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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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ZLoth

From Deseret News:

No bull, no service for 106 miles
QuoteConsider today's column a public service announcement: If you're ever driving on I-70 between the towns of Salina and Green River, do yourself a favor and check your gas gauge. It could save you a lot of grief.

That's because out of the thousands and thousands of miles that make up America's vast interstate highway system – almost 50,000 at last count – there is no longer stretch of blacktop without services than the one between Green River on the east and Salina on the west right here in Utah.
FULL ARTICLE HERE

Although several people have pointed out that there are places to turn around on I-70 between Salina and Green River. Still, if I'm traveling there, my plan: Salina/Green River is a mandatory fill-up point.

Of course, everyone here knows that already, right?
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

good practice for the remote parts of Alaska and Canada (200-250 miles without services is not uncommon) and then South America can get even more remote.  I've heard Africa is more remote than even that, but I've never tried it. 
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

oscar

Quote from: agentsteel53 on February 11, 2014, 07:46:44 PM
good practice for the remote parts of Alaska and Canada (200-250 miles without services is not uncommon) and then South America can get even more remote.
Even some other places in the lower 48, like the 167-mile gas-free stretch of US 6 between Tonopah NV and Ely NV.  Death Valley is also a good place to check your fuel gauge before heading in, though there is some extremely expensive gas in Furnace Creek.  Even rural Oregon can give you unwelcome surprises on fuel availability.

So I'd generalize agentsteel's advice to cover lots of rural western places.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

SD Mapman

I think Green River survives off being a fill-up point. I went through there a couple years ago and there were multiple gas stations at both exits and one in the town. Not much else, though.
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see. - G.K. Chesterton

agentsteel53

Quote from: SD Mapman on February 11, 2014, 09:35:55 PM
I think Green River survives off being a fill-up point. I went through there a couple years ago and there were multiple gas stations at both exits and one in the town. Not much else, though.

plenty of motels, which further reinforces the point being made.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

Rover_0

Quote from: agentsteel53 on February 11, 2014, 09:54:15 PM
Quote from: SD Mapman on February 11, 2014, 09:35:55 PM
I think Green River survives off being a fill-up point. I went through there a couple years ago and there were multiple gas stations at both exits and one in the town. Not much else, though.

plenty of motels, which further reinforces the point being made.

There really isn't much else in Green River. I was surprised by that by going into town this last April.
Fixing erroneous shields, one at a time...

Pete from Boston


Quote from: Rover_0 on February 12, 2014, 12:19:17 AM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on February 11, 2014, 09:54:15 PM
Quote from: SD Mapman on February 11, 2014, 09:35:55 PM
I think Green River survives off being a fill-up point. I went through there a couple years ago and there were multiple gas stations at both exits and one in the town. Not much else, though.

plenty of motels, which further reinforces the point being made.

There really isn't much else in Green River. I was surprised by that by going into town this last April.

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

Tonopah to Ely is bad, but going through from the California line to Tonopah is 80 gasless miles on 6 (like the former trip, it even contains at least one abandoned gas station).

From Ely to Salina past Sevier Lake is no great bounty either, with probably 100 miles in there somewhere without gas.  It makes the three-gas-points-in-70-miles Delta-Salina, Utah stretch of the trip east from there feel like a metropolis.

The tradeoff for all this is a breathtaking 500 miles of scenery.  Unless you hate sagebrush, in which case it's just long.

ZLoth

Checking Google Streetview....

Green River going west:
"No Services on I-70 next 106 miles" prior to exit 160
"No Services on I-70 next 100 miles" after exit 157 (US-6/US-191)

Salina goes east:
"No Bull" Billboard
Blurred Blue sign.... no services? (Thanks, Google)

Either way, in that part of the country, the halfway rule applies.... if your needle is halfway empty, FILL UP!

(And, yes, I'm planning a trip through that part of the country including US-50.)
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".

formulanone

Quote from: ZLoth on February 11, 2014, 07:33:01 PMOf course, everyone here knows that already, right?

Never assume, nobody knows it all...

SD Mapman

Quote from: Rover_0 on February 12, 2014, 12:19:17 AM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on February 11, 2014, 09:54:15 PM
Quote from: SD Mapman on February 11, 2014, 09:35:55 PM
I think Green River survives off being a fill-up point. I went through there a couple years ago and there were multiple gas stations at both exits and one in the town. Not much else, though.

plenty of motels, which further reinforces the point being made.

There really isn't much else in Green River. I was surprised by that by going into town this last April.
I had lunch there at a Subway knockoff. It was actually pretty good, despite being in the only (sketchy) gas station in the middle of the town.
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see. - G.K. Chesterton

polarscribe

Quote from: oscar on February 11, 2014, 07:58:07 PM
Death Valley is also a good place to check your fuel gauge before heading in, though there is some extremely expensive gas in Furnace Creek.

The gas pumps at Stovepipe Wells are generally cheaper, though only marginally. There's also a couple pumps at Panamint Springs. But once you're off 190, you're in a fuel-free zone until Beatty or Baker...

Milepost61

Quote from: ZLoth on February 12, 2014, 03:50:56 AM
Checking Google Streetview....

Green River going west:
"No Services on I-70 next 106 miles" prior to exit 160
"No Services on I-70 next 100 miles" after exit 157 (US-6/US-191)

Salina goes east:
"No Bull" Billboard
Blurred Blue sign.... no services? (Thanks, Google)


Things aren't much better east of Green River. CDOT makes a point of mentioning there are no services between Loma, CO and Thompson Springs, UT. Think Green River is bad? Thompson Springs is nothing but a gas station at the bottom of the ramps.

texaskdog

So if you want a good way to make money, open a gas station halfway :)

andy3175

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
Regards,
Andy

www.aaroads.com

texaskdog

I don't remember it being an isolated highway at all.  I believe I-25 was more isolated near Casper.  But I'm sure there are plenty of studies.

Henry

I'd hate to get stranded out there! It seems that longer distances between services are more common out West than they are in the East.
Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go! Hey Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today!

oscar

#16
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 :)

You'd need to get electrical power out there, to run the pumps and other facilities.  That part of I-70 was punched through a previously road-less and unpopulated area.  Not a power line to be seen, at the I-70/UT 10 intersection (an otherwise logical place for a gas station).

Diesel generators could be an option.  But the cost of that, or running a new power line from the nearest town Emery, might crank up gas prices at that station enough that almost everybody will continue to refuel in Salina and Green River as they do now.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

Pete from Boston

#17
Quote from: oscar on February 24, 2014, 03:55:32 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 :)

You'd need to get electrical power out there, to run the pumps and other facilities.  That part of I-70 was punched through a previously road-less and unpopulated area.  Not a power line to be seen, at the I-70/UT 10 intersection (an otherwise logical place for a gas station).

Diesel generators could be an option.  But the cost of that, or running a new power line from the nearest town Emery, might crank up gas prices at that station enough that almost everybody will continue to refuel in Salina and Green River as they do now.

Then there's the cost of living there or getting there from an already livable place.  The overhead on this idea seems so high that it would be difficult even to break even.  There are a couple of abandoned gas stations on similar long empty stretches of US 6 in Nevada that are testimony to this fact.

That's the thing with get-rich-quick schemes — if they were easy and/or sensible, everyone would be rich already.

roadman65

I believe its 108 not 106.  Yes its true and I think it holds the record for longest without services on any interstate.

As far as finding a business, go to I-49 in LA as well.  There is a long stretch from Alexandria to Shreveport that could also use it as Nachitoches is the only place that has gas, food. lodging, etc still with many miles of nothing between.  Also the new I-49 you can get in on the ground floor as it just opened north of Shreveport and you have the stretch of US 71 from Shreveport to Texarkana that never had anything but small town amenities for the 70 miles between the two cities.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

SD Mapman

Quote from: texaskdog on February 23, 2014, 11:42:00 PM
I don't remember it being an isolated highway at all.  I believe I-25 was more isolated near Casper.  But I'm sure there are plenty of studies.
Having been to both places recently, the Green River stretch wins hands down.
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see. - G.K. Chesterton

roadman65

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.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

agentsteel53

Quote from: roadman65 on February 24, 2014, 04:14:26 PM
I believe its 108 not 106.  Yes its true and I think it holds the record for longest without services on any interstate.

As far as finding a business, go to I-49 in LA as well.  There is a long stretch from Alexandria to Shreveport that could also use it as Nachitoches is the only place that has gas, food. lodging, etc still with many miles of nothing between.  Also the new I-49 you can get in on the ground floor as it just opened north of Shreveport and you have the stretch of US 71 from Shreveport to Texarkana that never had anything but small town amenities for the 70 miles between the two cities.

106 according to the last sign in Green River heading westbound.  I don't know if that is precisely correct or not.

if you want a surprising place where it's very, very difficult to find a gas station: Los Angeles.  there are enough eucalyptus trees along the freeway edges that one does not see the gas station advertising signs - and CA does not put up the helpful "services this exit" blue signs in urban areas.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

TheStranger

Quote from: agentsteel53 on February 25, 2014, 09:18:32 AM

if you want a surprising place where it's very, very difficult to find a gas station: Los Angeles.  there are enough eucalyptus trees along the freeway edges that one does not see the gas station advertising signs - and CA does not put up the helpful "services this exit" blue signs in urban areas.

Specific to LA though...what are the longest stretches where you'd have a hard time finding a station within 1-2 blocks of the exit?  My first guess for one example would be the Sepulveda Pass section of 405.
Chris Sampang

agentsteel53

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.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

TheStranger

#24
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.
Chris Sampang



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