Interstate 80 in Utah

Infobox road
state=UT
type=I
route=80
section=113
maint=

---

length_mi=196.35
length_round=2
length_ref=cite web|url=http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/routefinder/table1.cfm|title=FHWA Route Log and Finder List: Table 1 - Interstate System|accessdate=2007-04-30|date=2002-10-31|format=CFM|publisher=FHWA]
year_established=
direction_a=West
terminus_a=Jct|state=NV|I|80 in West Wendover, NV
junction=Jct|state=UT|I|15 in Salt Lake City
Jct|state=UT|US|89 in Salt Lake City
Jct|state=UT|US|40|US|189 near Park City
Jct|state=UT|I|84 in Echo
direction_b=East
terminus_b=Jct|state=WY|I|80|US|189 towards Evanston, WY
previous_type=SR
previous_route=79
next_type=SR
next_route=81In the U.S. state of Utah, Interstate 80 runs east-west through Salt Lake City. It is the replacement for the Lincoln Highway, as well as most of the Victory Highway, in that state.

Route description

After crossing Utah's western border, I-80 crosses the desolate Bonneville Salt Flats west of the Great Salt Lake. The longest stretch between exits on an Interstate Highway is located between Wendover and Knolls, with 37 miles (60 km) between those exits. This portion of I-80, crossing the Great Salt Lake Desert, is extremely flat and straight, dotted with large warning signs about driver fatigue and drowsiness.

East of the salt flats, I-80 passes through Salt Lake City, where it merges with I-15 for three miles before entering the Wasatch Mountains east of the city. It ascends Parley's Canyon as a six lane freeway to an elevation of around 7000' at Parley's Summit, and passes within a few miles of Park City as it follows a route through the mountains towards Wyoming.

History

Lincoln Highway

I-80 is signed as the Lincoln Highway in Utah except in Salt Lake City, where it is routed along State Route 201 and Parley's Way. East of Salt Lake, I-80 closely parallels the original route of the Lincoln Highway. However west of Salt Lake the original route of the Lincoln Highway is un-drivable. The original route of the Lincoln Highway proceeded southwest from Tooele towards Ely, Nevada. This area is now used for military bases such as the Dugway Proving Ground and Tooele Army Depot. When these bases were formed the area was closed to the public. Interstate 80 in Utah and U.S. Route 93 in Nevada are the modern signing of the Lincoln Highway between those two cities.Fact|date=September 2008

Victory Highway

I-80 closely follows the route of the Victory Highway from the Wendover at the Nevada state line to the junction of U.S. Route 40 near Park City.Fact|date=September 2008

Replacement U.S. Routes

From the state line at Wendover to Park City I-80 replaced U.S. Route 40. From Park City to Echo I-80 replaced a what was originally numbered U.S. Route 530 but later numbered U.S. Route 189. From Echo to the Wyoming state line I-80 replaced what was originally numbered U.S. Route 30S and later numbered U.S. Route 189.Fact|date=September 2008

Reconstruction

I-80 began reconstruction of I-80 in August 2007, from US-89 east to 1300 East (former SR-181). Phase one of the project involved temporarily widening bridges on the eastbound side of the freeway to accommodate five lanes (three lanes in one direction and two in the other). The center lane was made reversible so there would be three westbound lanes during the morning commute and three eastbound lanes during the evening commute. Phase two began December of that same year, reconstructing the westbound lanes and replacing the bridges. The bridges were all constructed in advance and then moved to their respective positions, beginning with the Highland Drive bridge, the 900 East bridge, the 700 East bridge, the 600 East bridge, the 500 East bridge, the 300 East bridge, and the 700 East ramp, that will extend over 600 East. The westbound bridge moves were completed 31 July. Phase three will begin fall 2008, involving the eastbound lanes being reconstructed. However, the bridges on the eastbound lanes will be replaced with the traditional manner, constructing them on the spot of where they will lay. When reconstruction is completed, there will be five lanes in each direction with room to expand to six. This is compared to three lanes in each direction before reconstruction.cite web | title=Innovate 80 | publisher=Utah Department of Transportation | url=http://www.udot.utah.gov/i80/ ] cite web | title=UDOT completes bridge moves on I-80, reopens State Street | publisher=KSL-TV | url=http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=3899484 ] cite web | title=Google Maps | publisher=Google | url=http://maps.google.com ]

Exit list

References