U.S. Route 30 in Wyoming
U.S. Highway 30 | ||||
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 US 30 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by WYDOT | ||||
| Length | 454.37 mi[1] (731.24 km) | |||
| Existed | 1926[citation needed]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end | File:US 30.svg US 30 at the Idaho state line near Kemmerer | |||
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| East end | File:US 30.svg US 30 at the Nebraska state line in Pine Bluffs | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Wyoming | |||
| Counties | Lincoln, Sweetwater, Carbon, Albany, Laramie | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Astoria, Oregon, to Atlantic City, New Jersey. Within the U.S. state of Wyoming, it runs from Kemmerer to Pine Bluffs by way of Rock Springs, Laramie, and Cheyenne. The route runs mostly along the historic Lincoln Highway.[2] It intersects and shares three concurrencies with Interstate 80 (I-80), of which it parallels, numerous times during its run.[3]
Route description
US 30 enters Lincoln County from Bear Lake County, Idaho. Shortly after, it intersects Wyoming Highway 89 (WYO 89), which runs northward to the Idaho state line, becoming Idaho State Highway 61, subsequently intersecting with US 89. WYO 89 latches onto US 30 coming south. The road turns southeast, and the two routes begin a concurrency. Cokeville is the first civilized town that the routes enter. Here, they meet WYO 232, which continues into the town limits. Immediately after that junction, US 30 and WYO 89 leave the town and continue through dry, sandy plains with some farmland scattered on the sides. Through here, the road largely parallels Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge as the two routes continue south.[4] Eventually, WYO 89 leaves US 30 just west of Kemmerer as US 30 continues alone to the city itself. Shortly before reaching the city limits, US 30 splits off to enter the city center while a bypass route bends south to avoid Kemmerer entirely. In the city, US 30 meets US 189. The latter route turns southeastward, and the two routes are concurrent through the city on Pine Avenue. Briefly after passing Onyx Street, the road becomes Coral Street, then Fossil Drive as US 30 and US 189 turn nearly due south to enter Diamondville. The road turns entirely in a due west direction as US 30 and US 189 leave the city a mile (1.6 km) later at the intersection of Lincoln Street and Spring Valley Drive, and US 30 and US 189 enter rural areas. The section of US 30 west of Kemmerer is planned to be rerouted to parallel the Union Pacific Railroad as part of a project to expand a nearby coal mine. The Wyoming Department of Transportation has announced that this project would provide more jobs and economic benefits.[5] US 30 rejoins its bypass route splitting off from US 189, which continues further south towards Evanston. Continuing east, the road runs through dry farmland without any junctions for a few miles until the town of Opal, where it meets WYO 240, though, unlike Cokeville, it does not enter the town directly. After that junction, US 30 once again runs through rocky soil and grassy plains.
Entering Sweetwater County, the road intersects I-80 near Granger as it merges on to the Interstate for the first time, and the two are concurrent for a very long distance (169 miles (272 km)). Through their concurrency, I-80/US 30 intersect WYO 372 near James Town, business routes of I-80/US 30 in Green River, and share a brief concurrency with US 191 to Rock Springs, where US 191 splits off after entering the downtown area. After this, I-80/US 30 have no major intersections for nearly 60 miles (97 km).[6] I-80/US 30 enters Carbon County, where the next major intersection is in Rawlins. Here, US 287 joins the concurrency. The three routes are concurrent for 20 miles (32 km) as they pass by Sinclair to intersect the eastern terminus of WYO 76. In Walcott, US 30 and US 287 split off from I-80. The two routes follow the length of the Medicine Bow Mountains as they run through Medicine Bow, and then they enter Albany County. They continue through Wilcox, Rock River, Lookout, and Bosler, before reaching Laramie, the next major city, and home to the University of Wyoming.[7] Within Laramie, another business route of I-80 joins and becomes concurrent with US 30 and US 287 on 3rd Street. Once they reach Grand Avenue, I-80 Business (I-80 Bus.)/US 30 turn east on Grand Avenue while US 287 continues south on 3rd Street even further into downtown Laramie.
US 30 rejoins I-80 east of Laramie, where the two routes pass by numerous mountain ranges. They also pass an exit for numerous campgrounds, as well as an Abraham Lincoln Memorial Monument. The monument was chosen as "Roadside America's Sight of the Week".[8] They pass through Buford, along with several climbing areas and state parks dotting the sides of the route. There are several scenic sites to see along the road while driving in this part of the area.[9] The road then enters Laramie County, the final county in the state that both I-80 and US 30 pass through. West of Cheyenne, the state capital, the routes pass by a large wind farm and follow a gap of bumpy hills in the area.[10] The first major interchange approaching Cheyenne is with WYO 222. Both I-80 and US 30 enter Cheyenne, but not together. At the interchange with WYO 225, one more I-80 Bus. breaks off, and so does US 30 along with the business route.
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As I-80 Bus./US 30 enter the downtown area, they pass by numerous businesses, restaurants, and hotels lining the road. They intersect I-25 and US 87, the state's main north–south corridors. Continuing on East Lincolnway, the roads meet I-180, I-25 Bus., and US 85. Although I-180 is considered as an Interstate, it runs on surface roads, and thus is not conformed to Interstate standards.[11] Since these roads are on one-way streets, southbound traffic uses Central Avenue and northbound traffic uses Warren Avenue, and US 30 intersects both of these streets separately.[12] After leaving Cheyenne, it merges back on I-80 for the third and final time. They travel through Hillsdale and parallel the Union Pacific Railroad's Sidney Subdivision line.[13] Once the routes reach Pine Bluffs, US 30 splits off into the town, and both of the routes continue into Kimball County, Nebraska separate from each other.[14]
History
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US 30 was established in 1926 as a replacement for the former Lincoln Highway, a transcontinental route connecting San Francisco, California, to Times Square in New York City.[15] It was named after the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln.[16] In Wyoming, the Lincoln Highway ran through several areas US 30 currently does not run through, and many of the isolated communities US 30 formerly ran through were paths of the Lincoln Highway. The highway also ran through several more cities in Wyoming that both I-80 and US 30 were rerouted from, such as Green River, Rock Springs, and Laramie, and it mostly follows the path of the two highways' respective business routes. In addition, some of the old roads US 30 historically traveled on that it does not follow and runs concurrently with I-80 today, still run along the first generation of the Lincoln Highway. A portion of US 287, concurrent with US 30 from Rawlins to Laramie, was also part of the historic highway.[15]
Major intersections
Related routes
- U.S. Route 30S (Idaho–Wyoming)
- U.S. Route 30 Bypass (Kemmerer–Diamondville, Wyoming)
- U.S. Route 30 Business (Green River, Wyoming)
- U.S. Route 30 Business (Rock Springs, Wyoming)
- U.S. Route 30 Business (Rawlins, Wyoming)
- U.S. Route 30 Business (Pine Bluffs, Wyoming–Bushnell, Nebraska)
References
- ↑ Planning Program – Transportation Statistics (November 2004). Reference Marker Book. Wyoming Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007.
- ↑ Elk Grove Historical Society. "History: Lincoln Highway". Elk Grove Historical Society. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ↑ "The Lincoln Highway in Wyoming". WyoHistory.org. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ↑ "Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge". United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ↑ "US 30 Relocation". Wyoming Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ↑ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ↑ University of Wyoming. Interactive Campus Map of the University of Wyoming (Map). University of Wyoming. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ↑ "The Lincoln Monument Was Chosen as Roadside America's Sight of the Week". Visit Laramie. May 19, 2021. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ↑ Wyoming, Travel (March 27, 2019). "Road Tripping through Wyoming: 17 Sights to See off I-80". Travel Wyoming. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ↑ "U.S. Route 30 in Wyoming" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ↑ Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways as of December 31, 2021". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ↑ "I-180 in Cheyenne, WY" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ↑ Carter-Burgess (May 2005). Western Cheyenne Transportation Study (PDF). Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- ↑ "Overview Map of US 30 in Wyoming" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Longfellow, Rickie (June 27, 2017). "The Lincoln Highway". Highway History. Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ↑ "Giant Head of Abraham Lincoln, Laramie, Wyoming". Roadside America. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ↑ Maintenance Staff (February 11, 2013). Maintenance Section Reference Book (PDF). Wyoming Department of Transportation. p. 190. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
External links
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- U.S. Route 30
- U.S. Highways in Wyoming
- Transportation in Lincoln County, Wyoming
- Transportation in Sweetwater County, Wyoming
- Transportation in Carbon County, Wyoming
- Transportation in Albany County, Wyoming
- Transportation in Laramie County, Wyoming
- Transportation in Uinta County, Wyoming