Interstate 70

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Interstate 70 (abbreviated I-70) is a long interstate highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 about a mile from Cove Fort, Utah to a Park and Ride in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway Project started in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 (and also the old National Road) east of the Rocky Mountains. West of the Rockies, the route of I-70 was cobbled together from a variety of sources.

The construction of I-70 in Colorado and Utah is considered an engineering marvel where the route passes through the Eisenhower Tunnel, Glenwood Canyon, and the San Rafael Swell. The Eisenhower Tunnel is the highest point along the Interstate highway system with an elevation of 11,158 feet (3,401 m).

The sections of the interstate in Missouri and Kansas have laid claim to be the first interstate in the United States[1]. The final piece of Interstate 70 was opened to traffic at Glenwood Canyon in 1992. Most people considered this to be the last piece of the Interstate Highway System, as originally planned, to be opened.

Length

Miles km state
232 376 Utah
451 731 Colorado
424 687 Kansas
251 408 Missouri
155 253 Illinois
156 254 Indiana
225 365 Ohio
14 23 West Virginia
168 272 Pennsylvania
94 152 Maryland
2,173 3,520 Total

Major cities

Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs.

Intersections with other Interstates

Spur routes

Route Notes

Utah

I-70 passes through Spotted Wolf Canyon inside the San Rafael Swell

Between Green River and Salina I-70 crosses a massive geologic formation called the San Rafael Swell. Prior to I-70's construction the swell was relatively undiscovered and inaccessable via paved roads.

When this 108 mile (174 km) piece was opened to traffic in 1970 it earned several distinctions:

  • The longest stretch of interstate highway with no services
  • The first highway in the U.S. built over a completely new route since the Alaska Highway [2]
  • The longest piece of interstate highway to be opened at one time

Though opened in 1970 this section was not formally complete until 1990 when a 2nd steel arch bridge spanning Eagle Canyon was opened to traffic.

Since I-70's construction the swell has been discovered for its desolate beauty. The swell has since been nominated for National Park and/or National Monument status on multiple occasions. If the swell is granted this status it arguably would be the first time a National Park owes its existence to an interstate highway. Most of the exits in this span are view areas, brake check areas, and Runaway truck ramps with few traditional freeway exits.

As first proposed the western terminus of I-70 was Denver, Colorado. Utah and Colorado pressured the federal government to extend the plans for I-70 further west, arguing that a direct link between Denver, Colorado and Salt Lake City, Utah was vital for an effective highway system. The proposal was to follow what is now U.S. Highway 6 and connect to I-15 at Spanish Fork, Utah. Federal planners (influenced by the military) agreed to extend the proposed route of I-70, but not to serve Salt Lake [3]. The military wanted to better connect southern California with the North Eastern U.S. This led to I-70's constructed route through the San Rafael Swell and terminating at Cove Fort. Many motorists include I-70 as part of their cross-country drives between New York City and Los Angeles (which are accessible to I-70 via other interstates).

Colorado

Eisenhower Tunnel
  • I-70 through Glenwood Canyon was the last section of I-70 to be completed. The 15 mile (24 km) stretch was completed in 1992 and was an engineering marvel due to the extremely difficult terrain and narrow space in the canyon, which requires corners that are sharper than normal Interstate standards. Construction was delayed for many years due to environmental concerns. The difficulties in building the road in the canyon were compouned by the fact that a railroad occupied the south bank and many temporary construction projects took place to keep U.S. Highway 6 open, at the time the only east-west road in the area. There are three eastbound and two westbound tunnels, and much of the highway is elevated above the Colorado River. The speed limit in this section is 50 mph (80 km/h) due to the limited sight distance and sharper corners. Great care was taken to not destroy the local ecosystem with the building of the road. All rest areas through this stretch use reclaimed water. In 2004, part of this section was destroyed by a large boulder that fell while the road was shut down for construction.
  • The Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70 is the highest vehicular tunnel in the world, and the longest tunnel built under the Interstate program.
  • What had been planned as I-470 around Denver, Colorado exists in three sections: C-470, E-470 (eastern extension) and the Northwest Parkway (originally conceived of as W-470); E-470 intersects I-70 in Aurora. There are no immediate plans to promote the 470s (as they are known in Colorado) to interstate status.

Kansas

I-70 crossing on the Lewis & Clark Viaduct over the Kansas River from Kansas to Missouri in Kansas City.
  • The Kansas portion of I-70 was the first segment to start being paved and to be completed in the interstate system.
  • I-70 is given the nickname "Main Street of Kansas" as the interstate extends from the Western border to the Eastern border covering 424 miles and passing through most of the state's principal cities in the process.
  • The highway gave its name to the "I-70 Killer," a serial killer who committed a string of murders within a few miles of it in several Midwestern states in the 1980s. No suspect has ever been apprehended despite the widespread publicity the murders have generated, including their being featured several times on the television show America's Most Wanted.
  • I-70 also carries the distinction of having the closest distance between two distinct child interstates with the same child interstate number. I-470 near Topeka, Kansas and I-470 on the east side of Kansas City, Missouri are approximately 72 miles apart.
  • The section from Topeka, Kansas to Kansas City, Kansas is part of the Kansas Turnpike and has tolls. The Easternmost Terminal is at Bonner Springs, Kansas. The section from Bonner Springs to 18th Street (U.S. Route 69) in Kansas City, Kansas, is part of the Kansas Turnpike but is free.
  • The section from 18th Street to Missouri is free and called the Jay B. Dillingham Memorial Highway for a former Kansas City Stockyards chairman Jay B. Dillingham. The highway passes over the former stockyards when it crosses the Kansas River on the Lewis & Clark Viaduct into Missouri.

Missouri

Interstate 70 in Saline County
I-44/55/64/70 on one highway sign in downtown St. Louis
  • The 1985 World Series between the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals was nicknamed the "I-70 Series" because St. Louis and Kansas City are the two endpoints of I-70 in Missouri and the highway passed both Busch Stadium and Royals Stadium. The Kansas City portion is called "The George Brett Super Highway" after the Royals third baseman.
  • In Kansas City, Missouri, I-670 cuts directly through the downtown while I-70 bypasses the taller buildings a few blocks north near the Missouri River. Westbound I-670 is also designated Alternate I-70 making this the only permanent "alternate" interstate in the country. The pair, along with US 71, US 24, US 40, US 169, I-35, and I-29, creates the downtown freeway loop, also known as the "Alphabet loop". Most of the interstates in this loop are in their second mile, so all exits (no matter the which interstate carries the road) are numbered 2 and suffixed with every letter of the alphabet except I, O and Z.
  • The section of I-70 in Downtown Kansas City is approximately the southern city limits of "City of Kansas" when it was incorporated in 1853. The first two auto bridges in Missouri mark the city's original boundaries with the Broadway Bridge (Kansas City) (U.S. Route 169) being the west boundary while the Heart of America Bridge (Route 9) is the east boundary.
I-70 in downtown St. Louis, photo taken from the Gateway Arch.
  • In St. Louis, Missouri, I-70 spawns two child routes: I-170, or the Innerbelt Expressway, and I-270, or the American Veterans Memorial Highway.
  • Route 370 is a spur of I-70. The 12-mile (19-km) freeway gives area commuters an alternate route across the Missouri River, allowing them to avoid the congestion on I-70's Blanchette Memorial Bridge crossing of the Missouri River. Route 370 runs from I-270 at the Bridgeton/Hazelwood city boundary (at Exit 22B) to I-70 in St. Peters (at Exit 224). Westbound Route 370 is designated as an Alternate I-70 route for traffic coming from Westbound I-270. According to a MoDOT official, MoDOT submitted Route 370 to AASHTO for upgrade to Interstate status, but AASHTO wanted Route 370 to be renamed as I-870, while MoDOT wanted it named I-370.[citation needed]
  • At the Poplar Street Bridge, I-70 is part of a four-interstate multiplex. From the Missouri state line, westbound on the bridge is marked as I-44, I-55, I-64, and I-70. This is the only four-interstate multiplex in the country.
  • Most of the highway in Missouri is four-lane. Various proposals have been made to widen it (at an estimated cost of $3.5 billion)[4] including turning it into a toll road.

Illinois

  • The 0 milepost for I-70 is on I-270 at the New Chain of Rocks Bridge. The intersection of I-55/70 and I-270 is 15 miles from the New Chain of Rocks Bridge, and 20 miles from the Poplar Street Bridge, where I-55/70 actually enters Illinois. This means the mileposts in Illinois are five miles lower than they should be. If you were to travel on Eastbound I-70 near the intersection, you would see Mile Marker 16 following Mile Marker 20. Furthermore, on Westbound I-70, the intersection of I-70, I-55, and I-270 is exits 15 A&B. Five miles further westbound on I-55/70, Illinois Route 159 is also exits 15 A&B.

Indiana

Ohio

A group of trucks on I-70 in Ohio.

West Virginia

Crossing the Ohio River at Wheeling

The section of I-70 in West Virginia crosses the Ohio River at Wheeling, runs through the Wheeling Tunnel, and goes around the city of Wheeling. Upon merging with I-470, I-70 goes uphill towards Dallas, West Virginia, towards the Pennsylvania border.

Pennsylvania

  • Shunpiking the Interstate 70 portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike via Interstate 68 and Interstate 79 is actually shorter than using the Turnpike. From Hancock, Maryland to Washington, Pennsylvania using the Turnpike the route is 155 miles (250 km), while the Shunpiking route from Hancock, Maryland to Washington, Pennsylvania via Morgantown, West Virginia is 151.8 miles (244 km). The speed limit is also higher on the Shunpiking route as West Virginia has a speed limit of 70 mph (110 km/h).
  • Drivers on I-70 near Breezewood, Pennsylvania have to leave the freeway and travel a few blocks on US 30 through traffic lights -- rare on an interstate -- before returning to the freeway. There used to be a sign of a policeman pointing at drivers where eastbound I-70 leaves the Pennsylvania Turnpike, saying, "You! Slow Down!" This could be fixed by building a direct connection between the PA Turnpike and the freeway section of I-70. However, it is argued that building a direct connection between the two would disrupt the economy in Breezewood, which serves motorists passing through the town. Map Aerial photo Photos of Eastbound I-70 with traffic lights: [5], [6] from [7].
  • The 38 miles (61km) of I-70 between Washington, Pennsylvania and New Stanton, Pennsylvania is a sub-standard section of the highway. This section of I-70 used to be Pennsylvania Route 71. It is characterized by sharp curves, limited sight distance, narrow shoulders, and lack of merge lanes at interchanges. Traffic on clover leaf ramps must weave in the right through lane of traffic due to the lack of a third lane for entering and exiting traffic. Other on and off ramps effectively function as RIRO, making for a nerveracking entrance if traffic is approaching. The speed limit on this stretch is 55 mph (90 km/h)
  • I-70 went through Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at one point; its original route has been incorporated into I-376, as well as parts of I-76, I-79 and I-279.

Maryland

  • Near I-70's eastern end Baltimore, Maryland, a sign announcing the distances to Columbus, Ohio; St. Louis, Missouri; Denver, Colorado; and Cove Fort, Utah near the freeway's western terminus, has sprung up in the highway's median (Photo: [8] from [9]). This sign was intended as a test of the Clearview typeface used as an alternate to FHWA Series E-Modified, the font currently used on most American highway signs.
  • I-70 was originally supposed to continue to downtown Baltimore. Due to opposition from communities, the plan was modified for the highway to intersect with Interstate 95 in Baltimore. After further protest from environmental groups, this plan was scrapped. The intersection to I-95 and the spur route to downtown (I-170) had already been built before plans were cancelled. The signs for I-170 are now replaced with signs for US 40, and I-70 terminates at the exit for Security Boulevard (Maryland Route 122) in the western Baltimore suburb of Woodlawn. The pavement of the interstate runs into a Park and Ride. The only remaining sign of the planned extension into downtown are exit ramps to nowhere on I-95. Aerial photos of I-95 ghost ramps: [10], [11]
  • The aforementioned I-170 ends shortly beyond the U.S. Route 1 (Fulton Avenue/Monroe Street) junction. No traffic is allowed on this part of the freeway (all traffic must utilize the exit ramp back to surface streets and U.S. 40), although streetlights and an empty sign bridge serve as proof that I-170 was to be extended beyond this point, along with vacant ramps to/from US 1. After the I-70 extension was scrapped, I-170 was to continue towards I-95 and be renamed I-595. After that plan fell through, US 40 was rerouted to the old I-170 freeway. A ghost ramp onto southbound I-95, the most obvious clue that I-70/I-595 was planned to intersect there, has been demolished.
  • At Frederick, Maryland, I-70 split into two branches: I-70N, which led into Baltimore, and I-70S, which took a path into the Washington, D.C., area. I-70N is now I-70, while I-70S has been renamed I-270. The I-70S designation was also used for the current I-70 freeway in Western Pennsylvania. (There are signs along U.S. 40 in Baltimore that still depict the I-70 freeway as I-70N. Trucks are directed onto it via I-695.)
  • Near Hancock, Maryland, heading westbound on I-70, there are many signs for Interstate 68 to encourage drivers to bypass the Pennsylvania Turnpike by going through Cumberland, Maryland, and Morgantown, West Virginia, and then taking Interstate 79 to get back to I-70 at Washington, Pennsylvania. There is also a sign near the Maryland Route 68 exit to disambiguate the same numbered route within Maryland, so that drivers would not be confused between those two roads. The exit at Hancock, Maryland, for Interstate 68 is where I-70 makes a sharp turn to the north and even backtracking a little eastbound for drivers heading westbound when heading to Breezewood, Pennsylvania.
  • Interstate 370, a short spur route off of Maryland's I-270 in Gaithersburg, never intersects with I-70, its parent route.

See also

Reference

  • 2005 Rand McNally "The Road Atlas 2005" - newest feature- interstate mileage by state

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Interstate 70.

Information and images

Travel sites

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Browse numbered routes
← Error: Invalid type: ILLIL→ Error: Invalid type: ILL
← PA 69PA→ PA 71
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