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Interstate 40Interstate 40 is a major west-east interstate highway in the United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern terminus is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina State Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Much of the western portion of I-40, from Oklahoma City to Barstow, follows historic Route 66.
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Interstate 40 is a major west-east interstate highway in the United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern terminus is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina State Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Much of the western portion of I-40, from Oklahoma City to Barstow, follows historic Route 66. Route descriptionCaliforniaState lawLegal Definition of Route 40: Lengthofficially-designated control cities for signs. - Barstow, California
- Needles, California
- Kingman, Arizona
- Flagstaff, Arizona
- Gallup, New Mexico
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Santa Rosa, New Mexico
- Tucumcari, New Mexico
- Amarillo, Texas
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Fort Smith, Arkansas
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Knoxville, Tennessee
- Asheville, North Carolina
- Statesville, North Carolina
- Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Greensboro, North Carolina
- Durham, North Carolina
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Benson, North Carolina
- Wilmington, North Carolina
Note: Los Angeles, California is also used as a control city west of the New Mexico-Texas state line, even though I-40 does not enter Los Angeles, and neither does the interstate at its western terminus Intersections with other interstates... in Midwest City, Oklahoma... in Van Buren, Arkansas ... in North Little Rock, Arkansas ... in Memphis, Tennessee ... in Nashville, Tennessee ... in Knoxville, Tennessee ... in Asheville, North Carolina ... between Durham and Raleigh, North Carolina... in Raleigh, North Carolina Spur routes... - Farragut, Tennessee... - Wilmington, North Carolina... - Asheville, North Carolina... - Memphis, Tennessee... - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma... - Little Rock, Arkansas... - Nashville, Tennessee... - Raleigh, North Carolina... - Spurs to Fort Smith, Arkansas and Bentonville, Arkansas; proposed to become part of an expanded Interstate 49... - Raleigh, North Carolina... - Greensboro, North CarolinaNotes- The I-40 Bridge Disaster occurred on May 26, 2002 when a barge collided with a bridge support near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, causing a 580 foot section of the I-40 bridge to plunge into the Arkansas River. Automobiles and semi-trucks fell into the water killing 14 people, including a three-year-old girl.
- At each end of the interstate is a sign giving the distance along I-40 to the other end. Photos: from , from
- I-40 also has a conventional mileage sign in New Mexico to the east of San Jon which probably bears the longest distance on such a sign. The sign shows 1007 miles for Los Angeles, although I-40 doesn't actually go there .
- Because I-40 goes through the Mojave Desert in California , its unofficial name is the Mojave Freeway.
- 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; this portion of highway still exists and is in regular use as Sam Cooper Boulevard, reaching the eastern end of Chickasaw Country Club. Public opposition, combined with a victory in the United States Supreme Court by opponents of the Overton Park route forced abandonment of the original plans, and the road never reached the park. For several years, I-40 signage existed on the dead-end route toward Overton Park. Eventually, the northern portion of the I-240 loop was redesignated as I-40.
| align="center" colspan="2" | City nickname [i]:"California's Country Music Capital" ... for I-40 extension potential in 1956 and 1968, though those requests were rejected. This portion of Highway 58 was once signed as U.S. Highway 466. There's also the possibility that I-40 will be extended even further west, to Interstate 5 or U.S. Route 101 . - 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 east of the original split. However, I-40 will be moved to a new alignment south of Greensboro, which currently carries the new I-85 bypass and will eventually carry Interstate 73 as well. The existing I-40 through Greensboro will become a second I-40 freeway Business Loop once the new alignment is finished by 2007. The concurrency with I-85 will be extended another 12 miles on this new alignment.
- The first Business Loop of I-40, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is actually a freeway for its entire length, a rarity for Business Interstates. That's because I-40 was originally routed through downtown Winston-Salem, and it continued to follow that route until a new bypass was built. After the bypass was completed around 1992, I-40 was relocated to the new freeway. There are arguments that the former I-40 freeway 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's being built around nearby Greensboro. Other Business Loop freeways include the former Interstate 80 in Sacramento, California and two separate sections of what was once the mainline of Interstate 85 in Spartanburg, South Carolina and Greensboro, North Carolina. ... around Nashville, Tennessee was once planned to completely surround the city. But in October 2003, Tennessee DOT discontinued plans for a northern loop around the city. Currently the Highway is signed as Tennessee 840. - In Oklahoma City, the designation I-440 had been given to a stretch of Interstate highway from I-240 to US-66; a part of Grand Boulevard that had been built compliant 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 border via the Belle Isle Freeway , I-440, the H.E. Bailey Turnpike, and the turnpike connector road on the eastern edge of Lawton, Oklahoma. The I-440 designation was dropped at the time, but may return in the future.
- 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 path going northward was chosen. The freeway intersects Central at either end of the city.
- In violation of Interstate standards, I-40 has one marked and two unmarked at-grade crossings in western North Carolina. About eight miles from the Tennessee border in North Carolina, when going westbound, a sign for "Hurricane Road" will appear. Hurricane Road is a local dirt road whose quality is below that of the breakdown lane, and the intersection is controlled by a stop sign. It is a right-in, right-out entrance. A couple other unmarked local roads also 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. In the west Texas panhandle area and New Mexico, there are several ranch roads connected directly to the interstate. One of the marked at-grade crossings is shown in the picture. .
- 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.
- When the last portion of I-40, connecting Wilmington to Raleigh, was completed in the late 1980s, Charles Kuralt stated, "Thanks to the interstate highway system, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything."
Appearances in pop culturePixar Animation Studios is an award-winning American [i] computer animation [i] studio ... movie Cars. - In an episode of Three's Company, Jack pretends to know how to ski. When about to leave the lodge, he asks Janet what the drop is like. After explaining, he inquires, "What happens if I don't make the turn?"
Janet replies, "You hit Interstate 40 at 100 MPH" Jack then says, "I'm in trouble." "I know-- that's a 55-MPH zone." See alsoReferencesExternal linksArizonaCalifornia
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