Interstate 40

Interstate 40
Route information
Length:	2,555.10 mi[1] (4,112.03 km)
Major junctions
West end:	I-15 in Barstow, California
	I-25 in Albuquerque, New Mexico I-44 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma I-35 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma I-30 in Little Rock, Arkansas I-55 in Memphis, Tennessee I-65 in Nashville, Tennessee I-75 in Knoxville, Tennessee I-73 in Greensboro, North Carolina I-95 in Benson, North Carolina
East end:	US 117 / NC 132in Wilmington, North Carolina
Highway system
Main route of the Interstate Highway System Main • Auxiliary • Business

Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major west–east Interstate Highway in the United States. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Much of the western part of I-40, from Oklahoma City to Barstow, parallels or overlays the historic U.S. Route 66. I-40 intersects with eight of the 10 primary north–south interstates (all except I-5 and I-45) and also with the major Interstate routes I-24, I-30, I-44, I-77, and I-81.

Route description

California

Interstate 40 is a major east–west route of the Interstate Highway System. Its western end is in Barstow, California, United States. Known as the Needles Freeway, it heads east from Barstow across the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County to Needles, before it crosses into Arizona west of Kingman. I-40 covers 155 miles (249 km) in California.

A sign in California showing the distance to Wilmington, North Carolina has been stolen several times. ^[2]

Arizona

Interstate 40 is a main route to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, with the exits leading into Grand Canyon National Park in Williams and Flagstaff. I-40 covers 359 miles (578 km) in Arizona.

New Mexico

I-40 covers 374 miles (602 km) in New Mexico. Notable cities along I-40 include Albuquerque, Santa Rosa, Tucumcari, Grants and Gallup. I-40 also travels through several different Indian Reservations in the western half of the state.

An at-grade intersection on I-40 in Texas, as of 2003.

Texas

In the west Texas panhandle area, there are several ranch roads connected directly to the interstate. One of the marked at-grade crossings is shown to the left. The only major city in Texas that is directly served by I-40 is Amarillo, which connects with Interstate 27 that runs south toward Lubbock.

Oklahoma

Interstate 40 goes through the heart of the state, passing through many Oklahoma cities and towns, including Erick, Sayre, Elk City, Clinton, Weatherford, El Reno, Yukon, Oklahoma City, Midwest City, Shawnee, Okemah, Henryetta, Checotah, Sallisaw, and Roland. (NOTE: Fort Smith, AR is accessible from I-40 at Roland, OK via US Hwy 64.) I-40 covers 331 miles (533 km) in Oklahoma. In Oklahoma City there is a section called the crosstown, the east end of which is at its intersection with Interstate 35 and the west end at about May Avenue just south of the Oklahoma State Fair. There is an on going project to relocate this section of the interstate a few blocks south because of the condition of the crosstown bridge.

Arkansas

In West Memphis, Arkansas, Interstate 40 is credited as a Blue Star Memorial Highway.

I-40 passes through several notable towns and cities in Arkansas. In the west of the state, it passes through Van Buren, Alma, Ozark, Clarksville, Russellville, Atkins, Morrilton and Conway. Fort Smith and Fayetteville are accessible via I-540, which intersects I-40 at Van Buren and overlaps it through Alma. The interstate also passes through Conway and North Little Rock in central Arkansas, and Brinkley and West Memphis on the eastern side. It is a major thoroughfare for commerce; I-30's eastern end at I-40 in North Little Rock causes the I-40 to carry more commercial traffic in the eastern side than it does in the western side.

I-40 covers 284 miles (457 km) in Arkansas.

Tennessee

More of Interstate 40 passes through Tennessee, 455 miles (732 km), than any other state. The interstate goes through all of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee and its three largest cities, Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville. Jackson, Lebanon, Cookeville, Crossville, and Newport are other notable cities and/or towns through which I-40 passes. Before leaving the state, I-40 enters the Great Smoky Mountains.

The section of Interstate 40 which runs between Memphis and Nashville is often referred to as "Music Highway".

A long section of I-40 through downtown Knoxville near the central Malfunction Junction was completely closed to traffic on May 1, 2008 and not reopened until June 12, 2009, because of a complete reconstruction. Through traffic had to use the Interstate 640 northern bypass route. The closed section was two lanes in each direction, congested, and had many accidents.^[3][4]

Interstate 40 traveling through Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Western North Carolina.

North Carolina

In North Carolina, I-40 merges with I-85 between Greensboro and Hillsborough, just west of Durham. In Alamance County, the highway is also known as the Sam Hunt Freeway. Due to a recent rerouting of I-85 around Greensboro, I-40 departs from it eight miles (13 km) east of the original split. From February to Mid September 2008 I-40 was moved to a new alignment south of Greensboro, which also carries the new I-85 bypass and will eventually carry Interstate 73 as well, while the old I-40 through Greensboro became a second I-40 freeway Business Loop. However, on September 12, 2008 after complaints from motorists and residents, NCDOT got permission from the FHWA to put the I-40 back onto the old alignment through Greensboro. This resulted in the decommissioning of Interstate 40 Business through Greensboro. This was also done to maintain federal funding on the old I-40 route. To make up for the removal of I-40 from the loop, US 421 was rerouted onto I-40's previous alignment. I-40 covers 407 miles (655 km) in North Carolina.

In violation of Interstate standards, I-40 has one marked and two unmarked at-grade crossings in western North Carolina. About eight miles (13 km) from the Tennessee state-line in North Carolina, when going westwards, a sign for "Hurricane Creek Road" appears. Hurricane Creek Road is a local dirt road whose quality is below that of the shoulder, and the intersection is controlled by a stop sign. It is a right-in, right-out entrance. Two other unmarked local roads directly link onto I-40 in the area, including a private access road for Walters Dam between mile markers 11 and 12 on the westbound side.^[5]

A standard distance sign exists near the start of the westbound section of I-40 in Wilmington that indicates the distance to Barstow, California as 2,554 miles (4,110 km). Although NCDOT has stated it wouldn't be replaced after frequent thefts, as of May 14, 2010, the sign is present.

On October 25, 2009, Interstate 40 was closed at the North Carolina and Tennessee border due to a landslide at Mile Marker 2.6 just east of the Tennessee state line. All Traffic was detoured via Interstates 26 and 81, and non-heavy load traffic via US 25/70.^[6] The roadway was reopened on April 25, 2010 with some remaining limitations on westbound traffic.^[7]

Landslides are common in the Pigeon River Gorge section along the Tennessee and North Carolina border. Here the roadway was cut into the slopes of several steep mountains. Accidents on the winding road are also common especially during bad weather.

History

For about 1,000 miles (1,600 km), I-40 follows the general route of the Beale Wagon Road from Arkansas to California. The Beale Wagon Road was built in 1857-59 by a team led by Lt. Edward Fitzgerald Beale using a team of camels as pack animals.

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, I-40 was originally meant to replace Central Avenue through the center of the city. However, due to development and public opposition, a route running to the north of that one was chosen. The freeway intersects Central Ave. at both ends of the city.

In 1957, the California Department of Highways proposed that the route be renumbered to Interstate 30, instead, because of the already existing U.S. Route 40 in the state. Then, U.S. Rte-40 was decommissioned in California in 1964, as a part of a major revamping of California's overall highway numbering system, so the problem disappeared.^[8]

The California State government submitted State Route 58 between Barstow and Bakersfield for I-40 extension potential in 1956 and 1968, though those requests were rejected.^[9] This portion of SR 58 was once signed as the U.S. Route 466.

From 1963 to 1966, the US government considered a plan, part of Operation Plowshare, to use atomic bombs to excavate a path for I-40 through California. The project was scuttled largely due to the cost of developing the explosives and due to the unavailability of a "clean bomb".^[10]

In Memphis, I-40 was originally intended to go through the city's Overton Park toward downtown. Several miles of interstate were actually built within the I-240 loop. That portion of highway still exists, and it is in regular use as the non-Interstate Sam Cooper Boulevard, reaching the eastern end of the "Chickasaw Country Club". Environmentalist opposition, combined with a victory in the United States Supreme Court by opponents of the Overton Park route (see Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe) forced abandonment of the original plans, and the road never reached the park. For over 20 years, I-40 signs existed on the dead-end route toward Overton Park. Eventually, the northern span of the Interstate 240 loop was redesignated as I-40.

Originally, I-40 was constructed through downtown Winston-Salem, and it continued to follow that route until a new urban bypass route was built. After the bypass was completed around 1992, I-40 was relocated to the new freeway. The old highway was then redesignated as Interstate 40 Business, creating a business route that is actually an expressway for its entire length, a rarity among business routes. There are arguments that the former I-40 expressway in Winston-Salem should become an interstate again, especially since the road is currently undergoing an upgrade. There are no even loop numbers left for I-40, however, since the NCDOT has plans to use last available one Interstate 840 for the northern loop of a beltway that is being built around nearby Greensboro.

The I-40 Bridge Disaster occurred on May 26, 2002 when a barge collided with a bridge foundation member near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, causing a 580-foot (177 m) section of the I-40 bridge to plunge into the Arkansas River. Automobiles and semi-trailers fell into the water, killing fourteen people.

The "Big I" I-25 and I-40 interchange in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was given an honorable mention by the United States Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration for excellence in urban highway design in 2002.^[11]

When the last portion of I-40, connecting Wilmington to Raleigh, was completed in the late 1980s, Charles Kuralt stated:

Major intersections

• Interstate 15 in Barstow, California
• Interstate 17 in Flagstaff, Arizona
• Interstate 25 in Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Interstate 27 in Amarillo, Texas
• Interstate 35 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Interstate 44 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Interstate 30 in North Little Rock, Arkansas
• Interstate 55 in West Memphis, Arkansas (the freeways are merged throughout this town)
• Proposed Interstate 69 in Memphis, Tennessee
• Interstate 24 in Nashville, Tennessee merged for approximately 2 miles (3.2 km)
• Interstate 65 in Nashville, Tennessee merged for approximately 3 miles (4.8 km)
• Interstate 75 near Dixie Lee Junction, Tennessee. They stay merged until Knoxville, Tennessee.
• Interstate 81 near Dandridge, Tennessee
• Interstate 26 in Asheville, North Carolina
• Interstate 77 in Statesville, North Carolina
• Future Interstate 74 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• Future Interstate 73 in Greensboro, North Carolina
• Interstate 85 in Greensboro, North Carolina. They stay merged until Hillsborough, North Carolina.
• Interstate 95 in Benson, North Carolina (Map)

Exit list

Arkansas

County	Location	#	Destinations	Notes
Crawford		1	SH-64D south - Fort Smith, Dora	Eastbound exit is in Oklahoma and is signed as exit 330
	Van Buren	3	Lee Creek Road
		5	Hwy. 59 – Van Buren, Siloam Springs
		7	I-540 south / U.S. 71 south – Van Buren, Fort Smith	West end of I-540/U.S. 71 overlap
	Alma	12	I-540 north – Fayetteville	East end of I-540 overlap
		13	U.S. 71 north – Alma	East end of U.S. 71 overlap
	Mulberry	20	Dyer, Mulberry
		24	Hwy. 215 – Mulberry
Franklin	Ozark	35	Hwy. 23 – Ozark, Huntsville
		37	Hwy. 219 – Ozark
	Wiederkehr Village	41	Hwy. 186 – Altus
Johnson		47	Hwy. 164 – Hartman, Coal Hill
	Clarksville	55	U.S. 64 to Hwy. 109 – Hartman, Scranton, Clarksville
		57	Clarksville
		58	Hwy. 103 to Hwy. 21 – Clarksville
	Lamar	64	U.S. 64 – Lamar
	Knoxville	67	Hwy. 315 – Knoxville
Pope	London	74	Hwy. 333 – London
		78	U.S. 64 – Russellville
	Russellville	81	Hwy. 7 – Russellville Arkansas Ave.
		83	Hwy. 326 – Russellville Weir Road
		84	Hwy. 331 to U.S. 64 – Russellville
	Pottsville	88	Pottsville (Hwy. 363)
	Atkins	94	Hwy. 105 – Atkins
Conway		101	Blackwell
	Morrilton	107	Hwy. 95 – Morrilton
		108	Hwy. 9 – Morrilton
	Plumerville	112	Hwy. 92 north – Plumerville
	Menifee	117	Menifee
Faulkner	Conway	124	Hwy. 25 north – Conway	As of May 1, 2008 this exit now includes on-ramps and off-ramps in both directions.
		125	U.S. 65 north / U.S. 65B south – Greenbrier, Harrison, Conway	West end of U.S. 65 overlap
		127	U.S. 64 – Vilonia, Conway, Beebe
		129	U.S. 65B north / Hwy. 286 (Dave Ward Drive) to Hwy. 60	Signed as exits 129A (east) and 129B (north/west) westbound
	Mayflower	135	Hwy. 89 to Hwy. 365 – Mayflower
Pulaski		142	Hwy. 365 – Morgan, Maumelle
	North Little Rock	147	I-430 south – Texarkana
		148	Hwy. 100 (Crystal Hill Road)
		150	Burns Park
		152	Hwy. 365 – Levy	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		152	Hwy. 176 – Levy	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		153A	Hwy. 107 north
		153B	I-30 west / U.S. 65 south / U.S. 67 south / U.S. 167 south – Little Rock	East end of U.S. 65 overlap; west end of U.S. 67/U.S. 167 overlap
		154	Lakewood	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		155	U.S. 67 north / U.S. 167 north – Little Rock AFB, Jacksonville	East end of U.S. 67/U.S. 167 overlap
		156	Springhill Drive — Baptist Health Medical Center-NLR
		157	Hwy. 161 – Prothro Junction
		159	I-440 west / Hwy. 440 east – Jacksonville, Texarkana
		161	Hwy. 391 – Galloway
Lonoke		165	Kerr Road
		169	Hwy. 15 (Remington Road)
	Lonoke	175	Hwy. 31 – Lonoke, Beebe
	Carlisle	183	Hwy. 13 – Carlisle
Prairie	Hazen	193	U.S. 63 south / Hwy. 11 – Hazen, Des Arc	West end of U.S. 63 overlap
		202	Hwy. 33 – Biscoe, De Valls Bluff
Monroe	Brinkley	216	U.S. 49 to Hwy. 17 – Brinkley, Cotton Plant
St. Francis	Wheatley	221	Hwy. 78 – Wheatley, Marianna
	Palestine	233	Hwy. 261 – Palestine
		239	Hwy. 1 – Wynne, Marianna
	Forrest City	241	Hwy. 1B – Forrest City, Wynne	Signed as exits 241A (south) and 241B (north)
		242	Hwy. 284 (Crowley's Ridge Road)
		247	Hwy. 38 east – Hughes, Widener
		256	Hwy. 75 – Parkin
		260	Hwy. 149 – Earle
Crittenden	Jennette	265	Hwy. 218 to U.S. 79 – Hughes
	West Memphis	271	Hwy. 147
		275	Hwy. 118 (North Airport Road)
		276	To Hwy. 77 (Missouri Street) / Rich Road	Eastbound exit only
		277	I-55 north (U.S. 61 north/U.S. 63 north/U.S. 64 west) – Blytheville, Jonesboro, St. Louis	East end of U.S. 63 overlap; west end of I-55/U.S. 61/U.S. 64 overlap
		278	Hwy. 77 (Missouri Street) / Hwy. 191 (7th Street)
		279A	Ingram Boulevard
		279B	I-55 south (U.S. 61 south/U.S. 64 east) - Memphis, Jackson	East end of I-55/U.S. 61/U.S. 64 overlap; eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		280	Club Road
		281	Hwy. 131 (Mound City Road)	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance

Auxiliary routes

• I-140 - Alcoa - Knoxville - Oak Ridge area
• I-140 - Wilmington, North Carolina
• I-240 - Asheville, North Carolina
• I-240 - Memphis, Tennessee
• I-240 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• I-440 - Little Rock, Arkansas
• I-440 - Nashville, Tennessee
• I-440 - Raleigh, North Carolina
• I-540 - Spurs to Fort Smith, Arkansas, and Bentonville, Ark. It is proposed to become part of an extended Interstate 49
• I-540 - Raleigh, North Carolina
• I-640 - Knoxville, Tennessee
• I-840 - Greensboro, North Carolina

In Oklahoma City, the designation I-440 had been given to a stretch of Interstate Highway from I-240 to US-66. It was a part of Grand Boulevard that had been built in compliace with Interstate standards. In 1982, as part of Oklahoma's "Diamond Jubilee", I-44's western terminus was moved from the I-35/I-44 junction to the Texas/Oklahoma state-line via the Belle Isle Freeway (connecting I-440 with I-35); I-440, the H.E. Bailey Turnpike; and the turnpike connector road on the eastern edge of Lawton, Oklahoma. The I-440 number was dropped at the time, but it might return again sometime in the future.

Auxiliary routes of Interstate 40 Oklahoma: 240 — Arkansas: 440 • 540 — Tennessee: 140 • 240 • 440 • 640 — North Carolina: 140 • 240 • 440 • 540 • 840 (future)

See also

Business routes

• Interstate 40 Business in Raleigh, North Carolina, now Interstate 440
• Interstate 40 Business (North Carolina) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and formerly in Greensboro, too
• Interstate 40 Business in Oklahoma - Sallisaw; Henryetta; El Reno; Weatherford; Clinton; Elk City; Sayre; and Erick, Oklahoma
• Interstate 40 Business in Texas - Shamrock; McLean; Groom; Amarillo; Vega; Adrian, Texas; and Glenrio, New Mexico and Texas
• Interstate 40 Business in New Mexico - Tucumcari; Santa Rosa; Albuquerque; Grants, Mount Taylor, and Gallup, New Mexico
• Interstate 40 Business in Arizona — Spur to Winslow; Loops through Winslow; Flagstaff; Williams; Ash Fork; Seligman; and Kingman, Arizona
• Interstate 40 Business in California - Needles, California

References

External links

• The Beale Wagon Road
• The I-40 Bridge Disaster (broken link)

California

• WestCoastRoads - Interstate 40
• California Highways: I-40
• Cal-NExUS: Route 40 West
• Cal-NExUS: Route 40 East

edit Main Interstate Highways (major interstates highlighted)
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Lists		Primary			Main - Intrastate - Suffixed - Future - Gaps
		Auxiliary			Main - Future - Unsigned
		Other			Standards - Business - Bypassed