U.S. Route 40

Utah The western terminus of US 40 is in Silver Summit, Utah, at an interchange with I-80, several miles north of Park City, at Silver Creek Junction. The road runs concurrently with US 189 until it has reached Heber City. US 40 is a limited access highway from the I-80 junction to its intersection with State Route 32 (SR 32), approximately south of Park City. From there, the road takes a generally southerly course to Heber City. In Heber City, there is an intersection with SR 113. One mile later, US 189 splits off. There are no more major intersections until US 40 has reached Fruitland, as it meets SR 208. About 18 miles later, the road enters Duchesne. In Duchesne, it meets US 191 and SR 87. US 40 passes Duchesne and starts a concurrency. The concurrency continues into Roosevelt, Fort Duchesne and Vernal. In Roosevelt, it meets SR 87 again in a five-point intersection. There are two intersections with SR 121, in Roosevelt and Vernal. In Fort Duchesne, there is an intersection with SR 88. After US 40 passes Vernal, US 191 splits off and the concurrency ends. After that, there are no more major intersections until US 40 reaches Naples, as it meets SR 45. About later, US 40 enters Jensen. In Jensen, there is an intersection with SR 149. About later, the road enters Colorado. Colorado US 40 enters Colorado, west of Dinosaur. In Dinosaur, there is an intersection with State Highway 64 (SH 64). After passing Dinosaur, there are no more major intersections until US 40 reaches Maybell, as it meets with SH 318. Some later, the road enters Craig. In Craig, US 40 starts a very short concurrency with SH 13. After Craig, SH 13 splits off. The road then passes through Hayden without major intersections. Then it exits Hayden and enters Steamboat Springs. There is an intersection with SH 131 and SH 14. US 40 then continues southeast into Kremmling. In Kremmling, there is an intersection with SH 134 and SH 9. It then exits Kremmling and enters Granby. There is an intersection with US 34. The road then passes Fraser and Winter Park without major intersections. About later, US 40 starts a concurrency with I-70. About later, I-70 splits off. s later, it is concurrent again. later, I-70 splits off again. After the second concurrency with I-70, US 40 enters Denver. The road passes through downtown Denver on Colfax Avenue, and has intersections with SH 391, SH 121, SH 95, and SH 2 and an interchange with US 287. The route through Denver also serves as the business loop for I-70. East of Denver, US 40 passes through Aurora and becomes concurrent with I-70 once again. later, it enters Limon. In Limon, I-70 splits off; however, the road is still concurrent with US 287. There is an intersection with SH 71. US 40 then passes Hugo without major intersections. In Wild Horse, it meets SH 94. About later, the road enters Kit Carson. There is an intersection with SH 59. After Kit Carson, US 287 splits off and the concurrency ends. After that, there are no more major intersections until US 40 reaches Cheyenne Wells, as it meets US 385 in an interchange. The road then passes Arapahoe without major intersections. later, US 40 enters Kansas. Kansas in Kansas US 40 enters Kansas near the unincorporated community of Weskan. The first sizable town it enters is Sharon Springs, where it intersects K-27. From there it goes northeast to Oakley and follows Eagle Eye Road before merging with I-70 east of town. The two routes remain merged until Topeka, although the prior alignment of US 40, named Old Highway 40, parallels I-70 for most of the way. From Ellsworth to Salina, the old alignment of US 40 is signed as K-140. In Topeka, US 40 leaves I-70 at exit 366, follows the Oakland Expressway concurrently with K-4 north to 6th Avenue, then heads east along 6th Avenue out of town. Through Topeka, US 40 closely follows the route of the Oregon Trail. At the Shawnee-Douglas county line near Big Springs, US 40 crosses to the south of I-70 and enters Lawrence from the west along West 6th Street. At the west side of Lawrence, the route is joined by K-10 and travels south and east to the junction with US 59 and then runs north with US 59 to cross the Kansas River. It follows North 2nd and North 3rd Streets, crosses back under I-70, leaves US 59, and merges with US 24 On December 1, 2008, US 40, along with US 24 and US 73, was rerouted south along K-7 west of Kansas City to the intersection with I-70. Before this date, US 40 and US 24 continued along State Avenue to College Parkway before turning right to follow Turner Diagonal for where US 40 joined Interstate 70 for the duration of its journey eastward toward Missouri. In 1951, the State of Kansas designated US 40 as a Blue Star Memorial Highway from border to border. Missouri across the Missouri River. The older structure on the right was demolished and replaced by a new bridge in 2015. US 40 enters Missouri in Kansas City along a concurrency with I-70. It leaves I-70 at exit 7A. US 40 parallels I-70 to the north through Kansas City until exit 11, where it crosses and parallels it to the south through the suburbs of Independence, Lee's Summit, Blue Springs, and Grain Valley before it rejoins I-70 at exit 24. An older alignment carries the designation "Old US 40". US 40 stays with I-70 until it reaches Boonville, where it leaves at exit 101, along with Business Loop 70. Both designations follow Ashley Road, before US 40 leaves and heads north along Main Street. After crossing the Missouri River in Boonville, US 40 turns east before rejoining I-70 again at exit 121 on the outskirts of Columbia. At milemarker 124, the US 40 alignment runs north of I-70 for one mile (designated I-70 Drive NW), then crosses under I-70, and continues east south of I-70 to milemarker 128 (designated Business Loop 70), where it entered back on to I-70 eastbound until 2018. This entrance was abandoned when Business Loop 70 was extended by the City of Columbia east, across Hinkson Creek, then south as an outer road to US 63, connecting with Conley Road. The two routes remain concurrent until exit 210A in Wentzville. From Wentzville, US 40 now joins a concurrency with I-64 and US 61 and heads southeast, crossing the Missouri River again over the Daniel Boone Bridge in St. Charles. US 40 stays joined with I-64 and leaves the state in St. Louis on the Poplar Street Bridge across the Mississippi River, along with I-64 and I-55. In the St. Louis metro area, the highway is often called "Highway Forty" since it predates the I-64 designation. Until 1926, US 40 in Missouri was Route 2. On January 2, 2008, of the route in St. Louis was closed both eastbound and westbound from I-170 to I-270. It re-opened December 15, 2008, two weeks ahead of the originally scheduled date of December 31, 2008. On December 13, 2008, another section of the freeway closed both ways from I-170 to the Kingshighway exit in the city. It was re-opened on December 7, 2009, with the speed limit raised to 60 mph on most of the stretch. It is a full freeway all the way from Downtown St. Louis to Wentzville. When complete, the entire new freeway was signed as I-64. Illinois '' sculpture, marks the western terminus of the National Road, a precursor to US 40. The next of US 40 lie within the state of Illinois. Except where the route has been re-aligned with I-70, it is an entirely undivided surface route. Formerly a major highway, it has lost most of its non-local traffic to I-70. Some early bypasses of towns were built with the apparent intention of twinning them as a divided highway with access limited to intersections. I-70 uses none of those old bypasses that remain as sections of US 40. The westernmost portion of the historic National Road lies on most of the US 40 alignment in Illinois. US 40 crosses into Illinois at East St. Louis on the Poplar Street Bridge concurrently with I-55/I-64. The route has a close relationship with I-70 for the remainder of the time it spends in the state, being directly concurrent with or paralleling it throughout Illinois. Between Pocahontas and Mulberry Grove, US 40 passes through several small towns. In Vandalia, Illinois, the former state capitol, it follows Veterans Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard (with US 51) through town. The Old State House in Vandalia marks the western terminus of the National Road, one of the earliest roads upon which US 40 was designated. From Vandalia, the road continues to the northeast passing through the early German settlement town of Teutopolis and several city streets in Effingham. Beyond Effingham, US 40 passes through many small unincorporated towns before leaving the state near Marshall. Indiana ) in downtown Indianapolis US 40 enters Indiana from the west at unincorporated Liggett along with I-70. US 40 leaves the Interstate at exit 11 and heads north through the east side of Terre Haute with State Road 46 (SR 46). The road leaves the city to the northeast upon reaching Wabash Avenue. Upon leaving Terre Haute, US 40 passes through the small towns of Seelyville, Brazil, Knightsville and Harmony. Between Seelyville and Brazil, the road bypasses several small unincorporated communities which are served by SR 340, a former alignment of US 40. The road continues to the northeast beyond Harmony, passing many unincorporated places such as Reelsville, Pleasant Gardens, Manhattan, Putnamville, Mount Meridian, Stilesville and Belleville along the way to Plainfield, a suburb of Indianapolis. US 40's last stop in Indiana is the city of Richmond. In Richmond, it passes a statue known as Madonna of the Trail, one of a series of twelve statues across the country that memorialize women pioneers who made the trek to settle the western U.S. In 1968, a section of US 40 (Main Street) in Richmond was destroyed by a massive gas explosion. This caused a section of Main Street to be closed to automobile traffic, and US 40 was rerouted along North A Street (westbound) and South A Street (eastbound). Near the Indiana–Ohio state line, US 40 crosses I-70 at exit 156B before entering Ohio. The portion of US 40 between Medway-Carlisle Road (SR 517/County Road 303) and Lammes Lane in Bethel Township, Clark County, is designated "Staff Sergeant Wesley Williams Memorial Highway", in honor of a 2005 Tecumseh High School graduate who died on December 10, 2012, while serving in the U.S. Army, from injuries suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. In Springfield, US 40 is split between two one-way streets. North Street carries US 40 westbound and Columbia Street carries US 40 eastbound. The route then shifts on to East Main Street before leaving town to the east, once again as National Road. From Tuttle Road just east of Springfield to SR 54 in South Vienna, US 40 has been designated as the Deputy Matthew Yates Memorial Highway. Yates was killed inside a trailer on July 24, 2022, at Harmony Estates MHP as he responded to a report of a shooting. I-70 crosses again at unincorporated Harmony. US 40 passes just north of London where it intersects SR 56 and US 42 before heading into West Jefferson. In West Jefferson, US 40 is routed on Main Street. At Hancock, where the state of Maryland narrows to less than wide, I-68 ends, and US 40 merges onto I-70 at exit 1. The two routes closely follow the course of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the Potomac River for several miles before US 40 leaves I-70 at exit 9. US 40 passes directly through the center of Hagerstown using Washington Avenue (eastbound) and Franklin Street (westbound). Here, it intersects I-81 and has an intersection with US 11. Heading southeast out of Hagerstown, US 40 diverges into two separate routes, US 40 and Alt. US 40. US 40 parallels I-70, its longtime travel partner, crossing it at exit 32 near Greenbrier State Park on the Baltimore National Pike alignment. Alt. US 40 heads southeast on the Old National Pike alignment through Boonsboro, crossing South Mountain at Turner's Gap. The two routes converge just west of Frederick. After crossing the Jones Falls Expressway (I-83), US 40 follows Orleans Street, and finally becomes the Pulaski Highway as it leaves Baltimore to the northeast. US 40 enters the borough of Woodstown concurrently with Route 45 along West Avenue; it leaves town heading southeast. In Upper Pittsgrove Township, the road changes names to the Pole Tavern-Elmer Road. Passing through Elmer it becomes Chestnut Street and then the Elmer-Malaga Road. In Malaga, it runs concurrent with Route 47 (Delsea Drive). The route bypasses the city of Vineland to the northeast, and becomes Cape May Avenue in Hamilton Township, where it crosses Route 50 in Mays Landing. US 40 merges with US 322 and the Black Horse Pike in McKee City. The two routes enter Atlantic City along Albany Avenue and pass the Atlantic City Airport. US 40 and US 322 both reach their eastern terminus at the intersection of Albany Avenue and Ventnor Avenue. ==History==

Early roads US 40's history can be traced back several centuries. Several well established Native American footpaths, including Nemacolin's Path and Mingo Path in the Maryland-Pennsylvania area, followed similar alignments to US 40. Early American colonists established roads, some following the established Native American paths, that would later serve as US 40. These included a segment of post road between Wilmington, Delaware, and Baltimore, Maryland. In 1755, during the French and Indian Wars, General Edward Braddock blazed a trail en route to capture Fort Duquesne (modern Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). US 40 closely follows this route between Cumberland, Maryland, and Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Early in the history of the U.S., the state of Maryland established a network of turnpikes for long-distance travel. Three of these would later serve as part of US 40: the Baltimore and Havre de Grace Turnpike, the Baltimore and Frederick Turnpike, and Bank Road. Colonel Ebenezer Zane (for whom Zanesville, Ohio was named) blazed some of the first trails across the Ohio wilderness in the last years of the 18th century. Zane's Trace, as his road was called, stretched from Wheeling, West Virginia, to Maysville, Kentucky. With some minor alignment differences, US 40 closely matches the segment from Wheeling to Zanesville. Between the cities of Lawrence and Topeka, Kansas, US 40 follows the path of the Oregon Trail. During the 19th century, the Oregon Trail served as a major thoroughfare for people emigrating to the Pacific Northwest. Between 1850 and 1852, some 65,000–70,000 people traveled the trail. The National Road was absorbed into the National Old Trails Ocean-to-Ocean highway, a route from New York, New York, to Los Angeles, California, in the early 20th century. The National Road became US 40 in the original 1925 plan for U.S. Routes. To this day, many places still name US 40 "National Road", even where the alignment was moved from the original road. Besides US 40, much of the National Road is paralleled by segments of I-68 and I-70. According to a 1926 guide published about the Victory Highway, it was the fastest route between San Francisco and Salt Lake City, allowing travellers to complete the trip "comfortably and in high gear in from three to four days". Controversy over the routing of US 40 over the Victory Highway led to a divided route; US 40S followed the Victory Highway and US 40N took a more northerly route. From 1926 to 1935 the route split in Manhattan, Kansas, into US 40N and US 40S routes; the two routes met again in Limon, Colorado. The US 40S route continued on to Grand Junction, Colorado. In 1935, the split routes were eliminated. US 40N between Manhattan and Limon and then US 40S from Limon to Grand Junction was replaced by US 24, the remainder was renumbered as simply US 40. New alignments for the road were designated in Maryland in 1948 and in Utah in 1950. California's segment of the highway was decommissioned in 1964. By 1966, the western terminus moved to Reno, Nevada. The road shortened again in 1975, to its current western end at Silver Creek Junction, Utah. In 1998, the California segment was given a sort of rebirth with the designation of Historic Route 40 through that state. Further realignments occurred in Utah where the highway was re-routed for the Jordanelle Reservoir in the mid-1990s, and Kansas City, Kansas, in 1999 to make way for the Kansas Speedway. On December 1, 2008, a further realignment in Kansas City rerouted US 40 away from State Avenue and the Turner Diagonal and onto K-7 and I-70. "In 1998 [Eddie Lange] persuaded the California legislature to designate Route 40 between Reno and San Francisco as Historic Route 40." Together with Trish Gray, the duo designed the signs and a program where local businesses could donate funds to have a sign erected near their business along the route. The signs can now be found throughout the California route and is a popular route for motorcycle clubs and other travel enthusiasts. Historical route California The former route of US 40 in California generally runs parallel to modern I-80. • In Contra Costa County it is San Pablo Avenue, now signed as SR 123. • Portions of Historic Route 40 exist in Vallejo, along 5th Street, Alameda Street and Broadway. • North of Vallejo the route goes up American Canyon • In Cordelia and Suisun City, the original route is along Cordelia Road. It is also signed as a historic route. An older alignment runs north of Cordelia Road on Pittman Road, across I-80 where it turns into Suisun Valley Road and then turns east on Rockville Road where it crosses I-80 again and turns into N. Texas Street. • The original route is preserved as Texas Street in Fairfield. • The original alignment between Fairfield and Vacaville can be found on Cherry Glen Road. • In Vacaville the highway is preserved as Monte Vista Avenue. • An older alignment goes north from Vacaville to Midway Road on Browns Valley Rd, then east before turning northeast into Dixon on Porter Road, then along an old bypass of downtown Dixon north, N. Adams Street, then north along 1st Street, across I-80 onto Currey Road, then east on Sievers Road to Pedrick Road, then north on Pedrick Road to Russell Boulevard. • In Davis, the highway is now Russell Boulevard, then B Street to 1st Street, then Richards Blvd. to Olive Drive. A segment of the eastbound lanes of the old US 40 expressway are accessible east of Davis on CR 32A. • In Sacramento the highway entered the city via the Tower Bridge and followed the routes of modern Capitol Avenue, SR 160 and Auburn Boulevard. • Between Roseville and Auburn, the highway is known Pacific Street through Rocklin, then Taylor Road to northeast of Newcastle, and then Ophir Road to its junction with I-80 just south of Auburn. Through the Sierra Nevada many portions are still drivable, crossing I-80. Portions still drivable include • Applegate Road in Applegate • Hampshire Rocks Road in a rural area near Cisco • Donner Pass Road over Donner Pass and into Truckee Between Truckee and the Nevada state line, the former route of US 40 is mostly visible from the freeway, but not drivable as a contiguous route. Portions accessible include Glenshire Drive, Hirshdale Road, and Floriston Way. From 1954 to 1964, an alternate route US 40 was available, especially during winter, to avoid Donner Pass. Donner Pass, elevation , might be closed in winter. This alternate route used Beckwourth Pass, elevation of . Since Beckwourth Pass is nearly lower than Donner Pass, it could be kept open longer. Alt. US 40 departed from the main track of US 40 near Davis and ran north along what was then signed as US 99W into Woodland. • From Woodland, Alt. US 40 ran north along SR 24 through Knights Landing and Robbins into Yuba City. Most of the section from Woodland to Yuba City is now signed as SR 113. • From Yuba City, Alt. US 40 ran east through Marysville, then north through Oroville. • Continuing north and northeast, Alt. US 40 reached Paxton, then turned south and southeast to Quincy and Beckwourth. • East of Beckwourth Pass, Alt. US 40 descended to meet US 395 at what is now Hallelujah Junction, and followed US 395 into Reno to meet mainline US 40. The section from Marysville to US 395 was then still an extension of SR 24, but is now signed as SR 70, although much of the old highway was moved further west before Lake Oroville was dammed and flooded in 1968. Nevada In Nevada, US 40 was also directly replaced by I-80. All of the I-80 business loops use the historical route of US 40. In the Truckee Meadows the route is still drivable as 3rd Street in Verdi and 4th Street in Reno and Victorian Avenue in Sparks. In rural Nevada the highway forms the business loops for Wadsworth, Fernley, Lovelock, Winnemucca, Battle Mountain, Carlin, Elko, and West Wendover. The route and its former alignments can be seen (and some still driven) all along the routing of I-80. Much of the right-of-way of old US 40 has been either demolished or left to natural degradation. Utah In Wendover the former route of US 40 is signed as SR 58 and runs along the Wendover Cut-off, south of (and in view of) I-80, across the Bonneville Salt Flats. The route re-emerges from the shadow of I-80 as SR 138 through Grantsville and Tooele. I-80 was directly paved over the former route of US 40 through Parley's Canyon and over Parley's Summit, with very little of the original pavement remaining through the mountains. East of the Wasatch Mountains is the modern terminus of US 40. Two routes existed through Salt Lake City. West of Temple Square US 40 was consistently routed on North Temple Street. East of Temple Square US 40 had two alignments, originally departing Temple Square south along State Street concurrently with US 91 and US 89 to 2100 south. The road then used 2100 South and Parley's Way, towards Parley's Canyon. Later US 40 was moved to Foothill Drive, along modern SR 186, with the 2100 south routing becoming Alt. US 40. The two routes converged at the mouth of Parley's Canyon. ==Major intersections==

;Utah : in Silver Creek Junction. US 40/US 189 have a hidden concurrency to Heber City. : in Duchesne. The highways travel concurrently to Vernal. ;Colorado : in Granby : east of Empire. The highways travel concurrently to east of Idaho Springs, and intersect again in Golden. There are numerous intersections and overlaps of US 40 and I-70 between here and Maryland. : in Denver. The highways travel concurrently to east of Kit Carson. : in Denver : in Aurora : in Aurora. I-70/US 40 travels concurrently to Limon. US 36/US 40 travel concurrently to Byers. : west-northwest of Limon. The highways travel concurrently to east-southeast of Limon. : in Cheyenne Wells. The highways travel concurrently to east of Cheyenne Wells. ;Kansas : in Oakley. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in WaKeeney : in Hays : south of Russell : northwest of Salina : in Junction City : in Topeka. US 40/US 75 travels concurrently through the city. : in Lawrence. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Lawrence. US 24/US 40 travels concurrently to Kansas City, Missouri. : on the Kansas City–Bonner Springs city line. The highways travel concurrently into Bonner Springs proper. : in Bonner Springs. I-70/US 40 travels concurrently to Kansas City, Missouri. : on the Edwardsville–Kansas City city line : in Kansas City : in Kansas City. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Kansas City : in Kansas City. US 40/US 169 travels concurrently to Kansas City, Missouri. ;Missouri : in Kansas City. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Kansas City. US 40/US 71 travels concurrently through Kansas City. : in Independence : south of Marshall : in Kingdom City : in Wentzville. I-64/US 40 travels concurrently to East St. Louis, Illinois. US 40/US 61 travels concurrently to the Frontenac–Ladue city line. : in Town and Country : on the Frontenac–Ladue city line : in Richmond Heights : in St. Louis. I-55/US 40 travels concurrently to Troy, Illinois. ;Illinois : in East St. Louis. I-70/US 40 travel concurrently to Troy. : in Collinsville : in Vandalia. The highways travel concurrently to east of Vandalia. : in Effingham. The highways travel concurrently through the city. ;Indiana : in Terre Haute : north-northwest of Cloverdale : in Indianapolis. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Indianapolis. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Indianapolis : in Indianapolis. US 40/US 421 travels concurrently through the city. : in Indianapolis. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Richmond ;Indiana–Ohio line : in Richmond, IN, and Jefferson Township, OH ;Ohio : in Monroe Township : in Vandalia : west of Springfield : in Lafayette : in Lincoln Village : in Columbus. US 40/US 62 travels concurrently through the city. : in Columbus : in Columbus : in Zanesville. The highways travel concurrently to Cambridge. : in Cambridge Township : in Bridgeport. The highways travel concurrently to Wheeling, West Virginia. ;West Virginia : in Wheeling ;Pennsylvania : in Washington. The highways travel concurrently to South Strabane Township. : in Amwell Township : in Uniontown. The highways travel concurrently to South Union Township. ;Maryland : in Keysers Ridge. I-68/US 40 travels concurrently to Hancock. US 40/US 219 travels concurrently to east-southeast of Grantsville. : in Cumberland. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : north-northwest of Hancock. I-70/US 40 travels concurrently to Indian Springs. US 40/US 522 travels concurrently to Hancock. : in Hagerstown : in Hagerstown : in Frederick. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Frederick : in Frederick. I-70/US 40 travels concurrently to West Friendship. Between Colorado and here, I-70 has numerous intersections and overlaps with US 40. : in Ellicott City : in Catonsville : in Baltimore : in Baltimore : in Rosedale ;Delaware : in State Road. The highways travel concurrently to Wilmington Manor. : in Wilmington Manor : in Wilmington Manor. I-295/US 40 travels concurrently to Pennsville Township, New Jersey. ;New Jersey : in Pennsville Township : in Hamilton Township. The highways travel concurrently to Atlantic City. : in Pleasantville : Atlantic Avenue / Pacific Avenue in Atlantic City ==See also==