End of US highway 40

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Photo credits: Chris Elbert; Andy Field; Alex Nitzman; Dan Stober; Steven Taylor; me

Approx. time period East terminus West terminus
1926-1934 Atlantic City, NJ Oakland, CA
1934-1936 Atlantic City, NJ San Francisco, CA (Market)
1936-1954 Atlantic City, NJ San Francisco, CA (Harrison/Bryant)
1954-1966 Atlantic City, NJ San Francisco, CA (I-80)
1966-1975 Atlantic City, NJ Reno, NV
1975-present Atlantic City, NJ (near Park City, UT)

The east end of US 40 has been in Atlantic City NJ since the US routes were first commissioned in 1926; you can view photos from there on this page.

Originally the west end of US 40 was in Oakland CA. I'm guessing this would've been at the dock for the ferry that went to San Francisco, and I'm speculating that this would've been located somewhere off the west end of 7th Street (if you have more concrete info, please let me know). Until then here's a shot looking west on 7th:

Google Maps Street View, 2008

I'm sure this area has changed dramatically since the 1920s and '30s. That situation didn't last long anyway - in 1934 the US 40 designation was extended to US 101 in San Francisco; you can view photos from there on this page.

That lasted about 30 years, but the US 40 designation was completely eliminated from California in 1966. For the next decade or so, its west end was at Reno NV (or more likely at the CA stateline on the edge of town). Here's a photo from the historic US route junction downtown:

Elbert, Mar. 2005

That's looking south on Virginia Street (old US 395) at Fourth Street (old US 40).

Then in 1975 US 40 was removed from Nevada as well, and most of Utah too. Since then the west end of US 40 has been at a place called Silver Creek Junction: at I-80, a little ways north of Park City UT. The view in the photo below is to the northwest at the interchange that was then numbered 148; the white pickup is heading east on I-80:

Stober

In 2000 (a few years after that photo was taken), this interchange was undergoing major reconstruction. The photo below is from basically the same vantage point as the first shot...

Taylor, 2000

...but it wasn't long afterwards that this junction was significantly changed. The shot below shows the exit sign for the west beginning of US 40 from westbound I-80:

Field/Nitzman, Sep. 2005

As you can see, the interchange now has flyover ramps. Also note that this exit number was affected when UDoT recalculated the mile markers along its interstates: this is now interchange 146. The photo below is looking the opposite direction (east on I-80):

me, Oct. 2005

If you take that exit, the first eastbound confirming marker is posted where the roadway straightens out:

Field/Nitzman, Sep. 2005 (mounted on metal pole as of 2010)

The westernmost 12-or-so miles of US 40 is now a freeway, all the way down to U-32 near Heber City. Signage for the first eastbound exit (Silver Summit) is barely visible in the distance. The frontside of the sign bridge at far left is shown in the photo below:

me, Oct. 2005 (mounted on metal pole as of 2010)

I thought it was interesting that a westbound US 40 marker was posted within sight of the west end of the designation. At this point, US 40 traffic wanting westbound I-80 to Salt Lake has already been directed along the opposite side of the concrete barrier at far left, and will use the flyover visible in the distance. However, if you get on US 40 from the Silver Summit interchange, you're not allowed to cut across traffic to get to the flyover. Instead, you continue straight ahead towards Silver Creek Road. Near the big green sign at far right (which directs east I-80 traffic to the right), there's a gore in the roadway, in which the assembly shown below was posted:

me, Oct. 2005

That was the new "End US 40" sign, but it didn't last long... it had already been replaced by 2010:

Elbert, July 2010

But as I've said: from this point, US 40 used to continue westbound along what is now I-80: through Salt Lake, and then to Reno, Sacramento, and the Bay Area.

For the first ten years of its existence, there was a significant split in the route of US 40. West of Manhattan KS, "US 40N" followed what is now US 24 to Limon CO (until 1936). Today's US 40 follows what used to be "US 40S" between Manhattan and Limon.

And it gets even more interesting: at Limon was the west terminus of US 40N, and US 40 continued west through Denver as it does today. But there was still a US 40S to the west of Limon*. It followed what is now US 24 through Colorado Springs and to Minturn CO. From there, US 40S followed what would later become US 6 (better known today as I-70) to Grand Junction, where the designation ended at its junction with US 50. In other words, the west segment of US 40S didn't reconnect with mainline US 40. You can view photos of the former end of US 40S on this page.

This situation lasted until 1935 or 1936 - at that point, the US 24 designation was extended west of Kansas City along its present route. In other words, it took over for US 40N between Manhattan and Limon, and it followed the former US 40S from Limon to Grand Junction. US 40S from Manhattan to Limon became simply US 40.

* It's unclear to me whether there were actually two separate routes called "US 40S" (each heading opposite directions from Limon), or whether US 40S was a single route, co-signed with US 40 along a four-mile stretch through Limon.