U.S. Route 60
U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia.
The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as General Booth Boulevard, just south of the city's Oceanfront resort district at the intersection of Rudee Point Road and Harbor Point. Its original western terminus was in Springfield, Missouri; it was then extended to Los Angeles, California, but in 1964, it was truncated to end southwest of Brenda, Arizona, at an interchange with Interstate 10 after the US 60 highway designation was removed from California. I-10 replaced US 60 from Beaumont, California, to Arizona, and California State Route 60 replaced US 60 from Los Angeles to Beaumont.
Route description
Arizona
The westernmost stretch of US 60, to the California state line, has been replaced by Interstate 10. The western terminus of US 60 is near Brenda, from where it travels northeast to Wickenburg. Once US 60 enters Surprise, it carries the name Grand Avenue through the Phoenix metropolitan area before joining I-17 and I-10 in Phoenix for approximately. In Tempe, US 60 exits I-10 and becomes the Superstition Freeway, a significant part of the Phoenix freeway system that serves cities such as Mesa, Gilbert, and Apache Junction. East of the Phoenix area, US 60 bears roughly east-northeast through mountainous areas, passing through Globe, Show Low, and Springerville before entering New Mexico.New Mexico
US 60 enters New Mexico in Catron County east of Springerville, Arizona. The road makes an arc through Catron County, with the apex at Quemado, avoiding Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest and Escondido Mountain. East of Pie Town, the road crosses the Continental Divide. Between the Divide and Datil, US 60 cuts through the Datil Mountains and Cibola National Forest. In Datil, US 60 serves as the eastern terminus of NM-12.East of Datil, US 60 traverses the northern end of the Plains of San Augustin, then crosses the county line into Socorro County. The road bisects the Very Large Array complex, and a track used in rearranging the antennas that make up the Array crosses the highway. into the county, the highway passes through Magdalena.
It then enters the county seat of Socorro, where it meets Interstate 25. US 60 heads north, beginning a concurrency with the Interstate.
US 60 splits off from I-25 near Bernardo, about north of Socorro. It turns back eastward, rising through Abo Pass at the southern end of the Manzano Mountains before crossing into Torrance County and passing through Mountainair, where it intersects NM-55. After passing through Willard, it sets out across the Pedernal Hills. In Encino, it begins a concurrency with US-285. Just after crossing into Guadalupe County, US-54 joins the concurrency. The three highways pass through Vaughn and then go their separate ways, with US 285 heading southeast towards the direction of Roswell, US 54 heading northeast towards both Santa Rosa and Interstate 40, and US 60 heading east towards Clovis.
US 60 angles southeast toward Yeso, entering De Baca County en route. Curving back towards the east, the road enters Fort Sumner, the county seat, later. Just west of town, it serves as the northern terminus of NM-20, and in Fort Sumner proper, it begins a concurrency with US-84, which will persist for the remainder of the routes' miles in New Mexico. East of town the two highways encounter NM-212, a spur to Fort Sumner State Monument, and NM 252 in Taiban.
US 60/84 passes through Tolar near the De Baca–Roosevelt County line. The two routes do not stay in Roosevelt County for long, however, proceeding into Curry County west of Melrose. The highways pass through Melrose, St. Vrain, and Grier before widening out to a four-lane highway as they approach Clovis, the Curry County seat. In Clovis, the home of Cannon Air Force Base, the highways meet up with US-70, which joins the concurrency. The three highways proceed through Texico, and then cross the state line near Farwell, Texas.
For the distance of more than 300 miles between Abo Pass and Amarillo, the highway parallels the Southern Transcon, one of the busiest transcontinental railroads in the west.
Texas
US 60 runs in a northeasterly direction across the Texas Panhandle. It enters the state as a four-lane divided highway at Farwell on the Texas-New Mexico border, and heads northeast, intersecting U.S. Route 385 at Hereford. At Canyon, the route begins a concurrency with both U.S. Route 87 and Interstate 27; the three routes are united to Amarillo.At Amarillo, the road crosses Interstate 40 and has a short concurrency with Historic US 66 on Amarillo Boulevard. The road continues as a divided highway, heading northeast to Pampa, where the road goes to two lanes. At Canadian, the route briefly returns to four-lane status and forms a concurrency with U.S. Route 83. US 60 leaves Texas for Oklahoma east of Higgins.
Oklahoma
Except for three short sections near Enid, Vinita, and Ponca City, US 60 is a two-lane highway its entire length across Oklahoma. It enters the state west of Arnett and travels east to Orienta where it begins a concurrency with U.S. Highway 412. At Enid, it leaves the concurrency with US-412 and begins another with U.S. Highway 64 with which it is united for. Near Tonkawa, US 60 has an interchange with Interstate 35.At Ponca City, US 60 enters Osage County, leaving it at Bartlesville. From Vinita to Afton, the highway has a concurrency with Historic U.S. Highway 66 and U.S. Highway 69. The road meets Interstate 44 at Vinita and Afton. It passes through Twin Bridges State Park about west of the Missouri state line.
Missouri
US 60 crosses southern Missouri, south of Interstate 44. It crosses the Missouri-Oklahoma state line near the Missouri town Seneca. It is concurrent with U.S. Route 62 from Charleston and spans the Mississippi River to enter Illinois. Prior to the creation of the U.S. Highway system, U.S. Route 60 was Route 16.Between the Missouri-Oklahoma state line and south of Seneca and Republic, US 60 is a two-lane highway, often splitting into alternating three-lane highways beginning at Monett. At Republic, the road becomes a four-lane divided highway, turning southeast onto the James River Freeway in the Springfield city limits.
Most of the route east of Springfield is four-lane divided and several stretches are freeway-graded. On July 9, 2010, The Missouri Department of Transportation finished the process of upgrading US 60 to four lanes along a segment between the towns of Willow Springs and Van Buren. This project's overall completion indicates that US 60 is now a four-lane facility from Springfield to Charleston, a distance of approximately. A stretch of US 60 from east of US 65 in Springfield to Rogersville has been in long range plans on being upgraded to freeway status, therefore removing all at-grade crossings, installing overpasses and interchanges, and access roads.
At Mansfield, US 60 meets Missouri Route 5, which runs south towards Ava. U.S. 60 is briefly concurrent with Route 5 north of Mansfield, after which Route 5 continues north towards Hartville. On the southeast side of Cabool US 60 encounters US Route 63 and continues as a concurrency to Willow Springs, where the two routes separate with Route 60 continuing east to Mountain View and Route 63 continues south toward West Plains.
US 60 intersects Interstate 55 and Interstate 57 just southeast of Sikeston. It runs concurrently with I-57 from this junction to the east side of Charleston.
From Charleston to Bird's Point, where the route leaves Missouri on a bridge crossing of the Mississippi River, US 60 is now concurrent with U.S. Route 62 and - for a short distance - Route 77.
William Jefferson Blythe Jr., the biological father of former U.S. president Bill Clinton, died on Route 60 outside of Sikeston, Missouri after being thrown from his car and drowning in a drainage ditch.
Illinois
U.S. 60 continues its concurrency with U.S. Highway 62 for its entire length,, in Illinois. The routes enter Illinois at its very southern tip between the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.The concurrent routes pass Fort Defiance, which lies at the lowest and southernmost point of Illinois, then intersect with U.S. 51 south of Cairo, turning eastward along with southbound U.S. 51 to cross the Ohio River into Kentucky.
Kentucky
US 60, along with US 51 and US 62, crosses into the Commonwealth of Kentucky from Cairo, Illinois. US 60 splits off from this concurrency at Wickliffe, and heads northeast towards Paducah. US 60 has an interchange with Interstate 24 and enters the city along with Business Loop 24. US 60 joins US 62 once again, and the routes head out of Paducah. US 60 splits off to the northeast and crosses the Tennessee River, while US 62 heads southeast and serves as the western terminus of US 68.From there, US 60 roughly follows the Ohio River, traveling through the city of Smithland, and junctions US 641 at Marion. US 60 continues northeast to Morganfield, and then to Henderson, where it joins US 41-A on the west side of town. The two routes head to northeast Henderson, where they have an interchange with US 41. Kentucky's segment of Interstate 69 ends south of Henderson, but construction has begun to connect it with Indiana, where the interstate will be concurrent with US 41 and share the rebuilt interchange with US 60. From that interchange, US 60 heads east towards the city of Owensboro.
US 60 becomes the Wendell H. Ford Expressway, around the south side of the city of Owensboro. The route serves as the eastern terminus of the Audubon Parkway, as well as the northern terminus of US 431. US 231 joins US 60 and the routes serve as the northern terminus of I-165. The routes travel north, leaving Owensboro, towards Maceo. At Maceo, US 60 splits from US 231 and heads east along the Ohio River traveling through the cities of Lewisport, Hawesville, and Cloverport. The route then goes southeast to Hardinsburg, and then traverses northeast to US 31W north of Fort Knox.
US 60 joins US 31W, and the routes travel north to the city of Louisville. US 60 branches off an alternate route, Alt. US 60, which traverses the south side of Louisville, while the main US 60 travels through the north side. The routes head north through the city, having an interchange with I-264 along the way. At Bernheim Lane, US 31W splits off US 60 and parallels on the west side, while US 60 continues north, traveling further into the city. US 60 joins US 150, and the routes travel east out of the downtown area. The routes junction US 31E, and US 60 goes north on US 31E, while US 150 goes south on US 31E. Then, US 60 turns off onto US 42, has an interchange with Interstate 64, and then splits off of US 42 and heads out of Louisville. Before leaving, Alternate US 60 joins back, and US 60 has an interchange with I-264 once more, and then with I-265.
US 60 parallels Interstate 64 as the route travels east through Shelbyville, and on into the capital city of Frankfort. Here, US 60 junctions US 127, and heads on east into the city. US 60 crosses the Kentucky River and continues east to US 421 and US 460. US 60 joins US 421, and the routes travel south for a bit, and then US 421 splits off of US 60 and heads east. US 60 heads southeast, crossing over to the south side of Interstate 64. US 60 joins US 62 once again in a strange concurrency. US 60 quickly splits off at Versailles, and then the route travels east towards Lexington.
US 60 enters Lexington after having an interchange with Kentucky Route 4. US 60 goes into the city, joining US 68 for a block, and then turns south onto US 25 and US 421. The three routes travel through downtown Lexington, and then US 60 splits off and heads east out of the city. On its way out, US 60 has an interchange with US 421 By-Pass and then with Interstate 75.
US 60 continues on east, paralleling Interstate 64. The route travels through Winchester, and then junctions US 460 in Mount Sterling. After leaving the city, US 60 crosses over to the north side of Insterstate 64, creating an interchange. From here, US 60 travels through the cities of Owingsville, Morehead, and Grayson, before turning northeast to head to the city of Ashland. In the city, US 60 joins US 23, and the two routes head south along the Ohio River. The routes continue to Catlettsburg, where US 60 leaves US 23 and heads east, crossing over the Big Sandy River on the Billy C. Clark Bridge into the state of West Virginia.