, Morganton, Hickory, Conover and Statesville. From there, it goes southeast to Salisbury, where it starts to parallel I-85 north through Lexington, Thomasville, High Point and Greensboro, in concurrency with I-85 Bus/US 29.

US 70 passes through Greensboro in concurrency with Interstate 40, Interstate 85 Business, then US Routes 29 and 220 briefly, then heads east through the Wendover Avenue expressway, which takes the route out of town towards Burlington. It downgrades to a two lane rural road heading out of Greensboro, and again parallels north of I-40/I-85. Entering Alamance County, it expands to a four-lane expressway through the city of Burlington, then returns to 2 lanes through Mebane, Efland and Hillsborough. It joins I-85 briefly in Eno, then veers southeast through the downtown areas of both Durham and Raleigh.

After a brief overlap with

Sealevel, US 70 ends its seven state tour in the community of Atlantic
.

History

See also: U.S. Route 60

Most or all of the present route designated as U.S. Route 70 (or U.S. Highway 70 depending on the state) was earlier known as

automobile
, and earlier, American highways were disorganized affairs of widely varying quality. Highways were known by a bewildering variety of names which typically changed at each town. And they were only named, not numbered.

During the 1910s the first national highway was conceived: the Lincoln Highway, named in honor of Abraham Lincoln, stretching across the northern United States from coast to coast. A companion effort was launched to create a transcontinental highway stretching across the southern half of the country, this one named in honor of Confederate States of America general Robert E. Lee. The two highways were a revolution of sorts, in that a driver could follow a single road from coast to coast bearing the same designation. Much of today's U.S. 70 was formerly the Lee Highway, although that was later removed.

Shield for US 70 in California.

When originally commissioned on 11 November 1926, U.S. Route 70 ran between

U.S. Route 260.[19][20] That same year, the eastern terminus of US 70 was extended to Atlantic, North Carolina, where it remains to this day (albeit in a slightly different location). In 1934, the routing was changed yet again and US 70 was rerouted to California through Las Cruces, New Mexico, Deming, Globe, Arizona and Phoenix to a junction with U.S. Route 99 around Mecca. Between Globe and its new western end in California, US 70 was paired with US 60. A year later, US 70 was extended along Valley Boulevard and reached downtown Los Angeles at U.S. Route 101 running concurrent with US 99 and/or US 60 throughout its course west of Globe.[21] Beginning in 1964 it was decommissioned in favor of Interstate 10 or US 60. After being removed from California, US 70 ended at the California/Arizona state line in Ehrenberg until 1969, when it was further truncated to its current endpoint in Globe.[22] US 70, unlike many other decommissioned US Highways in California, doesn't have a state route that was numbered after it and taking over its path (unlike US 60, which had State Route 60 to replace it), due to the fact that it was replaced in its entirety by I-10. Therefore, the current State Route 70 bears no relation to this highway.[23]

Robert Mitchum and Don Raye's song, "The Ballad of Thunder Road" immortalized in the 1958 film of the same name, follows a family of anarchistic moonshiners who engage in run-ins with the police. The Mitchum film is based on a real life incident in which a moonshiner perishes on the road on the Kingston Pike stretch of Highway 70 in Knoxville while on the run from the police, although the actual filming did not take place on Highway 70.

Historic alignments

Old and bypassed sections of US 70 exist, and at least one such road section has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located in Lonoke County, Arkansas, between Young Road and point east of the present US 70's junction with Arkansas Highway 15. About 4 miles (6.4 km) long, it runs mostly parallel to, and just north of, the present alignment, jogging a bit farther around the AR 15 junction. It was built about 1913, and some of its original bituminous pavement survives. It was replaced by the present alignment in 1930–31.[24] Between Florence, Arizona and Wickenburg, Arizona, US 70 ran concurrently with both US 60 and US 89. [25]

Future

Currently, a portion of US 70 in Greensboro runs concurrently with US 29/ US 220, I-40, and soon-to-be-removed I-85 Business. On 5 October 2019, NCDOT submitted an application to AASHTO, and was granted approval, for the relocation of US 70 in Greensboro, High Point, and Thomasville. The state plan calls for the US Highway to remain on Wendover Avenue and NC Highway 68 in the cities of Greensboro and High Point, respectively, towards Thomasville. According to NCDOT, this will give the US Highway a more direct, continuous route through the cities of Greensboro and High Point, and improve safety and regional connectivity.[26]

Major intersections

Arizona
US 60 in Globe
San Jose
.
New Mexico
I-10 in Lordsburg. The highways travel concurrently to Las Cruces.
US 180 in Deming. The highways travel concurrently to Las Cruces.
I-25 / US 85 in Las Cruces
US 54 in Alamogordo. The highways travel concurrently to Tularosa.
US 82 in Alamogordo
US 380 in Hondo. The highways travel concurrently to Roswell.
US 285 / US 380 in Roswell. US 70/US 285 travels concurrently to north of Roswell.
US 60 / US 84 in Clovis. US 60/US 70 travels concurrently to Texico. US 70/US 84 travels concurrently to Muleshoe, Texas.
Texas
US 385 in Springlake
I-27 / US 87 in Plainview
US 62 in Floydada. The highways travel concurrently to Paducah.
US 62 / US 83 in Paducah
US 287 in Vernon. The highways travel concurrently to Oklaunion.
US 183 / US 283 in Vernon. US 70/US 183 travels concurrently to Davidson, Oklahoma.
Oklahoma
I-44 / US 277 / US 281 west-southwest of Randlett. US 70/US 277/US 281 travels concurrently to Randlett.
US 81 in Waurika
I-35 in Ardmore. The highways travel concurrently through Ardmore.
US 77 in Ardmore
US 377 in Madill. The highways travel concurrently through Madill.
US 69 / US 75 in Durant
US 271 east-northeast of Soper. The highways travel concurrently to south of Hugo.
US 259 in Idabel. The highways travel concurrently to Broken Bow.
Arkansas
US 59 / US 71 / US 371 in De Queen. The highways travel concurrently to north-northwest of Lockesburg.
US 278 in Dierks. The highways travel concurrently to north-northeast of Dierks.
US 270 in Hot Springs. The highways travel concurrently through Hot Springs.
I-30 northwest of Haskell. The highways travel concurrently to Little Rock.
US 67 southwest of Benton. The highways travel concurrently to Little Rock.
I-430 in Little Rock
I-630 in Little Rock
I-30 / US 65 / US 67 / US 167 in Little Rock
US 165 in North Little Rock
I-440 in North Little Rock
US 63 in Hazen. The highways travel concurrently through Hazen.
US 49 in Brinkley. The highways travel concurrently through Brinkley.
US 79 south of Jennette
I-55 / US 61 / US 64 / US 79 in West Memphis. I-55/US 61/US 70 travels concurrently to Memphis, Tennessee. US 64/US 70 travels concurrently to the Memphis–Bartlett, Tennessee city line. US 70/US 79 travels concurrently to Brownsville, Tennessee.
Tennessee
US 78 in Memphis
US 51 in Memphis. The highways travel concurrently through Memphis.
I-240 in Memphis
US 72 in Memphis
I-40 in Memphis
I-269 in Arlington
I-40 east of Brownsville
US 45 in Jackson
US 412 northeast of Jackson. The highways travel concurrently for approximately 0.5 miles (0.80 km).
I-40 / US 412 northeast of Jackson
US 641 south of Camden
US 70S in Nashville
I-40 in Nashville
I-40 / I-65 in Nashville. The highways travel concurrently, but on different lanes, through Nashville.
US 70S / US 431 in Nashville. The highways travel concurrently through Nashville.
US 231 in Lebanon
US 70N in Lebanon
I-40 in Lebanon
US 70N in Crossville
US 127 in Crossville
US 27 south-southwest of Rockwood. The highways travel concurrently to Rockwood.
US 321 in Lenoir City
US 11 southwest of Farragut. The highways travel concurrently to Knoxville.
I-140
in Knoxville.
I-40 / I-75 in Knoxville
US 129 in Knoxville
US 441 in Knoxville. The highways travel concurrently through Knoxville.
I-40 / I-275 in Knoxville
US 11 / US 11E / US 11W in Knoxville. US 11E/US 70 travels concurrently to south-southeast of Mascot.
I-40 / US 25W in Knoxville. US 25W/US 70 travels concurrently to Newport.
I-40 west of Dandridge
US 411 in Newport. The highways travel concurrently through Newport
I-40 / US 411 in Newport
US 25 / US 25E / US 25W in Newport. US 25/US 70 travels concurrently to Woodfin, North Carolina.
US 321 in Newport. The highways travel concurrently through Newport.
North Carolina
Future I-26 / US 19 / US 23. The highways travel concurrently to Asheville
.
US 25 in Asheville
Future I-26 / I-240 / US 19 / US 23
in Asheville. I-240/US 70 travels concurrently through Asheville.
I-240 in Asheville
I-40 in Black Mountain. The highways travel concurrently to southwest of Old Fort.
US 221 in Marion
US 64 in Morganton. The highways travel concurrently through Morganton.
US 321 in Hickory
US 64 in Statesville
US 21 in Statesville
I-77 in Statesville
US 601 in Salisbury. The highways travel concurrently through Salisbury.
US 29 / US 601 in Salisbury. US 29/US 70 travels concurrently to Greensboro.
I-85 / US 52 northeast of Spencer. I-85/US 70 travels concurrently to southwest of Lexington. US 52/US 70 travels concurrently to west of Lexington.
I-85 / I-285 southwest of Lexington. I-285/US 70 travel concurrently to west of Lexington.
US 64 in Lexington. The highways travel concurrently through Lexington.
I-74 in High Point
I-85 southwest of Greensboro. The highways travel concurrently through Greensboro.
I-73 / I-85 / US 421 in Greensboro
US 220 in Greensboro
I-40 / US 220 in Greensboro. The highways travel concurrently through Greensboro.
I-840 in Greensboro
I-85 in Eno. The highways travel concurrently to Durham.
US 15 / US 501 in Durham. The highways travel concurrently through Durham.
I-540 in Raleigh
I-440 / US 1 in Raleigh
US 401 in Raleigh. The highways travel concurrently through Raleigh.
I-40 / US 64 in Raleigh
I-40 in Garner. The highways travel concurrently to west-southwest of Clayton.
US 301 in Selma
I-95 in Selma
I-795 in Goldsboro
US 13 / US 117 in Goldsboro. The highways travel concurrently through Goldsboro.
US 258 in Kinston. The highways travel concurrently through Kinston.
US 17 west of New Bern. The highways travel concurrently to the New Bern–James City city line.
Seashore Drive/School Drive in Atlantic

[27]

Special routes

Main article: Special routes of U.S. Route 70

Branch routes

In Tennessee, US-70 has two additional branches: US-70N and US-70S. This split is unique, in that it is the only existing instance of a N/S split of a U.S. Route. Furthermore, US-70 does not "disappear" at these splits; thus, these two highways co-exist with the main route and both serve as additional branches. US-70N begins in Lebanon, just east of Nashville, and ends in Crossville; US-70S begins in the Bellevue neighborhood of southwest Nashville, and ends in Sparta (a few miles west of Crossville). Historically, both split routes began in Pegram and ended in Crossville. The original designation for US-70 between Lebanon and Sparta was state route 26.

Alternate routes

There are currently two active alternate routes, all signed and marked on maps as US 70A.

  • Brownville-Huntingdon, Tennessee
  • Pine Level, North Carolina

Business routes

Bypass routes

See also

Related routes

References

  1. ^ a b "U.S. Route Number Database" (December 2009 ed.). American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  2. ^
    OCLC 32889555. Retrieved 7 November 2013 – via Wikimedia Commons
    .
  3. ^ "End of U.S. Highway 70". Retrieved 27 March 2009.
  4. ^ "New Life Given U.S. Highway 70; 'Treasure Trail'". Palo Verde Valley Times. Blythe, California. 15 August 1951.
  5. ^ a b c The Road Atlas '07 (Map). Rand McNally. 2007. p. 8–9.
  6. ^ a b c The Road Atlas '07 (Map). Rand McNally. 2007. p. 68.
  7. ^ Crossley, John. "White Sands National Monument, Alamogordo, New Mexico". The American Southwest. Retrieved 29 September 2007.
  8. ^ Signage indicating closings
  9. ^ a b c The 2014 Road Atlas (Map). Rand McNally. 2014. p. 98–99.
  10. ^ Official State Map (Map) (2005-2006 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
  11. ^ a b The 2014 Road Atlas (Map). Rand McNally. 2014. p. 82–83.
  12. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department
    .
  13. ^ a b The 2014 Road Atlas (Map). Rand McNally. 2014. p. 10–11.
  14. ^ @IDriveArkansas (6 July 2021). "@interstate_411 @myARDOT Hwy 70 follows the Hwy 5 route back towards the east/north and connects at University/Ashe…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ @myARDOT (15 December 2017). "@interstate_411 Broadway to Roosevelt to Asher to University and then runs concurrent with I-30 until the Hot Springs Exit" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 December 2017 – via Twitter.
  16. ^ a b c The 2014 Road Atlas (Map). Rand McNally. 2014. p. 94–95.
  17. ^ Rand McNally Auto Road Atlas (Map). Rand McNally. 1926. p. 24–25.
  18. ^ Rand McNally Auto Road Atlas (Map). Rand McNally. 1926. p. 68–69.
  19. ^ "Map of US highway 60 and family, and US 412". Dale Sanderson. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  20. ^ "End of US highway 260". Dale Sanderson. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  21. ^ Road Map of California (Map). California Department of Transportation. 1950.
  22. ^ "End of US highway 70". Dale Sanderson. pp. Map of US highway 70 and family, and US 412, US Highway endpoints in El Paso, TX, US Highway endpoints in Los Angeles, CA, US Highway endpoints in Holbrook, AZ. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  23. ^ California State Assembly. "An act to add Section 253 and Article 3 (commencing with Section 300) to Chapter 2 of Division 1 of, and to repeal Section 253 and Article 3 (commencing with Section 300) of Chapter 2 of Division 1 of, the..." 1963 Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 385 p. 1177.: "Route 70 is from Route 99 near Catlett Road to Route 395 near Hallelujah Junction via Quincy and Beckwourth Pass."
  24. ^ "NRHP nomination for US 70, Union Valley Segment" (PDF). Arkansas Preservation. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  25. ^ "Photograph of signs for United States Highway 60/70/89 in Maricopa County (Ariz.). Image is double exposed".
  26. ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (6 October 2019). "2019 Annual Meeting Report to the Council on Highways and Streets" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2020. "Ballot" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2019.
  27. ISBN 978-0-528-00771-2
    .

External links

KML file (edit • help)
Template:Attached KML/U.S. Route 70
KML is not from Wikidata
Browse numbered routes
←
CA
→ SR 70
←
AZ
→ SR 71
←
TX
→ SH 70
←
OK
→ SH-71
←
AR
→ US 71
← SR 69TN→ SR 70
← NC 69NC→ NC 71
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=U.S._Route_70&oldid=1194034513"