INTERSTATE 40 IN CALIFORNIA

'Interstate 40', a major east-west route of the Interstate Highway System, has its western terminus 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.

Contents

History

State law

Control cities

Exit list

References

History

The segment of I-40 in California was approved as a chargeable Interstate on July 7 1947. 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. However, this was rejected, and eventually U.S. 40 was decommissioned in favor of Interstate 80.
The State of California also submitted the segment of what is now California State Route 58 between Barstow and Bakersfield for chargeable Interstate approval twice, in 1956 and 1968, but it was rejected both times.
Today, the Needles Freeway replaced what used to be Route 66 across the Mojave Desert. As a result, a number of communities along the former route like Amboy have become ghost towns.^[4]

State law

Route 40 from Route 15 to the Arizona State Line is known as the Needles Freeway, as named by Senate Concurrent Resolution 1 in 1968.^[5]

Control cities

'Eastbound'

★ Needles
'Westbound'

★ Barstow

Exit list

Postmiles are derived from^[6] and exit numbers derived from^[7].

Location	Postmile	#	Destinations	Notes
Westbound traffic defaults onto 25x20px I-15 south
Barstow	0.00			Westbound exit and northbound entrance
	0.79	1	Montara Ave; East Main St; – Las Vegas
	R2.35	2	Marine Corps Logistics Base (East Main St)
	4.71	5	Nebo Street	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
	R7.18	7	Daggett (A Street)
	R12.19	12	Barstow-Daggett Airport
	R18.43	18	West Newberry Springs Road; National Trails Hwy
	R23.33	23	Fort Cady Road; Newberry Springs
		28	Rest Area
	R32.50	33	Hector Road
	R49.98	50	Ludlow (Crucero Rd)
	R78.17	78	Kelbaker Road
	R99.73	100	Essex Road
		106	Rest Area
	R107.17	107	Goffs Road
	R115.20	115	Mountain Springs Road
	R119.98	120	Water Road
Needles	R132.73	133	– Searchlight; Las Vegas
	Joins with 25x20px US 95
	R139.12	139	River Road Cutoff (Park Rd)	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
	R141.02	141	West Broadway; River Road
	R142.37	142	J Street
	R143.74	144
	Splits from 25x20px US 95
	148.2	148	Five Mile Road;
	153.32	153	Park Moabi Road
Interstate 40 crosses into Arizona.

References

1. Federal Highway Administration Route Log and Finder List, Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways as of October 31, 2002
2. California Highways: Interstate Highway Types and the History of California's Interstates
3. California Highways: Interstate 40
4. Breathing life into a faded desert landmark Mike Anton
5. 2006 Named Freeways, Highways, Structures and Other Appurtenances in California, , , , Caltrans, ,
6. January 1, 2006 California Log of Bridges on State Highways
7. Cal-NExUS Interchange Exit Numbering