News:

The AARoads Wiki is live! Come check it out!

Main Menu

At last, a window for I-11 in Oregon?

Started by Sub-Urbanite, May 26, 2016, 01:20:49 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Max Rockatansky

#50
Quote from: roadfro on June 06, 2016, 11:56:05 PM
Quote from: Sub-Urbanite on June 06, 2016, 05:05:07 PM
Quote from: roadfro on June 06, 2016, 10:12:57 AM
One thing though is that the US 395 corridor would not be as good of a freight route. It spends a good deal of time getting through the Sierra Nevada. There are parts of that that would be difficult to get to Interstate standard. A route via US 95 is primarily through valleys (in the 'basin and range' geological construct that composes most of Nevada), and has potential to be shortened in Northwestern Nevada (depending on alignment chosen).

Question — as NDOT looks at the potential I-11 alignment between Vegas and Reno, how seriously are they considering "cutting corners" to cut miles? For example, couldn't you lop off quite a few miles by heading directly northwest out of Goldfield toward Coaldale, bypassing Tonopah? (Sorry, Tonopah). Similarly, a new alignment off the east side of Walker Lake would not only cut miles, but probably engineering off building on the ledge of the Wassuk Range?

I get that there are some elevation challenges, but I remember every time I'd drive up US 95 in the past, looking longingly across the valley south/west of Tonopah and wishing I could just drive straight across it instead of going up the hill and down again.
Quote from: mcarling on June 06, 2016, 05:22:25 PM
No doubt there will be alternative alignments under consideration with opportunities for public comment.  I would tend to favor the most direct route.  I see no reason why I-11 should not follow an alignment nearer to Silver Peak than to Tonopah.

I don't have an answer for you on that. I imagine that NDOT would want to cut some mileage. But there's also the attractiveness of re-purposing existing road beds to use as one side of the interstate to make things easier to construct (this is what NDOT did when widening US 95 to divided highway south of Boulder City several years ago: old roadbed was mostly regraded as one set of lanes). That's also a lot of right of way to consider...but they would be getting most of it from the BLM. It's still really early to speculate too hard though.


I don't know that they'd completely cut away from Tonopah...it being the only real bit of civilization in west-central Nevada. That would leave virtually nothing in the way of decent services between Beatty and Hawthorne. Silver Peak isn't really inhabited.

There are some areas that they could make more direct without cutting that off. I've always despised the US 6-95 overlap as there's an unnecessary arc northward there.

Not sure that you could go straight northwest out of Goldfield. There's some mountains to go around. But yes, by current roads it is shorter to go through Silver Peak...part of that is not currently state highway, and I've never gone that way to see what it's like.

Maneuvering around Hawthorne and Walker Lake may get a bit tricky with just how much land around Hawthorne belongs to the Army Depot. The east side of the lake would be easier to build a freeway through, but that might not be shorter, depending on how you get around the depot.

When I ran through a couple months back Silver Peak road was shut down for improvements.  The last time I went out on the old roadway was probably back in 2011, it thought it was a decent grade for what it's worth.  I'm honestly not sure what exactly the upgrades are but if I recall correct Silver Peak Road was supposed to reopen in October. 

A bypass of the Hawthorne Army Depot is possible since the military reservation doesn't back up completely to back up to the mountains.  Problem is that the arch that a road would have to take is well east of the city which would be too far even for bypass purposes.  Personally I would like to see the I-11 bypass stick to the US 95 truck route since it would bring traffic closer to the city for a business loop type purpose. 

Probably a better bypass of Tonopah would be just to the south west of the city limits.  There is plenty of lower terrain in the valley below the city and it would still get traffic a decent sized population for services.  Even Beatty and Hawthorne are kind of dicey in regards to modern services...hell Esmeralda County has less than 800 people left in an area that's larger than some eastern states, a slight jaunt back into Nye via Tonopah isn't going to hurt.


mcarling

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 06, 2016, 07:05:55 PM
As nice as that would be there would need to be some new infrastructure development in Goldfield to support that.  Basically Goldfield doesn't even have an active gas station much (I think, certainly not chain) an active hotel.  Basically you'd have a 150 mile plus route from Beatty to Hawthrone with no services with that kind of alignment at present state.  That would be kind of interesting though considering Goldfield for all intents and purposes is a ghost town.
The people of Goldfield would no doubt be happy to provide whatever level of services the market would bear.
US 97 should be 2x2 all the way from Yakima, WA to Klamath Falls, OR.

Max Rockatansky

#52
Quote from: mcarling on June 07, 2016, 02:21:21 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 06, 2016, 07:05:55 PM
As nice as that would be there would need to be some new infrastructure development in Goldfield to support that.  Basically Goldfield doesn't even have an active gas station much (I think, certainly not chain) an active hotel.  Basically you'd have a 150 mile plus route from Beatty to Hawthrone with no services with that kind of alignment at present state.  That would be kind of interesting though considering Goldfield for all intents and purposes is a ghost town.
The people of Goldfield would no doubt be happy to provide whatever level of services the market would bear.

Would they?   There is no gas stations in Goldfield and no active hotels...I don't think people would want to stay at the Goldfield hotel with all those rumors about the ruins.  :paranoid: :-D  The city (which isn't technically a city anymore) is down from a peak of being the largest city in Nevada at something like 20,000 to 200 people...maybe less.  The place is a cratered out wreck with blocks of abandoned buildings...like I said, it's a virtual ghost town.  Hell they don't even have even have any active gas stations in Mina or Luna for that matter.  There is a sign on US 95 leaving Hawthrone warning you that services are 94 miles away and another leaving Tonopah.  I really think you can't avoid Tonopah or Hawthorne if you want an Interstate running through to Reno...but then again I'm probably making all the arguments against building I-11 past Vegas.  Not to mention building a bypass through the mountains to Silver Peak would be drastically more expensive than a scaled down bypass of Tonopah following US 95 and US 95/6.

mcarling

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 07, 2016, 09:13:27 AM
Quote from: mcarling on June 07, 2016, 02:21:21 AM
The people of Goldfield would no doubt be happy to provide whatever level of services the market would bear.
Would they?
Would people in a depressed town want jobs?
US 97 should be 2x2 all the way from Yakima, WA to Klamath Falls, OR.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: mcarling on June 07, 2016, 02:01:37 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 07, 2016, 09:13:27 AM
Quote from: mcarling on June 07, 2016, 02:21:21 AM
The people of Goldfield would no doubt be happy to provide whatever level of services the market would bear.
Would they?
Would people in a depressed town want jobs?

I don't know if I would even call it a town at this point.  I know it doesn't have an active charter despite being the county seat.  Usually people who are that far out in the boons in rural Nevada are there by choice and/or are reclusive.  The mines played out on Goldfield a long time ago much like a lot of Nevada towns.  Tonopah actually has some industry that's still active not to mention the Nevada Test Site, a large solar plant and all the modern roadside gas stations/hotels.  Personally I kind of put Goldifeld in the same league as a Bodie or Tombstone at this point, just a dead relic meant for tourism at best.

kkt

Quote from: mcarling on June 07, 2016, 02:01:37 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 07, 2016, 09:13:27 AM
Quote from: mcarling on June 07, 2016, 02:21:21 AM
The people of Goldfield would no doubt be happy to provide whatever level of services the market would bear.
Would they?
Would people in a depressed town want jobs?

The people who wanted jobs moved out a century ago.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: kkt on June 07, 2016, 02:32:00 PM
Quote from: mcarling on June 07, 2016, 02:01:37 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 07, 2016, 09:13:27 AM
Quote from: mcarling on June 07, 2016, 02:21:21 AM
The people of Goldfield would no doubt be happy to provide whatever level of services the market would bear.
Would they?
Would people in a depressed town want jobs?

The people who wanted jobs moved out a century ago.

Ironically a lot of them ended up in Tonopah of all places.  :-D

kkt

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 07, 2016, 02:41:03 PM
Quote from: kkt on June 07, 2016, 02:32:00 PM
The people who wanted jobs moved out a century ago.
Ironically a lot of them ended up in Tonopah of all places.  :-D

Or Reno, or Oakland, or Los Angeles.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: kkt on June 07, 2016, 03:37:11 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 07, 2016, 02:41:03 PM
Quote from: kkt on June 07, 2016, 02:32:00 PM
The people who wanted jobs moved out a century ago.
Ironically a lot of them ended up in Tonopah of all places.  :-D

Or Reno, or Oakland, or Los Angeles.

It's still one of my favorite ghost town stomping grounds due to how many buildings are left from the heyday.  I think that I would get some morbid amusement seeing an Interstate run right by it on a bypass.  Odd thing I never understood, it always felt like Rhyolite got more people going to see it.  Maybe that has something to do with the tourist crowd heading to Hell's Gate?

DJStephens

Isn't Goldfield the desert town featured in "Vanishing Point" the 1971 cult film starring a 1970 Dodge Challenger??   

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: DJStephens on December 13, 2016, 09:06:19 PM
Isn't Goldfield the desert town featured in "Vanishing Point" the 1971 cult film starring a 1970 Dodge Challenger??

One of many ghost towns or quasi ghost towns.  Goldfield was in the parts with Super Soul in them if I remember right.  I know the end is filmed in Cisco, Utah on Old US 50/6 and even Thompson Springs west of there also pops up at one point.  Wendover, Utah is also a filming location which is mostly known for Wendover Air Force base which had the Enola Gay hanger.  Most people would know Wendover from the first Independence Day with the alien attack over Area 51.

Rothman

Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

The Ghostbuster

#62
Personally, I think the prospect of Interstate 11 going beyond Reno, let alone through Oregon is a pipe dream that is unlikely to happen. Of course, I could be wrong.

Life in Paradise

I would agree that an extension of a proposed I-11 beyond the Reno area would be unlikely.  Yes, you could make an argument that it would be a nice connection of the dots to put a connection (say on the US 95 path) between I-80 and I-84 to link Boise to the middle west coast, but for the cost to put an interstate through that terrain, how many people would you really be serving?  There is not a real Canadian destination for traffic between Vancouver and Calgary, and that is already served with I-5 and I-15 respectively.

kkt

Even beyond Las Vegas is unlikely.  There's no international traffic involved in I-11 anyway, it's all about the hope that people from Phoenix or El Paso will drive to Las Vegas to lose their money.

sparker

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on December 14, 2016, 03:22:20 PM
Personally, I think the prospect of Interstate 11 going beyond Reno, let alone through Oregon is a pipe dream that is unlikely to happen. Of course, I could be wrong.
Quote from: Life in Paradise on December 14, 2016, 05:41:35 PM
I would agree that an extension of a proposed I-11 beyond the Reno area would be unlikely.  Yes, you could make an argument that it would be a nice connection of the dots to put a connection (say on the US 95 path) between I-80 and I-84 to link Boise to the middle west coast, but for the cost to put an interstate through that terrain, how many people would you really be serving?  There is not a real Canadian destination for traffic between Vancouver and Calgary, and that is already served with I-5 and I-15 respectively.

Basically agree with much of the train of thought here -- not enough traffic base east of the Cascades to warrant, at least at this time, any I-11 extension north of I-80 that uses either the US 395 or CA 139/US 97 corridors northward into and through Oregon.  Boise and the adjacent Paradise Valley is another story, however.  That region presently contains a population (this is including the Ontario, OR area as well) very close to 800K; at present growth rates, it's likely to exceed 1M by 2025.  A corridor from Winnemucca, NV extending north/northeast along US 95 and ID 55, intersecting I-84 in the Nampa/Caldwell area would connect this growing population base with points to the southwest in NV and CA.  Of all the north-of-I-80 extensions under discussion, this one seems to have the greatest potential to benefit the greatest number of people.  Except for the area around Indian Valley, OR, the terrain doesn't pose too many issues for an Interstate-grade facility (OK, it'll need a bridge over the Snake River, but at least it's not in a deep canyon in the Nampa area).  The major obstacle, though, lies in the political realm -- about 120 of the approximately 230 mile length of this corridor is in the state of Oregon, which has not in recent years been terribly hospitable to freeway construction.  Compounding that issue is the simple fact that the corridor really doesn't provide much in the way of benefits to the state as a whole; it enters and leaves without encountering any significant populated areas.  The sole "saving grace" to OR, as it were, is as an improved conduit feeding OR 78, which heads NW to Burns and, via westerly US 20, Bend and the more populated areas of central/western Oregon.  The chances are that some sort of subsidy (increased federal portion and/or monetary participation from Idaho toward construction of the Oregon segment) would be required to make the corridor acceptable to the folks in Salem.  It might not even be considered a direct extension of I-11 because of the 130-or-so-mile coincidence with I-80 from the Fernley area to Winnemucca (could be I-13 for that matter!). 

Outside of the Wasatch Valley (Provo-Salt Lake-Ogden) extended Utah region, the Boise area is the largest and fastest-growing metro region in the intermountain West; an improved connection to California would be highly beneficial to the commercial and recreational viability of that area. 


doorknob60

#66
Quote from: sparker on December 16, 2016, 05:15:09 AM
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on December 14, 2016, 03:22:20 PM
Personally, I think the prospect of Interstate 11 going beyond Reno, let alone through Oregon is a pipe dream that is unlikely to happen. Of course, I could be wrong.
Quote from: Life in Paradise on December 14, 2016, 05:41:35 PM
I would agree that an extension of a proposed I-11 beyond the Reno area would be unlikely.  Yes, you could make an argument that it would be a nice connection of the dots to put a connection (say on the US 95 path) between I-80 and I-84 to link Boise to the middle west coast, but for the cost to put an interstate through that terrain, how many people would you really be serving?  There is not a real Canadian destination for traffic between Vancouver and Calgary, and that is already served with I-5 and I-15 respectively.

Basically agree with much of the train of thought here -- not enough traffic base east of the Cascades to warrant, at least at this time, any I-11 extension north of I-80 that uses either the US 395 or CA 139/US 97 corridors northward into and through Oregon.  Boise and the adjacent Paradise Valley is another story, however.  That region presently contains a population (this is including the Ontario, OR area as well) very close to 800K; at present growth rates, it's likely to exceed 1M by 2025.  A corridor from Winnemucca, NV extending north/northeast along US 95 and ID 55, intersecting I-84 in the Nampa/Caldwell area would connect this growing population base with points to the southwest in NV and CA.  Of all the north-of-I-80 extensions under discussion, this one seems to have the greatest potential to benefit the greatest number of people.  Except for the area around Indian Valley, OR, the terrain doesn't pose too many issues for an Interstate-grade facility (OK, it'll need a bridge over the Snake River, but at least it's not in a deep canyon in the Nampa area).  The major obstacle, though, lies in the political realm -- about 120 of the approximately 230 mile length of this corridor is in the state of Oregon, which has not in recent years been terribly hospitable to freeway construction.  Compounding that issue is the simple fact that the corridor really doesn't provide much in the way of benefits to the state as a whole; it enters and leaves without encountering any significant populated areas.  The sole "saving grace" to OR, as it were, is as an improved conduit feeding OR 78, which heads NW to Burns and, via westerly US 20, Bend and the more populated areas of central/western Oregon.  The chances are that some sort of subsidy (increased federal portion and/or monetary participation from Idaho toward construction of the Oregon segment) would be required to make the corridor acceptable to the folks in Salem.  It might not even be considered a direct extension of I-11 because of the 130-or-so-mile coincidence with I-80 from the Fernley area to Winnemucca (could be I-13 for that matter!). 

Outside of the Wasatch Valley (Provo-Salt Lake-Ogden) extended Utah region, the Boise area is the largest and fastest-growing metro region in the intermountain West; an improved connection to California would be highly beneficial to the commercial and recreational viability of that area.

Your arguments are solid, but US-95 is fine as is. It's a 65/70 MPH highway (basically) the whole way with not too much traffic (I don't have numbers, but it's certainly less than something like US-97 through Oregon) and the road geometry is already good for commercial traffic. I think if Oregon was ever going to create new regional freeway corridor, it would (and should) be along US-97.

ID-55 from Marsing to Nampa could use some serious upgrades though (luckily that's in progress, but I think it should be 4-5 lanes the whole stretch which it's not going to be).

sparker

#67
Quote from: doorknob60 on December 19, 2016, 06:33:20 PM
Your arguments are solid, but US-95 is fine as is. It's a 65/70 MPH highway (basically) the whole way with not too much traffic (I don't have numbers, but it's certainly less than something like US-97 through Oregon) and the road geometry is already good for commercial traffic. I think if Oregon was ever going to create new regional freeway corridor, it would (and should) be along US-97.

ID-55 from Marsing to Nampa could use some serious upgrades though (luckily that's in progress, but I think it should be 4-5 lanes the whole stretch which it's not going to be).

Totally agree with you about the US 97 corridor; I just think that a more logical alignment for any potential Interstate along that route should utilize all of US 97 in Oregon rather than attempt to connect to Reno or environs as an extension of the currently legislated I-11.  There would be more of a traffic base coming to & from I-5 at Weed, CA than from any Nevada-based corridor.  And, since 97 already hosts a considerable amount of truck traffic (mostly forest products), upgrades would be welcome from those truckers as well as the other traffic that has to share the road with them!  But convincing ODOT that a freeway corridor is needed would be an uphill task; even with the improvements in and south of Bend, it's still a long way off from a full-length corridor upgrade program.  Bend/Redmond/Prineville metro is about 225K population at present; if growth rates of that region continue as they have, another 100-125K will be there about 2030-2032.  That may well be enough to incite the local political action necessary to at least plan a comprehensive US 97 corridor upgrade (whether to I-standards remains to be seen) -- and to offset the nominal bias against general capacity upgrades endemic to OR state politicos & agencies.   In any case, the potential traffic base generated from points in CA reachable by I-5 would likely surpass any contribution from an I-11 extension; a US 97 corridor would likely be considered more feasible and necessary as a "feeder" to I-5. 

Also agree that US 95 is probably adequate for current traffic levels; my projection re an Interstate-grade facility along that route is based upon expected population increases in the Boise/Paradise Valley metro region.  I don't see any solid plans being made for the 95 corridor until well after 2030 or so -- and dependent upon not only a population increase but also an accompanying growth of the region's commercial/industrial sector.    If that occurs, then a push for enhanced access would likely precede any corridor upgrades.

doorknob60

Quote from: sparker on December 20, 2016, 04:43:01 AM
Boise/Paradise Valley metro region

For what it's worth, I think you're looking for "Treasure Valley". But yeah, US-95 is a very important corridor, connecting the fast growing Treasure Valley area with Nevada and California. Even if the traffic levels don't need it, the importance of the corridor (and the fact that in interstate terms, it's not that long) alone could warrant an upgrade, sometime in the future, and I wouldn't oppose it. Though it seems like the economy of southern Idaho is more closely tied to Portland, Salt Lake City, and Seattle than it is to California or Nevada.

sparker

Quote from: doorknob60 on December 20, 2016, 03:40:56 PM
Quote from: sparker on December 20, 2016, 04:43:01 AM
Boise/Paradise Valley metro region

For what it's worth, I think you're looking for "Treasure Valley". But yeah, US-95 is a very important corridor, connecting the fast growing Treasure Valley area with Nevada and California. Even if the traffic levels don't need it, the importance of the corridor (and the fact that in interstate terms, it's not that long) alone could warrant an upgrade, sometime in the future, and I wouldn't oppose it. Though it seems like the economy of southern Idaho is more closely tied to Portland, Salt Lake City, and Seattle than it is to California or Nevada.

My bad on the valley misnomer.  :pan: And you're likely correct in that the Boise area economy tracks Northwest or Intermountain trends more than California or Nevada.  But developing the US 95 corridor might have some effect on that equilibrium -- putting the Treasure (got it right that time) Valley a little closer (if only psychically) with activities emanating from the I-80 corridor.  Just a thought!

Scott5114

With regard to the previous discussion on a no-services stretch of road: I would imagine if such a road were built, with otherwise unnecessary interchanges to local roads every so often, you would probably eventually get Pilot/Flying J/Loves type establishments moving in. A brand-new stretch of interstate with no competition would get some executive's attention, to be sure.

Another option would be to get a carve-out written into the I-11 funding bill to allow Nevada DOT to build and lease a commercial, turnpike-style service plaza, if it's felt that waiting for the "invisible hand" might take too long.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: Scott5114 on December 27, 2016, 08:56:48 PM
With regard to the previous discussion on a no-services stretch of road: I would imagine if such a road were built, with otherwise unnecessary interchanges to local roads every so often, you would probably eventually get Pilot/Flying J/Loves type establishments moving in. A brand-new stretch of interstate with no competition would get some executive's attention, to be sure.

Another option would be to get a carve-out written into the I-11 funding bill to allow Nevada DOT to build and lease a commercial, turnpike-style service plaza, if it's felt that waiting for the "invisible hand" might take too long.

Given just the total lack of population in central Nevada a service plaza might be an interesting draw.  Goldfield, Mina, and Luna are basically about as dead as they can be without being absolute 100% ghost towns.  So long a potential I-11 doesn't bypass too far from Hawthorne, Beatty, or Tonopah really there shouldn't be a ton of issues with exit ramp stations.  One thing that I neglected to mention was I-70 has a 100 mile stretch without services in Utah.  I can't recall ever hearing of or seeing a commercial or passenger vehicle not making it from Salina to Green River because of an empty gas tank.  On US 95 it seems to still be a somewhat common occurrence, especially with bikers.

kkt

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on December 27, 2016, 09:42:32 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on December 27, 2016, 08:56:48 PM
With regard to the previous discussion on a no-services stretch of road: I would imagine if such a road were built, with otherwise unnecessary interchanges to local roads every so often, you would probably eventually get Pilot/Flying J/Loves type establishments moving in. A brand-new stretch of interstate with no competition would get some executive's attention, to be sure.

Another option would be to get a carve-out written into the I-11 funding bill to allow Nevada DOT to build and lease a commercial, turnpike-style service plaza, if it's felt that waiting for the "invisible hand" might take too long.

Given just the total lack of population in central Nevada a service plaza might be an interesting draw.  Goldfield, Mina, and Luna are basically about as dead as they can be without being absolute 100% ghost towns.  So long a potential I-11 doesn't bypass too far from Hawthorne, Beatty, or Tonopah really there shouldn't be a ton of issues with exit ramp stations.  One thing that I neglected to mention was I-70 has a 100 mile stretch without services in Utah.  I can't recall ever hearing of or seeing a commercial or passenger vehicle not making it from Salina to Green River because of an empty gas tank.  On US 95 it seems to still be a somewhat common occurrence, especially with bikers.

We pulled into Green River running on fumes.  The gas station was not signed from I-70 but we pulled off anyway because we hoped there would be a gas station, and even if there wasn't it would be better to run out of gas in a town instead of by the side of the freeway.  But we made it.

sparker

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on December 27, 2016, 09:42:32 PM
I can't recall ever hearing of or seeing a commercial or passenger vehicle not making it from Salina to Green River because of an empty gas tank.  On US 95 it seems to still be a somewhat common occurrence, especially with bikers.

At least on I-70 through the Swell one has actual posted notice regarding lack of services.  A driver or biker on 95 will probably think, having quickly viewed a map and noting that there are several towns along the highway, that obtaining fuel or services will be a piece of cake.  During the day that might even be true, but that stretch of road shuts down tighter than a drum at night -- getting either after 9 p.m. is a real problem.  I remember my first trip up that road in the middle of the night some 33 years ago after exhibiting at the Vegas Consumer Electronic Show (CES); I thought much the same thing -- and considered myself fortunate to find one gas station/convenience store open in Tonopah (and charging about 20% over the prevailing fuel cost).  For a bit, I thought I was going to have to sleep in my vehicle behind a closed station until morning.   Never made that mistake again; always filled up to the brim in LV before taking off.   

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: sparker on December 28, 2016, 05:05:46 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on December 27, 2016, 09:42:32 PM
I can't recall ever hearing of or seeing a commercial or passenger vehicle not making it from Salina to Green River because of an empty gas tank.  On US 95 it seems to still be a somewhat common occurrence, especially with bikers.

At least on I-70 through the Swell one has actual posted notice regarding lack of services.  A driver or biker on 95 will probably think, having quickly viewed a map and noting that there are several towns along the highway, that obtaining fuel or services will be a piece of cake.  During the day that might even be true, but that stretch of road shuts down tighter than a drum at night -- getting either after 9 p.m. is a real problem.  I remember my first trip up that road in the middle of the night some 33 years ago after exhibiting at the Vegas Consumer Electronic Show (CES); I thought much the same thing -- and considered myself fortunate to find one gas station/convenience store open in Tonopah (and charging about 20% over the prevailing fuel cost).  For a bit, I thought I was going to have to sleep in my vehicle behind a closed station until morning.   Never made that mistake again; always filled up to the brim in LV before taking off.   

I want to say the only station that is open all day in Tonopah is the one that has the Subway and Burger King in it on the west side of town.  Part of the problem is that it is probably easy to look a map like you said but even the GSV now and see what appears to be "active" stations in the towns I mentioned above.  I always find this an interesting topic to discuss when it comes up because I really don't think people understand how truly desolate Nevada can be.  This is just conjecture on my part but I seem to recall someone putting out an article a couple years back which basically stated that if Clark County was taken out of the state that Nevada would only be behind Alaska for lowest population density.  I certainly don't think that most people are expecting a waste land comparable to a Mad Max movie when they out on a gambling binge vacation between Reno and Vegas....or when when they casually look at a map then decide US 95 would be a great place for I-11.

Funny thing though, I've never seen the same volume of broke down cars on US 6 between Tonopah and Ely.  It might be because of the map being pretty much as desolate as advertised coupled with traffic is likely more localized or in the know about the road....OR people see this it gets their attention:




Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.