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I-70: No bull, no service for 106 miles

Started by ZLoth, February 11, 2014, 07:33:01 PM

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US71

Quote from: TheStranger on February 25, 2014, 11:45:32 AM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on February 25, 2014, 11:39:11 AM
Quote from: TheStranger on February 25, 2014, 11:31:38 AMwhat are the longest stretches where you'd have a hard time finding a station within 1-2 blocks of the exit? 

I don't know of a single gas station in Irvine.  I'm sure they exist, but once I drove around for 30 minutes before finally finding one in Tustin or so.

Definitely in the hard-to-see category: took Google Maps to discover there are stations near 405 at exits 3 and 5.

241 has a 16-mile stretch without services from Alton Parkway to the north terminus at 91.

I think it's SR 94 in Colorado that has a long stretch of road with no services. There is a sign just east of town announcing "no services next xx mile".  I was there about 5-6 years ago, but never got a photo :(
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast


roadman65

I-78 in New Jersey between Clinton and Jersey City is hard to find services.  Gas is okay and marked well, but finding a place to eat when hungry east of Clinton is hard unless you know the area pretty well.  Then lodging is a whole different story as well.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Brian556

In TN, I-40 from Jackson to Nashville is a long distance with no services. I often have to pee in the bushes along this stretch because there is no other option.

I-49 in LA is pretty bad, too. And the only rest area is closed. Really makes you appreciate the frequent rest areas in Florida.

ZLoth

US-6 Westbound - Ely, NV - "Next Gas 167 Miles On US 6"

Unfortunately, the Google Maps is extremely blurry at the Tonopah end.

Here is an existing thread about this also. 
I'm an Engineer. That means I solve problems. Not problems like "What is beauty?", because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems and call them "paychecks".

agentsteel53

Quote from: ZLoth on February 25, 2014, 09:28:13 PM
Unfortunately, the Google Maps is extremely blurry at the Tonopah end.

and I totally failed to look around to see if there was an update to the older "70" sign that was there several months ago.

I spotted the 167 heading out of Ely the other day.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

Pete from Boston

#30
Quote from: ZLoth on February 25, 2014, 09:28:13 PM
US-6 Westbound - Ely, NV - "Next Gas 167 Miles On US 6"

Unfortunately, the Google Maps is extremely blurry at the Tonopah end.

Here is an existing thread about this also.

Excitedly stopped for gas and general civilization in Tonopah, the only town in a 280-mile stretch of desert, we asked a chatty kid what "Tonopah" means.

"No water here," he replied matter-of-factly.

Our excitement was tempered noticeably.


(It should be noted that this is close to, but not quite, the actual meaning of the name, but it was the better answer.)

andy3175

Quote from: roadman65 on February 25, 2014, 12:40:44 AM
I-25 is isolated, no doubt about that, but its segments without services are not as long as I-70 in Utah.  Even north of Cheyenne, you have only 40 miles to Chugwater without services.

When I-69E gets built in Kenedy County, TX it will not even be as long as Green River to Salina either.

even though I agree that I-70 near Green River, Utah is more desolate than I-25 near Chugwater, Wyoming, I have to note that the gas station in Chugwater at the southern business loop interchange seemed to be permanently closed when I passed through there last summer. A rest area is also located at this interchange, and it was open.

More on this gas station from an article from January 2013 at: http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/authorities-man-drives-car-into-chugwater-gas-station-causes-explosion/article_01f0b317-72ae-5c4b-b185-50de23351ba7.html

QuoteCASPER, Wyo. – Highway advisories flash between Douglas and Cheyenne on Interstate 25: No fuel in Chugwater.

Early Sunday evening, 42-year-old John Barberini, of Casper, drove his car into the front of Horton's Corner convenience store and gas station, causing an explosion and a blaze that engulfed the building, according to authorities. It's the only service station between Cheyenne and Wheatland. For 21 years it has been a lifeline for the 244 people in Chugwater and a staple for travelers on the interstate.

Authorities say the car exploded after slamming through the front doors of the store. Two employees and one customer were inside at the time of the incident. No injuries were reported.

QuoteAll that remains of Horton's Corner is a pile of disheveled debris. Post cards from the gift shop sit in the turnstile, wrinkled from the heat. Shards of the metal roof clamor in the wind. A melted Sinclair sign still sits atop of the rubble. The smell of smoke is noxious.

"How no one was injured is a miracle,"  said LaCynda Fortik, manager of Buffalo Lodge Inn and Grill, which sits across from Horton's Corner. "Someone could have been killed so easily."

Horton's and the Buffalo Inn would share customers, directing people to one business or the other.

"We worked together wonderfully,"  Fortik said. "It's not going to be good for Chugwater."

It's how businesses should work in small towns, said Roxanne Vassler, an employee at the inn.

"Everybody helps everybody,"  she said.

The local customers at Horton's Corner have had to go to the inn to get their morning newspaper and coffee.

"They have no other choice,"  Vassler said. "We lost a member of our community."

On New Year's Day, three travelers came to the inn looking for spare fuel.

"We've been keeping extra in the back,"  Fortik said. "Everyone expects there to be fuel in town."

The closest sources of fuel are 30 miles to the north in Wheatland and 45 miles to the south in Cheyenne.

Judy Horton, whose husband started the gas station in 1991, was in shock when she heard the news Sunday.

QuoteWith the loss of the gas station, Chugwater lost one-fourth of its businesses. Besides the Buffalo Lodge Inn and Grill and Chugwater Chili, there's the Soda Fountain – the oldest in the state.

Horton's Corner employed 14 people. "We have a wonderful staff,"  said Jane Olind, co-owner of Horton's Corner. "Many of them have been with us for years."  The owners promised to take care of their employees until they decide whether they will rebuild.

"It's terrible that this many people in town are without jobs,"  Fortik said.

Horton's Corner was more than a gas station to the community.

"I've told everyone that I will stock what they used to get at Horton's,"  said Barbara Dayton, owner of the Soda Fountain. Behind the counter at the soda fountain were handmade signs for eggs, lettuce and onions. "We can't supply all their needs, but we will do our best."

Regards,
Andy
Regards,
Andy

www.aaroads.com

andy3175

Quote from: Pete from Boston on February 26, 2014, 12:39:12 AM

Quote from: ZLoth on February 25, 2014, 09:28:13 PM
US-6 Westbound - Ely, NV - "Next Gas 167 Miles On US 6"

Unfortunately, the Google Maps is extremely blurry at the Tonopah end.

Here is an existing thread about this also.

Excitedly stopped for gas and general civilization in Tonopah, the only town in a 280-mile stretch of desert, we asked a chatty kid what "Tonopah" means.

"No water here," he replied matter-of-factly.

Our excitement was tempered noticeably.


(It should be noted that this is close to, but not quite, the actual meaning of the name, but it was the better a answer.)

I'm surprised his definition of "Tonopah" didn't have something to do with the dark, clear, starry nights. That has become part of the local tourism campaign to bring people to their remote corner of the Silver State.

Regards,
Andy
Regards,
Andy

www.aaroads.com

agentsteel53

there's a Tonopah in Arizona as well.  no water there either.

as for the moron who ran his car into the only gas station for 80 miles... what a loser.  I hope he is sentenced to build one himself, brick by brick.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

thenetwork

Quote from: andy3175 on February 23, 2014, 11:37:03 PM
Quote from: texaskdog on February 23, 2014, 09:54:57 PM
So if you want a good way to make money, open a gas station halfway :)

I wonder what the traffic volumes are along I-70 west of Grand Junction heading toward Green River, Utah. Specifically I wonder what proportion of total traffic is truck/commercial traffic? This might answer the question about whether such an additional gas station or truck stop would be viable. Based on my visits to this area, the traffic counts appear to be lower than I-80 near Rock Springs or Green River, Wyoming.

Regards,
Andy

Going strictly by eyewitness reports, Truck traffic does drop a bit on I-70 west of Grand Junction, spikes a bit on the US-191 multiplex stretch, then drops like a rock after US-6 & US-191 leave I-70 by Green River.

Western Colorado is finally getting it's first national truck stop chain in a month or two (Love's) with word of a second (Pilot/Flying J) slated to be built directly across from Love's (won't hold my breath on that one).  There are a couple of local "Mom & Pop" truck stops, but the size and layout are miniscule compared to Love's.  So there is a sizable amount of truck/commercial traffic going between Utah and Colorado, but not enough to reduce the sizes of the service deserts in Utah.  Cisco, Utah (about 1/2 way between GJ and Green River is literally a ghost town along I-70).

vdeane

I was exploring Siberia last night and found a stretch of road that blows the US examples away.

There's this random road* in Siberia with a very long trek through the taiga on a dirt road (http://goo.gl/maps/lwtCj). (no, I don't know what that sign says)

Here's a sign at one cross street: http://goo.gl/maps/Zowpd

Thats 490 km from the cross street.  It's 40km from the nearest town (on the cross street) and 30 km from what looks like an oil field.

Anyone up for a trans-Siberian roadtrip?

*Actually more like collection of road segments at its western/southern end since Google's cartography of the area is just that shitty, but I'm pretty sure it's one road on this section.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

agentsteel53

490km seems about right.  I've read some reports of motorcyclists heading out that way.

http://www.sibirskyextreme.com/

I think there's a stretch of road in Kenya and Tanzania that has 600km between gas stations.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

Brandon

Quote from: vdeane on February 26, 2014, 02:31:36 PM
I was exploring Siberia last night and found a stretch of road that blows the US examples away.

There's this random road* in Siberia with a very long trek through the taiga on a dirt road (http://goo.gl/maps/lwtCj). (no, I don't know what that sign says)

Here's a sign at one cross street: http://goo.gl/maps/Zowpd

Thats 490 km from the cross street.  It's 40km from the nearest town (on the cross street) and 30 km from what looks like an oil field.

Anyone up for a trans-Siberian roadtrip?

*Actually more like collection of road segments at its western/southern end since Google's cartography of the area is just that shitty, but I'm pretty sure it's one road on this section.

Going through Google Translate, the top of the sign says:

CAUTION

for the first one.

The second one is:
NADYM 490 ^
VKAZYMSKY 40 ^
BELOYARSKOE 40 <-

All town names (transliterated to Latin characters here on AARoads)
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

vdeane

I figured that for the second given the distances and the town names on Google.  My keyboard doesn't do cryllic, so it's hard to get the first into translate.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

Chris

Australia:

The Burke Developmental Road. No fuel for 560 km / 350 miles


This road between the Northern Territory and Western Australia has no unleaded gas for a staggering 815 kilometers / 500 miles. Even most fuel-efficient cars won't make it that far on a tank unless they have an unusually large fuel tank. (most fuel-efficient cars tend to have small fuel tanks).

JMoses24

Quote from: TheStranger on February 25, 2014, 11:45:32 AM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on February 25, 2014, 11:39:11 AM
Quote from: TheStranger on February 25, 2014, 11:31:38 AMwhat are the longest stretches where you'd have a hard time finding a station within 1-2 blocks of the exit? 

I don't know of a single gas station in Irvine.  I'm sure they exist, but once I drove around for 30 minutes before finally finding one in Tustin or so.

Definitely in the hard-to-see category: took Google Maps to discover there are stations near 405 at exits 3 and 5.

241 has a 16-mile stretch without services from Alton Parkway to the north terminus at 91.

Yeah, they're hard to find for sure.

Also, if you are southbound on the 5 from Los Angeles to San Diego at night, fill up in San Clemente. Once you pass exit 72, there are no 24 hour stations for 20 miles till Oceanside because of Camp Pendleton.

richllewis

#41
My Mapquest tells me that if you are traveling I-70 and you are near the UT 10 exit and miss filling up in Salina, UT, a little side trip up UT 10 to the next little town of Ferron, UT they have a Gas station. And actually, UT 10 on I-70 is probably the best place to put a Gas Station in since there are some little towns nearby and probably some rural electric coop would string some wires to the site along the Interstate.

QuoteThere are ranch roads along 70 through there.  I figured the ranch people need to occasionally go somewhere besides the ranch.

I do know as a former Chicken Farmer in Mississippi, that we had to get Diesel Fuel trucked to the farm and we had a country store where we got our Gas. I imagine that some Ranches in that part of Utah has to truck Gasoline in as well as diesel for the tractors ,or wait until they went to town to get Gas for the car or pickup. As for Gas, the local jobber in town would bring to the farm or ranch a small tank truck and fill the tanks with Diesel and/or Gasoline as the need of the farmer or the Rancher would need. So the Rancher is covered.

oscar

Quote from: agentsteel53 on February 26, 2014, 11:42:14 AM
there's a Tonopah in Arizona as well.  no water there either.

Well, plenty of hot water underground.  There are two hot springs resorts in Tonopah AZ (both of which I've soaked at), and room and hot water for more if there were demand.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

oscar

Quote from: richllewis on March 25, 2014, 07:53:02 AM
My Mapquest tells me that if you are traveling I-70 and you are near the UT 10 exit and miss filling up in Salina, UT, a little side trip up UT 10 to the next little town of Ferron, UT they have a Gas station.

Last I was there in 1998, that little gas station had limited hours and was closed on Sundays.  Both are potential issues in small rural towns off the Interstates anywhere in Utah. 
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

foolsgold

#44
  The entire state of California should be treated as a no fill-up zone considering how expensive gas is there.



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