Has anyone done US 40 ? I live near 40 in Vandalia OH and have always wanted to do the whole thing.
US 40 mostly parallels I-70, so I generally have no use for it in long distance trips, as I'll stick to I-70. But I have used the "Highway Farty" freeway at least twice a week back when I lived in St Louis, which is my most used part of US 40. Also been on the independent section between Uniontown, PA and I-68 in MD to avoid Breezewood on trips to DC.
Now what would be interesting is if someone traced the routing and been on former US 40 between San Francisco and SLC.
Quote from: SkyPesos on August 02, 2021, 11:56:35 AM
Now what would be interesting is if someone traced the routing and been on former US 40 between San Francisco and SLC.
A lot of it is built over by I-80 outside of towns, but some old alignments do survive, including the whole segment across the Salt Flats between Wendover and Knolls, UT (exit 41 on I-80). Here's a photo near the eastern end of that portion:
(https://i.imgur.com/9iogsfK.jpeg)
Apparently yellow center striping was first mandated in 1971, so that is at least 50 years old. For its age, the road was in surprisingly good shape - although apparently some portions further west aren't doing so hot now.
Quote from: US 89 on August 02, 2021, 12:28:55 PM...apparently some portions further west aren't doing so hot now.
Not the best choice of words this summer.
I've been on a sizeable chunk of it in Colorado.
Quote from: Evan_Th on August 02, 2021, 12:39:00 PM
Quote from: US 89 on August 02, 2021, 12:28:55 PM...apparently some portions further west aren't doing so hot now.
Not the best choice of words this summer.
This joke is a bit hazy, could you explain it to me?
I've traveled US-40 from Roosevelt, UT to Kremmling, CO in the west and from St. Louis to Baltimore in the east.
As for the western stretch, much of it is a very open and desolate route in Utah and in Colorado from the UT line to Craig, CO with a lot of driveable old alignments still intact.
From Craig to Steamboat Springs, you follow the Yampa River Valley, then you start hitting the Rockies.
US-40 plays Hide and Seek at times when it (silently) duplexes and parallels with I-70 from Empire through Denver (which I've also clinched).
A write up I did for the alignment of US 40 over the Benicia-Martinez Ferry and Carquinez Scenic Drive before it shifted to American Canyon and the original Carquinez Bridge:
https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/11/the-original-alignment-of-us-route-40.html?m=1
Something for Donner Pass Road:
https://www.gribblenation.org/2017/06/old-us-route-40-on-donner-pass-road.html?m=1
And the South Lincoln Highway which proceeded it:
https://www.gribblenation.org/2018/10/donner-pass-hunting-dutch-flat-donner.html?m=1
In Oakland:
https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/03/california-state-route-123san-pablo.html?m=1
In Sacramento:
https://www.gribblenation.org/2018/12/highways-in-and-around-old-sacramento.html?m=1
I have been on all of U.S. 40 in Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. Plus sections in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and Colorado.
The Ohio section of U.S. 40 has several intact (but no longer used) S-bridges that carried the National Pike over streams and creeks.
U.S. 40 is by far the longest numbered highway in the state of Maryland, running from the mountains of Garrett County in the far west to Cecil County in the east. Mike Pruett and Laura Bianca-Pruett have a fine write-up on U.S. 40 in Maryland on their MDRoads.COM site here (http://mdroads.com/routes/us040.html).
Much of U.S. 40 in Maryland has been routed onto I-68 (in the west) and parts of it onto I-70 between Hancock and Marriottsville (a suburb of Baltimore). East of Marriottsville, it does not share any miles with an Interstate until it gets to Delaware, where it crosses the Delaware Memorial Bridge along with I-295. Alternate U.S. 40 exists in several places in Maryland, my favorite is between Keysers Ridge and Cumberland, which allows a stop at the Casselman River Bridge, an early National Pike bridge that is still standing (only open to bikes and pedestrians now).
Once in New Jersey, it quickly gets back onto its own arterial road, which it follows across South Jersey (many,but not all, sections carry the name Harding Highway) until U.S. 40 joins U.S. 322, and two two arrive together at their eastern termini in Atlantic City.
Just did a roadtrip on old (1930s) US 40 between San Francisco and North Sacramento about 9 days ago:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/albums/72157719602728326
Some key differences with this routing and the more familiar pre-I-80 route:
- though can't really be driven on anymore by private autos, this likely included Market Street between Van Ness and the Ferry Building in SF
- Does not pass through Vallejo at all (Carquinez Bridge was not added to US 40 until the mid-1930s)
- goes through downtown Oakland, including the southernmost extent of San Pablo Avenue that is now Frank Ogawa Plaza. Very indirect routing even for the time.
- used a windy routing between Crockett and Martinez along the Carquinez Scenic Drive. A 1934 reroute (based on the state highway map of that era) had 40 using what is now the Route 4 corridor from Hercules to Martinez.
- basically follows former Route 21 (now replaced by parallel I-680) between Benicia and Fairfield
I live within walking distance of it in Aberdeen, Maryland and have been on most of it between Baltimore and Wilmington, across the Delaware Memorial Bridge, between I-68 and Uniontown, Pennsylvania, all of its concurrencies with I-70, and a short section in Utah.
I've been on much of US 40. I've driven all of it from Saint Louis into Ohio. I grew up in Marshall, IL, on the original alignment through town.
I have driven it in pieces from east of Kansas City to Atlantic City, save for a short stretch near Casey IL (closed).
US 40 across Indiana is not bad, 4-lane except restriped as 2-lane through some of the towns. US 40 across Illinois is not all that bad either.
US 40 west of Springfield OH seemed slow as is US 40 through WV. Surprisingly, when I drove US 40 through Columbus OH (2015 IIRC) I hardly got caught by any traffic lights (my complements to their traffic engineer).
Nah I wouldn't have much desire to clinch US-40 when almost all of it is parallel to I-70. Now if I was just cruising and didn't care about time I would be ok with it.