Interstate 80
Route information
Defined by Utah Code §72-4-113
Maintained by Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT)
Length:	196.35 mi[1] (315.99 km)
Existed:	1956 – present
History:	Completed 1986
Major junctions
West end:	I-80 in West Wendover, Nevada
	I-15 in Salt Lake City SR-201 in South Salt Lake I-15 in South Salt Lake US-89 in South Salt Lake US-40 / US-189 near Park City I-84 in Echo
East end:	I-80 / US 189 towards Evanston, Wyoming
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Business State highways in Utah Interstate • US State (Parks) Scenic ← SR-79 SR-81 →

In the U.S. state of Utah, Interstate 80 (I-80) runs 196 miles (315.4 km) east–west through northern part of the state, passing through the Bonneville Salt Flats, the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, the Wasatch Mountains and Echo canyon. In western Utah the highway was built along the corridor of the Victory Highway, US-40 and the Feather River Route. In eastern Utah the highway was built along the corridor of the Lincoln Highway and the Mormon Trail. The easternmost section also follows the historical routes of the First Transcontinental Railroad and US-30S. The section of I-80 between Redwood Road and the Salt Lake City International Airport was the last piece of the transcontinental freeway to open to traffic.

Route description [edit]

The freeway enters Utah in the city of Wendover (which is adjacent to the Nevada city of West Wendover) on the edge of the Bonneville Salt Flats. The highway closely follows the historical routes of the Wendover Cutoff of the Victory Highway and the ex-Western Pacific Railroad's Feather River Route (now part of the Central Corridor) across the salt flats and the larger Great Salt Lake Desert.^[2] In the middle of the salt flats a concrete sculpture, Metaphor: The Tree of Utah, stands just off the westbound lanes of I-80.^[3] The freeway arrives at the southern shore of the Great Salt Lake and closely follows the southern shore towards the western suburbs of Salt Lake City. However, the historical routes from which the route of I-80 was derived were routed farther away from the lake, passing through the towns of Grantsville and Tooele before crossing a bottle neck between the Oquirrh Mountains and the Great Salt Lake. While traversing the neck, I-80 features a view area with views of both the Lake and Antelope Island. After passing the neck the road forks with I-80 proceeding towards the north end of Salt Lake City and State Route 201 proceeding towards the south end. Historically, this intersection was the separation of US-40 and US-50. After the intersection the freeway corridor is again bottlenecked with the Great Salt Lake to the north and the Kennecott Copper smelter and tailings pond to the south. Visible in the distance is the Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Mine, at one time the largest manmade excavation and the Kennecott Smokestack, one of the tallest freestanding structures in the United States. Along this portion the freeway passes the historical site of the Saltair Resort.

The freeway enters the Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area on the former alignment of North Temple Street until passing the Salt Lake City International Airport where the freeway veers slightly south departing the North Temple Street corridor which leads to Temple Square in Downtown Salt Lake City. I-80 merges with Interstate 15 and continues south for about 3 miles (4.8 km) passing along the western and southern edge of Downtown Salt Lake City. The southern interchange with I-15, which also includes SR-201 (21st South Freeway), is know as the "Spaghetti Bowl". After separating from I-15, the freeway continues east again, loosely following an alignment just south of 2100 South towards Parley's Canyon, where the freeway joins the historical route of the Lincoln Highway. Parley's Canyon carries I-80 up the western slope of the Wasatch Mountains as a six-lane freeway, cresting the mountains at an elevation of 7,120 feet (2,170 m) at Parley's Summit. Both features were named for Parley P. Pratt, an early settler to the Salt Lake Valley, and early Mormon leader who was asked to survey a new route across the mountains to replace the route through Emigration Canyon. Pratt successfully surveyed, completed and operated a toll road through the canyon (that today bears his name) until he was murdered by the estranged husband of his twelfth wife.^[4]

Beyond Parley's summit lies Park City, a mining town today better known for its many ski resorts. Upon reaching the Rockport Reservoir at Wanship the freeway turns north, following the tributaries of the Weber River toward Echo Reservoir and dam. Upon reaching Echo Canyon and the junction with the eastern terminus of the western section of Interstate-84, the freeway follows the canyon east until the Wyoming state line near Evanston. The portion through Echo Canyon follows the historical routes of the Mormon Trail, U.S. Route 30S, and the First Transcontinental Railroad. A rest area in the canyon, just east of the junction with I-84 features signs pointing out features in the canyon that were obstacles in the canyon for both the Mormon pioneers and the construction workers of the railroad, including Pulpit Rock, which was partially demolished when the railroad was converted to double track.

History [edit]

Auto trails [edit]

Interstate 80 follows the routes of two major auto trails through the state. In western Utah, I-80 follows the historical route of the Victory Highway from the Wendover at the Nevada state line to the junction of U.S. Route 40 near Park City.

Interstate 80 across the Bonneville Salt Flats

Throughout Utah, I-80 is signed as the modern route of the Lincoln Highway, except through Salt Lake City, where the Lincoln Highway is routed along State Route 201 and Parley's Way. The route of the Lincoln Highway across Utah was generally derived from the route of the Pony Express and the Central Overland Route. However west of Salt Lake City, much of the original route of the Lincoln Highway is inaccessible. 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. East of Salt Lake, I-80 closely parallels the original route of the Lincoln Highway.^[5][6]

U.S. Routes [edit]

From 1926 until the 1970s, all of the modern I-80 corridor was signed as U.S. Highways. 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, and U.S. Route 30S from Echo to the Wyoming state line. The US-530 designation was replaced with U.S. Route 189.^[7][8][9]

Construction [edit]

Interstate 80 was constructed in segments, starting in the 1950s. By the late 1970s the Utah portion of I-80 was largely complete, except for a gap on the western edge of Salt Lake City. A 5-mile (8.0 km) section between Redwood Road and the Salt Lake City International Airport holds the distinction of being the final link of the transcontinental freeway to be completed. This section was dedicated on 22 August 1986. This coincidentally was close to the thirtieth birthday of the Interstate Highway System, which was noted at the dedication and considered to be a milestone in the history of highway construction in the United States. It was also noted at the dedication that this was only 50 miles (80 km) from Promontory Summit, where the golden spike of the United States First Transcontinental Railroad was laid.^[10][11]

Reconstruction [edit]

View along I-80 eastbound in Parley's Canyon

Reconstruction of I-80 began in August 2007, from State Street (US-89) east to 1300 East (former SR-181). Dubbed "Innovate 80," 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, which extends over 600 East. The westbound bridge moves were completed July 31.

Phase three began in October 2008, involving the eastbound lanes and bridges being reconstructed from 700 East to 1300 East (traffic traveled on the new pavement on the north side of the freeway). However, the bridges on the eastbound lanes were replaced with the traditional manner, constructing them on the spot of where they would lay. With the project's completion in November 2009, there are now five lanes in each direction (one of those being an auxiliary lane in between exits) compared to three lanes prior to 2007. As part of the project, sound walls were added, grade-level signage was replaced with overhead signs, on- and off-ramps were lengthened, and the State Street bridge received a bridge deck replacement, as opposed to a new bridge.^[12][13]

Exit list [edit]

County	Location	Mile[14]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Tooele	Wendover	0.043	0.069	1	To SR-58 – Wendover	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		1.484	2.388	2	I-80 Bus. west / SR-58 – Wendover	Westbound entrance is via a U-turn at exit 4
		3.993	6.426	4	Bonneville Speedway
		41.278	66.431	41	Knolls
		48.940	78.761	49	Clive
		56.195	90.437	56	Aragonite
		61.837	99.517	62	Military Area, Lakeside
		69.521	111.883	70	Delle
		76.402	122.957	77	SR-196 – Rowley, Dugway
		83.358	134.152	84	SR-138 – Grantsville, Tooele
		88.395	142.258	88	Grantsville
		98.619	158.712	99	SR-36 – Stansbury, Tooele
Salt Lake		101.544	163.419	102	SR-201 east (2100 South) – Magna, West Valley City	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		104.273	167.811	104	SR-202 / Saltair Drive
	Salt Lake City	111.287	179.099	111	7200 West
		113.276	182.300	113	5600 West (SR-172)
		114.336	184.006	114	Wright Brothers Drive	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		115.374	185.676	115	Bangerter Highway (SR-154) – Salt Lake City International Airport	Signed as exits 115A (Airport) and 115B (Bangerter Highway) westbound; no westbound exit or eastbound entrance at North Temple
		116.488	187.469	115	North Temple – Downtown Salt Lake City, Temple Square	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; former SR-186
		117.262	188.715	117	I-215 – Ogden, Provo
		117.862	189.681	118	SR-68 (Redwood Road)
		119.591	192.463	120	I-15 north – Ogden	West end of I-15 overlap; no exit number westbound
				121	600 South (SR-269 east) – Temple Square	Signed as exit 306 westbound
				122	900 South (SR-270 east)	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
				122	1300 South	Signed as exit 305C eastbound
				122	2100 South (SR-201)	Signed as exit 305B eastbound
	South Salt Lake
				123A	SR-201 west – West Valley	Signed as exit 305A eastbound Part of the "Spaghetti Bowl" interchage
		122.028	196.385	123B	I-15 south – Las Vegas	East end of I-15 overlap; no exit number eastbound Part of the "Spaghetti Bowl" interchage
		123.231	198.321	124	US-89 (State Street)
	Salt Lake City	124.125	199.760	125	SR-71 (700 East)
		125.072	201.284	126	1300 East – Sugar House	Former SR-181
		126.785	204.041	127	2300 East – Holladay, Millcreek	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; former SR-195
		127.039	204.449	128	I-215 south (Belt Route)	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		127.685	205.489	129	SR-186 west (Foothill Drive) / Parleys Way
		128.619	206.992	130	I-215	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		130.399	209.857	131	(No name)	No westbound exit - Exit signed only as "Exit 131"
		131.869	212.223	132	Mt. Aire Canyon Road
		133.665	215.113	134	SR-65 north – East Canyon
		136.113	219.053	137	Lambs Canyon
Summit		139.413	224.363	140	Parley's Summit
		141.815	228.229	141	Jeremy Ranch
		142.847	229.890	144	View Area	Eastbound exit and entrance
		144.198	232.064	145	SR-224 south – Kimball Junction, Park City
		146.876	236.374	146	US-40 east (US-189 south) – Heber, Vernal, Provo	West end of US-189 overlap
		150.724	242.567	150	Tollgate Promontory
	Wanship	154.972	249.403	155	SR-32 south – Wanship, Kamas
	Coalville	162.592	261.666	162	Coalville (SR-280)
		165.005	265.550	166	View Area	No access across I-80
		167.324	269.282	168	I-84 west – Ogden
		167.781	270.017	169	Echo
		169.505	272.792	170	Rest Area	No access across I-80
		178.703	287.595	178	Emory	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		184.126	296.322	185	Castle Rock
		187.767	302.182	187	Ranch Exit
		191.690	308.495	191	Wahsatch
Concurrency terminus       Closed/former       HOV only       Incomplete access       Tolled/ETC       Unopened

References [edit]

See also [edit]

Route map: Google / Bing

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Interstate 80
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