Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to I-695 and Maryland Route 570 in Woodlawn, just outside Baltimore, Maryland.
I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky Mountains. West of the Rocky Mountains, the route of I-70 was derived from multiple sources. The Interstate runs through or near many major U.S. cities, including Denver, Topeka, Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Columbus, and Baltimore. The sections of the Interstate in Missouri and Kansas have laid claim to be the first Interstate in the United States. The Federal Highway Administration has claimed the section of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon in Colorado, completed in 1992, to be the last piece of the Interstate Highway System, as originally planned, to open to traffic.
The construction of I-70 in Colorado and Utah is considered an engineering marvel, as the route passes through the Eisenhower Tunnel, Glenwood Canyon, and the San Rafael Swell. The Eisenhower Tunnel is the highest point along the Interstate Highway System, with an elevation of.
Route description
Utah
I-70 begins at an interchange with I-15 near Cove Fort. Heading east, I-70 crosses between the Tushar and Pahvant ranges via Clear Creek Canyon and descends into the Sevier Valley, where I-70 serves Richfield, one of two towns of more than a few hundred people along I-70's path in Utah. The second town with more than a few hundred people served by I-70 is Salina. Upon leaving the valley near Salina, I-70 crosses the Salina Summit and then crosses a large geologic formation called the San Rafael Swell.Prior to the construction of I-70, the swell was inaccessible via paved roads and relatively undiscovered. Once this section was opened to traffic in 1970, it became the longest stretch of Interstate Highway with no services and the first highway in the U.S. built over a completely new route since the Alaska Highway. It also became the longest piece of Interstate Highway to be opened at one time. Although opened in 1970, this section was not formally complete until 1990, when a second steel arch bridge spanning Eagle Canyon was opened to traffic.
Since I-70's construction, the swell has been noted for its desolate beauty. The swell has since been nominated for national park or national monument status on multiple occasions. If the swell is granted this status, it arguably would be the first time a national park owes its existence to an Interstate Highway. Most of the exits in this span are rest areas, brake check areas, and runaway truck ramps with few traditional freeway exits.
I-70 exits the swell near Green River. From Green River to the Colorado state line, I-70 follows the southern edge of the Book Cliffs.
Colorado
Entering from Utah, I-70 descends into the Grand Valley, where it meets the Colorado River, which provides its path up the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. Here, I-70 serves the Grand Junction metropolitan area before traversing more mountainous terrain.The last section of I-70 to be completed was the Glenwood Canyon. This stretch was completed in 1992 and was an engineering marvel due to the extremely difficult terrain and narrow space in the canyon, which requires corners that are sharper than normal Interstate standards. Construction was delayed for many years due to environmental concerns. The difficulties in building the road in the canyon were compounded by the fact the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad occupied the south bank, and many temporary construction projects took place to keep US 6 open, at the time the only east–west road in the area. Much of the highway is elevated above the Colorado River. The speed limit in this section is due to the limited sight distance and sharp corners.
The Eisenhower Tunnel, the highest vehicular tunnel in North America and the longest tunnel built under the Interstate program, passes through the Continental Divide.
File:I-70-Looking Southeast.jpg|thumb|right|I-70 as it turns north at Copper Mountain, approximately from Vail Pass Because of the rugged and narrow terrain of the Rocky Mountains, I-70 is one of few roads connecting Colorado's ski resorts with Denver.
Descending through the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains, one can see the Denver skyline on a clear day. This can fool truckers and other unsuspecting drivers because one must still traverse of steep grade road before reaching the city. A series of signs warns truckers of the steep grade. As I-70 leaves the foothills, it goes through Denver and intersects I-25, serving as the central east–west artery through the city. Leaving Denver, I-70 levels out and traverses the wide plains through eastern Colorado. East of Denver, I-70 makes a broad turn to the south-southeast for, before reaching Limon and resuming its eastward journey toward Kansas.
Kansas
Coming from Colorado, I-70 enters the prairie, farmlands, and rolling hills of Kansas. This portion of I-70 was the first segment to start being paved and to be completed in the Interstate Highway System. It is given the nickname "Main Street of Kansas", as the Interstate extends from the western border to the eastern border of the state, covering and passing through most of the state's principal cities in the process.In Salina, I-70 intersects with the north terminus of I-135. In Topeka, I-70 intersects I-470, twice. At the eastern intersection, I-70 joins the Kansas Turnpike and becomes a toll road. This is one of only two sections of I-70 that are tolled, the other being I-70's concurrency with I-76 on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in southwest Pennsylvania. I-70 carries this designation from Topeka to Kansas City, the eastern terminus of the turnpike. About halfway between Topeka and Kansas City, I-70 passes through Lawrence. The tolled portion of the turnpike ends near Bonner Springs, just west of Kansas City. There is also a third auxiliary route in Topeka, I-335, which runs from I-470 south to meet up with I-35 in the Flint Hills town of Emporia. Just past the Bonner Springs Toll Plaza, I-70 crosses I-435 for the first time, which allows travelers to bypass the downtown traffic via I-435, which encircles the Kansas City metropolitan area. Further down the highway in Kansas City, approximately before the 18th Street Expressway, I-70 is intersected again by another auxiliary route. This route, I-635, runs from I-35 at its southern terminus up to I-29, just about across the Missouri River, at its northern terminus. From I-635 to just past the US 169 exit, I-70 runs adjacent Union Pacific Railroad's Armourdale Yard. Here, I-670 diverges, providing a more direct route that rejoins I-70 proper a few miles east in Missouri. The highway passes over the former stockyards and railyard when it crosses the Kansas River on the Intercity Viaduct into Downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
Missouri
After crossing the Intercity Viaduct, I-70 enters Missouri. It encounters a loop of freeways, called the Downtown Loop, which contains I-70 as well as I-35, I-670, US 24, US 40, US 71, and US 169. In the southern part of this loop, I-670 cuts directly through the downtown while I-70 bypasses the taller buildings a few blocks north near the Missouri River. Westbound I-670 is also designated Alternate I-70. Most of the Interstates in this loop are in their second mile, so all exits are numbered 2 and suffixed with every letter of the alphabet except for I, O, and Z, leading to the loop's nickname, the Alphabet Loop.The section of I-70 in Downtown Kansas City is approximately the southern city limits of "City of Kansas" when it was incorporated in 1853. The first two auto bridges in Missouri mark the city's original boundaries with the Buck O'Neil Bridge being the west boundary while the Heart of America Bridge is the east boundary. Another intersection of note is the second traverse of I-435. This is primarily notable because it immediately precedes the Truman Sports Complex and also because the entrance ramps from I-435 northbound onto I-70 eastbound also serve as the exit ramps from I-70 into the Truman Sports Complex parking lots. This section of the Interstate is marked as the "George Brett Super Highway", named after the Kansas City Royals third-base player who played the entirety of his career at Kauffman Stadium. The last Interstate intersection in the immediate Kansas City metro area is with I-470 in Independence.
After passing Kansas City, I-70 traverses the length of Missouri, west to east. It passes through the largest city between Kansas City and St. Louis, Columbia, which is about halfway between the two major cities and the home of the University of Missouri. The terrain is rolling with some hills and bluffs near rivers. I-70 also crosses the Missouri River twice —at Rocheport, about west of Columbia, and at St. Charles, about northwest of St. Louis. Most of the highway on this stretch is four lanes. Various proposals have been made to widen it including turning it into a toll road. I-70 eventually gets into Greater St. Louis, and US 40 splits to the south, along with US 61, which does not have a concurrency with I-70. In late 2009, the intersecting road was upgraded to Interstate standards along with the completion of the overhaul of I-64. After this interchange, I-70 intersects two auxiliary routes, I-270 and I-170. After passing several bedroom communities in north St. Louis County, I-70 enters the city limits of St. Louis. It turns east to cross the Mississippi River on the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge, connecting with an extension of I-44, which takes the former I-70 route through Downtown St. Louis to meet I-55 at its connection to the Poplar Street Bridge.
The 1985 World Series between the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals was nicknamed the "I-70 Series" because St. Louis and Kansas City are the two endpoints of I-70 in Missouri, and the highway passes within sight of both the Royals' Kauffman Stadium and, at the time, the Cardinals' Busch Stadium.