U.S. Route 30 in Wyoming
U.S. Highway 30 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
US 30 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by WYDOT | ||||
| Length | 454.37 mi[1] (731.24 km) | |||
| Existed | 1926–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  US 30 at the Idaho state line near Kemmerer | |||
| East end | 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 I-80, of which it parallels, numerous times during its run.[3]
Route description
US 30 enters Lincoln County, Wyoming from Bear Lake County, Idaho. Shortly after, it intersects Wyoming Highway 89, which runs northward to the Idaho state line, becoming Idaho State Highway 61, subsequently intersecting with U.S. Route 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 Wyoming Highway 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 the 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 189 turn nearly due south to enter Diamondville. The road turns entirely in a due west direction as US 30 and 189 leave the city a mile later at the intersection of Lincoln Street and Spring Valley Drive, and US 30 and 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. 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 Wyoming Highway 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.
The road intersects I-80 near Granger as it merges on to the interstate for the first time, and the two are duplexed for a very long distance (169 miles (272 km)). Through their concurrency, I-80/US 30 intersect Wyoming Highway 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]
The next major intersection is in Rawlins. Here, US 287 joins the concurrency. The three routes are triplexed for 20 miles (32 km) as they pass by Sinclair to intersect the eastern terminus of Wyoming Highway 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, 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 BL/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 road. There are several scenic sites to see along the road while driving in this part of the area.[9] 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 Wyoming Highway 222. Both I-80 and US 30 enter Cheyenne, but not together. At the interchange with Wyoming Highway 225, one more business loop of I-80 breaks off, and so does US 30 along with the business route.
As I-80 BL/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 BL, 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.[12] US 30 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
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]
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Major intersections
| County | Location | mi | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln | |  US 30 west – Pocatello | Continuation into Idaho | |||
| |   WYO 89 north – Afton, Jackson | Western end of WYO 89 overlap | ||||
| Cokeville |   WYO 231 / WYO 232 – Cokeville | |||||
| Sage |  WYO 89 south – Evanston, Logan, Utah | Eastern end of WYO 89 overlap | ||||
| Kemmerer |   US 30 Byp. east – Rock Springs | |||||
  US 189 north – Big Piney | Western end of US 189 overlap | |||||
 US 189 south / US 30 Byp. west – Port of Entry, Cokeville, Evanston | Eastern end of US 189 overlap | |||||
| Opal |  WYO 240 – La Barge | |||||
| Sweetwater | Little America |   I-80 west – Evanston | Western end of I-80 overlap; I-80 exit 66 | |||
| 68 |   WYO 374 east – Little America | |||||
| | 72 | Westvaco Road | ||||
| James Town | 83 |  WYO 374 / WYO 372 (La Barge Road) | ||||
| 85 | Covered Wagon Road | |||||
| Green River | 89 |      I-80 BL east / US 30 Bus. east / WYO 374 to WYO 530 – Green River | ||||
| 91 |  I-80 BL west / US 30 Bus. west to WYO 530 – Green River | |||||
| Purple Sage | 99 |  US 191 south (East Flaming Gorge Road) | Western end of US 191 overlap | |||
| Rock Springs | 101 | Interchange Road | New diamond interchange opened in 2023 | |||
| 102 | I-80 BL (Dewar Drive) / US 30 Bus. east | |||||
| 103 | College Drive | |||||
| 104 | US 191 north (Elk Street) | Eastern end of US 191 overlap | ||||
| 107 |  I-80 BL / US 30 Bus. (Pilot Butte Avenue) to WYO 430 | |||||
| | 111 |  WYO 370 south (Airport Road) / Baxter Road – Rock Springs–Sweetwater County Airport | ||||
| | 122 |  WYO 371 north – Superior | ||||
| Point of Rocks | 130 | Point of Rocks | Former WYO 377 | |||
| | 136 | Black Butte Road | ||||
| | 139 | Red Hill Road | ||||
| | 142 | Bitter Creek Road | ||||
| | 146 | Patrick Draw Road | ||||
| Table Rock | 150 | Table Rock Road | ||||
| 152 | Bar X Road | |||||
| 154 | BLM Road | Closed in 2011 | ||||
| 156 | GL Road | |||||
| 158 | Tipton Road | |||||
| | 165 | Red Desert | ||||
| | 166 | Booster Road | Closed in 2010[17] | |||
| | 168 | Frewen Road | ||||
| | 170 | Rasmussen Road | ||||
| Wamsutter | 173 | Kelly Street – Wamsutter | ||||
| | 184 | Continental Divide Road | ||||
| | 187 |  WYO 789 south – Creston Junction, Baggs | Western end of WYO 789 overlap | |||
| | 196 | Riner Road | ||||
| Carbon | | 201 | Daley Road | |||
| | 204 | Knobs Road | ||||
| | 206 | Hadsell Road | ||||
| | 209 | Johnson Road | ||||
| Rawlins | 211 |   I-80 BL / US 30 Bus. east / WYO 789 north to US 287 – Rawlins | Eastern end of WYO 789 overlap | |||
| 214 |  WYO 71 south (Higley Boulevard) | |||||
| 215 | I-80 BL / US 30 Bus. west / US 287 north to WYO 789 – Rawlins | Western end of US 287 overlap | ||||
| Sinclair | 219 | Lincoln Avenue – Sinclair | ||||
| 221 |   WYO 76 west – Sinclair | |||||
| | 228 | Fort Steele | ||||
| |    I-80 east / WYO 130 east / WYO 230 east – Walcott, Laramie, Saratoga | Eastern end of I-80 overlap; I-80 exit 235 | ||||
| Hanna |  WYO 72 – Hanna, Elk Mountain | |||||
| Medicine Bow |  WYO 487 – Casper | |||||
| Albany | Rock River |  WYO 13 – McFadden, Arlington | ||||
| Bosler |  WYO 34 – Wheatland | |||||
| Laramie | I-80 BL west (Curtis Street) | Western end of I-80 BL overlap | ||||
| WYO 130 west / WYO 230 west (Snowy Range Road) | ||||||
| US 287 (Third Street) | ||||||
 I-80 west / I-80 BL ends – Rawlins | Eastern end of I-80 BL overlap; western end of I-80 overlap; I-80 exit 316 | |||||
| Sherman Summit | 323 |  WYO 210 east (Happy Jack Road) | Highest point on I-80 | |||
| | 329 | Vedauwoo Road | ||||
| Buford | 335 | Buford Road – Buford | ||||
| Laramie | | 339 | Remount Road | |||
| | 342 | Harriman Road | ||||
| | 345 | Warren Road | ||||
| | 348 |  WYO 225 east (Otto Road) | Former US 30 east | |||
| | 357 |  WYO 222 (Roundtop Road) | ||||
| |  I-80 east / Otto Road (WYO 225 west) / I-80 BL begins – Cheyenne | Eastern end of I-80 overlap; no entrance to EB I-80; WYO 225 (Otto Road) is former US 30 west; western end of I-80 BL overlap; I-80 exit 358 | ||||
| Cheyenne |    I-25 / US 87 to I-80 east – Fort Collins, Wheatland, Casper | I-25 exit 9 | ||||
     I-180 south / I-25 BL south / US 85 south (Central Avenue) | One-way couplet | |||||
 I-25 BL north / US 85 north (Warren Avenue) | ||||||
 WYO 212 (N. College Drive) / I-80 BL to I-80 | Eastern end of I-80 BL overlap | |||||
| | I-80 west – Cheyenne | Western end of I-80 overlap; I-80 exit 370 | ||||
| | 377 | Hillsdale | ||||
| | 386 |   WYO 213 north / WYO 214 south – Burns, Carpenter | ||||
| | 391 | Egbert | ||||
| Pine Bluffs | I-80 east – Sidney | Eastern end of I-80 overlap; I-80 exit 401 | ||||
 WYO 215 – Albin | ||||||
| US 30 east – Sidney | Continuation into Nebraska | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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Related routes
- U.S. Route 30 Bypass (Kemmerer, 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 30S (Wyoming)
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. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ^ "The Lincoln Highway in Wyoming". WyoHistory.org. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ^ "Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge". United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ "US 30 Relocation". Wyoming Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ University of Wyoming. Interactive Campus Map of the University of Wyoming (Map). University of Wyoming. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ^ "The Lincoln Monument Was Chosen as Roadside America's Sight of the Week". Visit Laramie. May 19, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ^ Wyoming, Travel (March 27, 2019). "Road Tripping through Wyoming: 17 Sights to See off I-80". Travel Wyoming. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ Google (June 30, 2023). "U.S. Route 30 in Wyoming" (Map). Google Maps. Google. 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. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ^ Google (June 30, 2023). "I-180 in Cheyenne, WY" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ^ Carter-Burgess (May 2005). Western Cheyenne Transportation Study (PDF). Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- ^ Google (June 30, 2023). "Overview Map of US 30 in Wyoming" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ^ a b Longfellow, Rickie (June 27, 2017). "The Lincoln Highway". Highway History. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ "Giant Head of Abraham Lincoln, Laramie, Wyoming". Roadside America. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ Maintenance Staff (February 11, 2013). Maintenance Section Reference Book (PDF). Wyoming Department of Transportation. p. 190. Retrieved March 6, 2019.