Jump to content

U.S. Route 30 in Wyoming

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the section of U.S. Route 30 in Wyoming. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 30.
U.S. Highway 30 marker
U.S. Highway 30
Map
US 30 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by WYDOT
Length454.37 mi[1] (731.24 km)
Existed1926[citation needed]–present
Major junctions
West end US 30 at the Idaho state line near Kemmerer
Major intersections
East end US 30 at the Nebraska state line in Pine Bluffs
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWyoming
CountiesLincoln, Sweetwater, Carbon, Albany, Laramie
Highway system
  • Wyoming State Highway System
← WYO 28→ WYO 30

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

[edit]

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.

US 30 through the buttes of Green River

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 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]

I-80/US 30 enter Carbon County, where 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, and 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 BL/US 30 turn east on Grand Avenue while US 287 continues south on 3rd Street even further into downtown Laramie.

US 30/US 287 entering Albany County

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 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.

US 30 at its intersection with I-80 and I-80 BL outside of Cheyenne

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, 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

[edit]
I-80 BL/US 30 approaching a rail bridge in Cheyenne

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

[edit]
CountyLocationmikmExitDestinationsNotes
Lincoln​0.0000.000
 US 30 west – Pocatello		Continuation into Idaho
​0.2290.369
 WYO 89 north – Afton, Jackson		Western end of WYO 89 overlap
Cokeville10.64417.130 WYO 231 / WYO 232 – Cokeville
Sage29.95648.210
 WYO 89 south – Evanston, Logan, Utah		Eastern end of WYO 89 overlap
Kemmerer52.33284.220

 US 30 Byp. east – Rock Springs
54.43887.609
 US 189 north – Big Piney		Western end of US 189 overlap
59.34795.510


 US 189 south / US 30 Byp. west – Port of Entry, Cokeville, Evanston		Eastern end of US 189 overlap
Opal72.645116.911 WYO 240 – La Barge
SweetwaterGranger Junction WYO 374WYO 374 unsigned along this segment; eastern terminus of unsigned segment
Module:Jctint/USA warning: Unused argument(s): exit
Little America103.141165.989
 I-80 west – Evanston		Western end of I-80 overlap; I-80 exit 66
106.018170.61968WYO 374 east – Little AmericaExit numbers follow I-80; western terminus of WYO 374
​109.374176.02072Westvaco Road
James Town119.943193.03083 WYO 372 (La Barge Road) / WYO 374
122.677197.42985Covered Wagon Road
Green River126.586203.72089



 I-80 BL east / US 30 Bus. east to WYO 530 – Green River
128.444206.71191



 I-80 BL west / US 30 Bus. west to WYO 530 – Green River
Purple Sage99
 US 191 south (East Flaming Gorge Road)		Western end of US 191 overlap
Rock Springs101Interchange RoadNew diamond interchange opened in 2023
102

 I-80 BL (Dewar Drive) / US 30 Bus. east
103College 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 Rocks130Point of RocksFormer WYO 377
​136Black Butte Road
​139Red Hill Road
​142Bitter Creek Road
​146Patrick Draw Road
Table Rock150Table Rock Road
152Bar X Road
154BLM RoadClosed in 2011
156GL Road
158Tipton Road
​165Red Desert
​166Booster RoadClosed in 2010[17]
​168Frewen Road
​170Rasmussen Road
Wamsutter173Kelly Street – Wamsutter
​184Continental Divide Road
​187
 WYO 789 south – Creston Junction, Baggs		Western end of WYO 789 overlap
​196Riner Road
Carbon​201Daley Road
​204Knobs Road
​206Hadsell Road
​209Johnson Road
Rawlins211



 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
Sinclair219Lincoln Avenue – Sinclair
221
 WYO 76 west – Sinclair
​228Fort 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
AlbanyRock 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 south (Third Street)		Eastern end of US 287 overlap


 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 Summit323
 WYO 210 east (Happy Jack Road)		Highest point on I-80
​329Vedauwoo Road
Buford335Buford Road – Buford
Laramie​339Remount Road
​342Harriman Road
​345Warren 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
​377Hillsdale
​386

 WYO 213 north / WYO 214 south – Burns, Carpenter
​391Egbert
Pine Bluffs
 I-80 east – Sidney

 I-80 BL begins		Eastern end of I-80 overlap; western end of I-80 BL overlap; I-80 exit 401
WYO 215 – Albin
Wyoming–Nebraska line454.37731.24
 I-80 BL ends

 US 30 east		Eastern end of I-80 BL overlap; continuation into Nebraska
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  •       Closed/former
  •       Concurrency terminus
[edit]
See also: Special routes of U.S. Route 30

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Planning Program – Transportation Statistics (November 2004). Reference Marker Book. Wyoming Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007.
  2. ^ Elk Grove Historical Society. "History: Lincoln Highway". Elk Grove Historical Society. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  3. ^ "The Lincoln Highway in Wyoming". WyoHistory.org. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  4. ^ "Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge". United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  5. ^ "US 30 Relocation". Wyoming Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  6. ^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  7. ^ University of Wyoming. Interactive Campus Map of the University of Wyoming (Map). University of Wyoming. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  8. ^ "The Lincoln Monument Was Chosen as Roadside America's Sight of the Week". Visit Laramie. May 19, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  9. ^ Wyoming, Travel (March 27, 2019). "Road Tripping through Wyoming: 17 Sights to See off I-80". Travel Wyoming. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  10. ^ "U.S. Route 30 in Wyoming" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "I-180 in Cheyenne, WY" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  13. ^ Carter-Burgess (May 2005). Western Cheyenne Transportation Study (PDF). Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  14. ^ "Overview Map of US 30 in Wyoming" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Longfellow, Rickie (June 27, 2017). "The Lincoln Highway". Highway History. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  16. ^ "Giant Head of Abraham Lincoln, Laramie, Wyoming". Roadside America. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  17. ^ Maintenance Staff (February 11, 2013). Maintenance Section Reference Book (PDF). Wyoming Department of Transportation. p. 190. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
[edit]
KML file (edit • help)
Template:Attached KML/U.S. Route 30 in Wyoming
KML is not from Wikidata
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=U.S._Route_30_in_Wyoming&oldid=1215357066"