U.S. Route 60
Encyclopedia
U.S. Route 60 is an east–west United States highway, running 2670 mi (4,296.9 km) from the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast in Virginia
to western Arizona
. Despite the final "0" in its number, indicating a transcontinental designation, the 1926 route formerly ended in Springfield, Missouri
, at its intersection with the major U.S. Route 66
. In fact, Route 66 was almost given the US Route 60 number.
As of 2005, the highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, at Atlantic Avenue in the city's oceanfront resort district at the Rudee Inlet Bridge, right at the Grommet Island Park. Its western terminus was in Los Angeles, California
, from 1932 to 1966, but that was moved to east of Quartzsite, Arizona
, to an intersection with Interstate 10
after the highway was abandoned
in California in 1964. Some US 60 signs can be seen at this intersection about 5 mi (8 km) west of Brenda, Arizona
. Interstate 10
replaced US 60 from Arizona to Beaumont, California
, and California State Highway 60 replaced US 60 from there to Los Angeles.
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U.S. Route 60 has been fully decommissioned in California since 1972, when Interstate 10
was completed in California. It had a clear east-west orientation and was so signed.
Between downtown Los Angeles (its western terminus at its interchange with Interstates 5 and 10) it had an existence separate from U.S. Routes 70 and 99, lying to its south. US 60 passed through Pomona
and Riverside
, meeting US 70 and US 99 near Beaumont
, east of which it coincided with US 70 and US 99 as far to the east as Indio
. East of Indio, US 99 separated from US 60 and US 70, both continuing through the Mojave Desert
to the Arizona state line at the Colorado River near Blythe
almost entirely as a two-lane highway.
After the Great Renumbering of 1964, US 60 remained intact east of Beaumont, but for only eight years. Meanwhile, US 70 and US 99 had disappeared completely in California. West of Beaumont, the route that had been US 60 was re-signed as State Route 60 (although often on a somewhat different alignment than the current California 60, as the new freeway had not yet been completed). East of Beaumont, US 60 remained in existence while Interstate 10 supplanted it, with the course of US 60 being moved to Interstate 10 and some sections of the old highway being demolished. In 1972, California decommissioned whatever remained of US 60 within the state as the last segments of Interstate 10 were opened. Parts of old US 60 (which in places coincided with US 70 and US 99) remain as business loops of Interstate 10 in Indio and Blythe.
, where it travels northeast to Wickenburg, Arizona
. Route 60 then bears southeast and enters the Phoenix metropolitan area, where it becomes Grand Avenue
. The highway joins I-17 and I-10 in Phoenix
for approximately 14 miles before it exits I-10 onto the Superstition Freeway. Here, US 60 is a significant part of the local commuter freeway system, serving 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 exiting the state at the border with New Mexico
.
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 Cibola National Forest
. In Datil, US 60 serves as the eastern terminus of NM-12.
East of Datil, US 60 enters Socorro County
. After crossing the county line, the road bisects the Very Large Array
complex, and a track used in rearranging the antennas that make up the Array crosses the highway. 36 mi (57.9 km) 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 25 mi (40.2 km) north of Socorro. It turns back eastward, 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.
US 60 angles southwest toward Yeso
, entering De Baca County
en route. Curving back towards the east, the road enters Fort Sumner
, the county seat, 21 mi (33.8 km) 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' time 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
.
. 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 2 mi (3.2 km) east of Higgins
.
, Vinita
, and Ponca City
, US 60 is a two-lane highway its entire length across Oklahoma. It enters the state 14 mi (22.5 km) 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 24 miles (38.6 km). 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 will cross Interstate 44 at each Vinita and Afton. It passes through Twin Bridges State Park
about 12 miles (19.3 km) west of the Missouri state line.
, south of Interstate 44. It crosses the Oklahoma state line into Missouri near Seneca
. It is concurrent with U.S. Route 62
from Charleston, Missouri
, 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 Oklahoma state line (south of Seneca
) and Republic
, US 60 is a two-lane highway. At Republic, the road becomes a four-lane divided highway, turning southeast onto the James River Freeway
at the Springfield city limits.
Most of the route east of Springfield
are four-lane divided and several stretches are freeway-grade. On July 9, 2010, The Missouri Department of Transportation
(MoDOT) finished the process of upgrading US 60 to four lanes along a 59 miles (95 km) segment between Willow Springs
and Van Buren
. The completion of this project means that US 60 is now a four-lane facility from Springfield to Charleston
, a distance of approximately 240 miles (386.2 km). A stretch of US 60 from east of US 65 in Springfield to Rogersville, MO has been in long range plans to be upgraded to freeway status, removing all at-grade crossings, installing overpasses and interchanges, and access roads. This would begin the upgrade to I-66, but the funds do not exist.
US 60 intersects Interstate 55 and Interstate 57 just southeast of Sikeston
, and 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 concurrent with U.S. Route 62 and, for a short distance, Route 77.
William Jefferson Blythe, Jr.
, father of former president Bill Clinton
, died on Route 60 (now Route 114) outside of Sikeston, Missouri
after being thrown from his car and drowning in a drainage ditch.
and Ohio
rivers.
The concurrent routes pass Fort Defiance (Illinois)
, 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.
In West Virginia
, US 60 largely follows the path of the Midland Trail
. It enters the state at Kenova
by crossing over the Big Sandy River
from Kentucky
. From there, it heads through Huntington
east to Charleston
.
From Charleston
, US 60 heads southeast on its own course apart from Interstate 64
, its replacement. The road first follows the Kanawha River
to its source at Gauley Bridge
, where US 60 then climbs out of the river valley and follows a twisting path through Rainelle
and back to Interstate 64
at Sam Black Church
. This stretch was the last section of US 60 to be bypassed by the Interstate system in West Virginia. I-64 between Beckley
and Sam Black Church, West Virginia was not completed and open to traffic until July 15, 1988 Due to its location, many miles away from I-64, US 60 still serves a large amount of traffic through the central part of the state, even though I-64 has replaced the highway for most through traffic. From the early 1970s, when I-64 was completed through Charleston to the West Virginia Turnpike until 1988, all east-west I-64 traffic was routed onto the mostly two lane U.S. 60 from Charleston to Sam Black Church where I-64 resumed. During this time U.S. 60 was signed by W.V.D.O.T. with a U.S.60 shield and a "to I-64(east or west)" sign in order to assure travelers they would eventually return to the interstate highway by following the federal designated route. This stretch of highway from Charleston to Sam Black Church is significant as it was the second to last segment of U.S. highway to be replaced by an interstate (of the original 1960s grid plan).
From Sam Black Church
east through Lewisburg
to White Sulphur Springs
, US 60 lives in the shadow of I-64 and carries a very small amount of traffic. Just east of White Sulphur Springs, US 60 joins I-64 for the last 2 miles (3.2 km) in the state before they enter Virginia
at Allegheny Mountain
.
, and in the South Hampton Roads
area.
Between Lexington in the Shenandoah Valley
and Richmond, I-64 uses a lower elevation crossing of the Blue Ridge Mountains located about 30 miles (48.3 km) further north, where it runs parallel to U.S. Route 250 through Rockfish Gap
. In contrast, through this section, the older US 60 is mostly a rural two-lane road. With the crossing of the Blue Ridge Mountains at a higher altitude in more rugged terrain, US 60 in this area offers much more challenging and weather-sensitive driving conditions, as well as a history of many crashes in the years before I-64 was completed.
East of north–south U.S. Route 29
(which runs parallel to the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge), the older US 60 and I-64 gradually converge as they pass through the rolling hills of the rocky Piedmont region
in an easterly direction to reach the fall line
at Richmond
, where they again become very close.
From Richmond east to the harbor area near the mouth of Hampton Roads
, US 60 again essentially parallels I-64 through Williamsburg
and the Historic Triangle
region, extending down the Virginia Peninsula
east to the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel
which it shares with I-64. A few miles south of the bridge-tunnel
, in Norfolk
, US 60 diverges to the east to follow the south shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay
through Ocean View and past the south entrance to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
to reach Cape Henry
. There it curves south to run along the Atlantic Ocean
shoreline to end near the south end of the Virginia Beach resort strip.
, an auto trail
organized in 1912 by residents of Grand Junction, Colorado
. The next year, this route was considered but rejected for the Lincoln Highway
, after which the Midland Trail Association laid out and marked its own transcontinental highway, eventually connecting Newport News, Virginia
with Los Angeles, California
. When the Joint Board on Interstate Highways published its preliminary plan for a system of interstate routes in 1925, the Midland Trail was split among many numbers, including 52, 62, 150, 50, and 40. East of Louisville
, where it would become US 60, it was assigned parts of 52 and 62. Route 52 began at Newport News and followed the Midland Trail to Richmond, but took a more southerly route to Lexington, Virginia
. The trail was used again through West Virginia
to Huntington, where Route 52 split to the northwest. Route 62 began at Ashland, Kentucky
(near Huntington) and followed the Midland Trail across northeastern Kentucky
to Louisville, where the trail crossed the Ohio River
and became Route 150. Route 62 continued southwest along the south bank of the Ohio River to Wickliffe in western Kentucky, and then crossed the Mississippi River
at the Ohio's mouth. The final portion of Route 62 crossed southern Missouri
to Springfield on an existing main highway that had been numbered 16 by the state.
Kentucky Governor William J. Fields
objected to the Joint Board's plan, which took most major east–west routes (multiples of ten) to the East Coast
, but sent Route 60 from Los Angeles
northeast to end in Chicago
, leaving none to cross Kentucky, the only Mississippi Valley state without such a route. Proposals were considered for splitting US 60 into 60N and 60E at Springfield or using 62 for the Chicago route; Missouri had already prepared maps that showed the original plans for 60 and 62. The final plan, agreed to by the affected states, assigned US 66 to the Los Angeles-Chicago highway and US 60 to the route from Springfield to Virginia Beach (extended from Newport News), absorbing all of 62 and part of 52 from the 1925 plan.
Although US 60 initially stretched less than halfway across the country, due to its late creation, it was soon extended west to Los Angeles
. One auto trail — the Atlantic and Pacific Highway
- and three other U.S. Highways played a part in this extension. The Atlantic and Pacific Highway had been organized in 1921, and connected New York City
with Los Angeles. The original alignment of U.S. Route 70
entered Clovis, New Mexico
from the east, as it does now, but continued west to Holbrook, Arizona
. Crossing US 70 at Clovis was the El Paso
-Amarillo
U.S. Route 366. Finally, U.S. Route 164 was created by 1928, stretching northeast and east from Amarillo to U.S. Route 64
and U.S. Route 77
in Enid, Oklahoma
. The American Association of State Highway Officials approved the first part of the extension in May 1930, following the rest of Missouri's Route 16 to the Oklahoma state line, and several state highways to Enid, before absorbing US 164 to a terminus at Amarillo. The remainder to Los Angeles was approved at AASHO's June 1931 meeting, and involved a number of other changes. US 60 replaced US 366 from Amarillo to Clovis, where it continued west along US 70 to Springerville, Arizona
. The remainder of US 70 to Holbrook, Arizona
became a new U.S. Route 260, while US 60 followed the Atlantic and Pacific Highway, which it had picked up at Vaughn, New Mexico
, southwest and west through Phoenix
to Los Angeles. US 70 was not truncated to Clovis, but was instead redirected southwest along US 366 to El Paso, and later reached Los Angeles itself, though most of the route west of Globe, Arizona
overlapped US 60.
After the Interstate Highway System
was signed into law in 1956, the Midland Trail portion of US 60, from Louisville
east to the Hampton Roads
area, was bypassed by Interstate 64
. From Phoenix
west to Los Angeles
, Interstate 10
paralleled and replaced US 60. I-10 and I-64 were mostly completed by the late 1970s, though part of Interstate 64 in West Virginia
, built on a new alignment east from Beckley
, did not bypass the old winding US 60 until July 15, 1988. California decommissioned its portion of US 60 in 1964; most was replaced by I-10, while the independent piece in the Los Angeles area became State Route 60. In the 1970s, the portion overlapping I-10 in western Arizona was removed. US 60 between Phoenix and Louisville remains a major regional corridor in most places, and is not paralleled by an Interstate for any significant length.
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
to western Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. Despite the final "0" in its number, indicating a transcontinental designation, the 1926 route formerly ended in Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
, at its intersection with the major U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
. In fact, Route 66 was almost given the US Route 60 number.
As of 2005, the highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, at Atlantic Avenue in the city's oceanfront resort district at the Rudee Inlet Bridge, right at the Grommet Island Park. Its western terminus was in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, from 1932 to 1966, but that was moved to east of Quartzsite, Arizona
Quartzsite, Arizona
Quartzsite is a town in La Paz County, Arizona, United States. According to Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town was 3,397 in 2006.Interstate 10 runs directly through Quartzsite. It is at the intersection of U.S...
, to an intersection with Interstate 10
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
after the highway was abandoned
Decommissioned highway
A decommissioned highway is a highway that has been removed from service, shut down or has had its authorization as a federal or state highway removed. Decommissioning can include the complete or partial demolition or abandonment of an old highway structure because the old roadway has lost its...
in California in 1964. Some US 60 signs can be seen at this intersection about 5 mi (8 km) west of Brenda, Arizona
Brenda, Arizona
Brenda, Arizona is a small community in southwestern Arizona. It is located approximately 13 miles east of Quartzsite, , and 4 miles northeast on US 60 in Arizona....
. Interstate 10
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
replaced US 60 from Arizona to Beaumont, California
Beaumont, California
Beaumont is a city in Riverside County, California, United States in the Greater Los Angeles area.Now a growing, community planned city, the population was 36,877 at the 2010 census, and expected to be up to 125,000 projected by 2040, making Beaumont as California's next, newest fastest-growing...
, and California State Highway 60 replaced US 60 from there to Los Angeles.
California
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
was completed in California. It had a clear east-west orientation and was so signed.
Between downtown Los Angeles (its western terminus at its interchange with Interstates 5 and 10) it had an existence separate from U.S. Routes 70 and 99, lying to its south. US 60 passed through Pomona
Pomona, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...
and Riverside
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
, meeting US 70 and US 99 near Beaumont
Beaumont, California
Beaumont is a city in Riverside County, California, United States in the Greater Los Angeles area.Now a growing, community planned city, the population was 36,877 at the 2010 census, and expected to be up to 125,000 projected by 2040, making Beaumont as California's next, newest fastest-growing...
, east of which it coincided with US 70 and US 99 as far to the east as Indio
Indio, California
Indio is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, located in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, east of Riverside, and east of Los Angeles. It is about north of Mexicali, Baja California on the U.S.-Mexican border...
. East of Indio, US 99 separated from US 60 and US 70, both continuing through the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
to the Arizona state line at the Colorado River near Blythe
Blythe, California
Blythe is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the "Palo Verde Valley" of the Lower Colorado River Valley region, an agricultural area and part of the Colorado Desert along the Colorado River. Blythe was named after Thomas Blythe, a gold prospector who established primary...
almost entirely as a two-lane highway.
After the Great Renumbering of 1964, US 60 remained intact east of Beaumont, but for only eight years. Meanwhile, US 70 and US 99 had disappeared completely in California. West of Beaumont, the route that had been US 60 was re-signed as State Route 60 (although often on a somewhat different alignment than the current California 60, as the new freeway had not yet been completed). East of Beaumont, US 60 remained in existence while Interstate 10 supplanted it, with the course of US 60 being moved to Interstate 10 and some sections of the old highway being demolished. In 1972, California decommissioned whatever remained of US 60 within the state as the last segments of Interstate 10 were opened. Parts of old US 60 (which in places coincided with US 70 and US 99) remain as business loops of Interstate 10 in Indio and Blythe.
Arizona
The westernmost stretch of US 60 to the California border has been replaced by Interstate 10. The western terminus of US 60 is near Brenda, ArizonaBrenda, Arizona
Brenda, Arizona is a small community in southwestern Arizona. It is located approximately 13 miles east of Quartzsite, , and 4 miles northeast on US 60 in Arizona....
, where it travels northeast to Wickenburg, Arizona
Wickenburg, Arizona
Wickenburg is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 6,423.-Geography:Wickenburg is located at ....
. Route 60 then bears southeast and enters the Phoenix metropolitan area, where it becomes Grand Avenue
Grand Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona
Grand Avenue is a principal arterial road in Phoenix, Arizona, in the United States that carries U.S. Route 60 . US 60 was commissioned in 1926 as part of the United States Numbered Highway System and for over 40 years the highway served as a convenient route from which to import and export goods...
. The highway joins I-17 and I-10 in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
for approximately 14 miles before it exits I-10 onto the Superstition Freeway. Here, US 60 is a significant part of the local commuter freeway system, serving cities such as Mesa
Mesa, Arizona
According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...
, Gilbert
Gilbert, Arizona
-Demographics:As of July 1, 2009, Maricopa Association of Governments, Census 2000. United States Census Bureau. there were 217,521 people, 74,147 housing units, and 3.01 persons per household....
, and Apache Junction
Apache Junction, Arizona
Apache Junction is a city in Maricopa and Pinal counties in the U.S. state of Arizona. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city was 35,840, most of whom lived in Pinal County....
. East of the Phoenix area, US 60 bears roughly east-northeast through mountainous areas, passing through Globe
Globe, Arizona
Globe has an arid climate, characterized by hot summers and moderate to warm winters. Globe's arid climate is somewhat tempered by its elevation, however, leading to slightly cooler temperatures and slightly more precipitation than Phoenix or Yuma....
, Show Low
Show Low, Arizona
Winters in Show Low bring highs between 45°F and 55°F , with lows usually below freezing between November and March, averaging in the 20s December through February, and in the low 30s for November and March....
, and Springerville
Springerville, Arizona
Springerville is a town in Apache County, Arizona, United States within the White Mountains. Its postal ZIP code is 85938. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 1,956.Springerville sits at an elevation of 6,974 feet...
before exiting the state at the border with New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
.
New Mexico
US 60 enters New Mexico in Catron CountyCatron County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*89.8% White*0.4% Black*2.7% Native American*0.2% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.1% Two or more races*3.7% Other races*19.0% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
east of Springerville, Arizona. The road makes an arc through Catron County, with the apex at Quemado
Quemado, New Mexico
Quemado is an unincorporated community in Catron County, New Mexico, United States. Walter De Maria's 1977 art installation, The Lightning Field, is between Quemado and Pie Town, New Mexico....
, avoiding Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest
Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest
The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest is a United States National Forest which runs along the Mogollon Rim and the White Mountains in east-central Arizona and extending into New Mexico, USA. Both forests are managed as one unit by USDA Forest Service from the forest headquarters in Springerville,...
and Escondido Mountain. East of Pie Town
Pie Town, New Mexico
Pie Town is an unincorporated town on U.S. Route 60 in Catron County, New Mexico, United States. Its name comes from a dried-apple pie business that was established by Clyde Norman in the early 1920s. Pie Town hosts a Pie Festival on the second Saturday of each September...
, the road crosses the Continental Divide
Continental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...
. Between the Divide and Datil
Datil, New Mexico
Datil is an unincorporated town in Catron County, New Mexico, United States. Located at the intersection of U.S. Route 60 and New Mexico State Road 12, Datil is on the edge of the Cibola National Forest. The Very Large Array is also nearby. Rock climbers are attracted to Datil because it hold the...
, US 60 cuts through Cibola National Forest
Cibola National Forest
The Cibola National Forest is a United States National Forest in western and central New Mexico, USA. The forest also manages four National Grasslands that stretch from northeastern New Mexico eastward into the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma. It is administered by the United States Forest...
. In Datil, US 60 serves as the eastern terminus of NM-12.
East of Datil, US 60 enters Socorro County
Socorro County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*75.1% White*1.1% Black*11.7% Native American*1.2% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.8% Two or more races*8.1% Other races*48.5% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
. After crossing the county line, the road bisects the Very Large Array
Very Large Array
The Very Large Array is a radio astronomy observatory located on the Plains of San Agustin, between the towns of Magdalena and Datil, some fifty miles west of Socorro, New Mexico, USA...
complex, and a track used in rearranging the antennas that make up the Array crosses the highway. 36 mi (57.9 km) into the county, the highway passes through Magdalena
Magdalena, New Mexico
Magdalena is a village in Socorro County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 938 at the 2010 census."The Lady on the Mountain" is a rock formation on Magdalena Peak overlooking Magdalena. Spanish soldiers saw the face of a woman on the west face of the peak...
.
It then enters the county seat of Socorro
Socorro, New Mexico
Socorro is a city in Socorro County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It stands in the Rio Grande Valley at an elevation of . The population was 9,051 at the 2010 census...
, where it meets Interstate 25
Interstate 25 in New Mexico
In the U.S. state of New Mexico, Interstate 25 follows the north–south corridor through Albuquerque and Santa Fe. It replaced U.S. Route 85, which is no longer signed, but still exists in route logs sharing the I-25 alignment. I-25 starts in New Mexico at an interchange with I-10 in Las Cruces and...
. US 60 heads north, beginning a concurrency with the Interstate.
US 60 splits off from I-25 near Bernardo, about 25 mi (40.2 km) north of Socorro. It turns back eastward, crossing into Torrance County
Torrance County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*76.1% White*1.3% Black*2.3% Native American*0.4% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*4.3% Two or more races*15.6% Other races*39.1% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
and passing through Mountainair
Mountainair, New Mexico
Mountainair is a town in Torrance County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,116 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, where it intersects NM-55. After passing through Willard
Willard, New Mexico
Willard is a village in Torrance County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 240 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village is not experiencing the same extreme growth that towns farther north in the state are. A wind farm has recently...
, it sets out across the Pedernal Hills. In Encino
Encino, New Mexico
Encino is a village in Torrance County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 94 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Encino is located at ....
, it begins a concurrency with US-285. Just after crossing into Guadalupe County
Guadalupe County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*70.4% White*1.7% Black*1.9% Native American*1.3% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.3% Two or more races*21.4% Other races*79.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, US-54 joins the concurrency. The three highways pass through Vaughn
Vaughn, New Mexico
Vaughn is a town in Guadalupe County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 539 at the 2000 census.Vaughn is located at an intersection of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific railroad lines.-History:...
and then go their separate ways.
US 60 angles southwest toward Yeso
Yeso, New Mexico
Yeso is an unincorporated community in De Baca County, New Mexico, United States. Yeso is located along U.S. Route 60 west of Fort Sumner....
, entering De Baca County
De Baca County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*87.3% White*0.1% Black*0.6% Native American*0.0% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.9% Two or more races*8.1% Other races*38.5% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
en route. Curving back towards the east, the road enters Fort Sumner
Fort Sumner, New Mexico
Fort Sumner is a village in De Baca County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,249 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of De Baca County...
, the county seat, 21 mi (33.8 km) 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' time in New Mexico. East of town the two highways encounter NM-212, a spur to Fort Sumner State Monument, and NM 252 in Taiban
Taiban, New Mexico
Taiban is an unincorporated community in De Baca County, New Mexico, United States. It is located on New Mexico Highway 252 at U.S. Routes 60 and 84. Founded in 1906 as a ranching community, it was named for nearby Taiban Creek.-External links:...
.
US 60/84 passes through Tolar near the De Baca–Roosevelt County
Roosevelt County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*76.9% White*1.8% Black*1.3% Native American*0.9% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.2% Two or more races*15.9% Other races*39.9% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
line. The two routes do not stay in Roosevelt County for long, however, proceeding into Curry County
Curry County, New Mexico
Curry County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The population was approximately 45,044 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Clovis. It is named in honor of George Curry, territorial governor of New Mexico from 1907 to 1910...
west of Melrose
Melrose, New Mexico
Melrose is a village in Curry County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 736 at the 2000 census. The town is losing population due to rural exodus...
. The highways pass through Melrose, St. Vrain, and Grier before widening out to a four-lane highway as they approach Clovis
Clovis, New Mexico
Clovis is the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico, United States. Its population was 32,667 at the 2000 census; according to 2010 Census Bureau estimates, the population had risen to 37,775....
, the Curry County seat. In Clovis, the home of Cannon Air Force Base
Cannon Air Force Base
Cannon Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately southwest of Clovis, New Mexico. It is under the jurisdiction of Air Force Special Operations Command ....
, the highways meet up with US-70, which joins the concurrency. The three highways proceed through Texico
Texico, New Mexico
Texico is a city in Curry County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,065 at the 2000 census.-Name:The name is a portmanteau of "Texas" and "New Mexico". Texico is located on the Texas-New Mexico border...
, and then cross the state line near Farwell, Texas
Farwell, Texas
Farwell is a city in and the county seat of Parmer County, Texas, United States. Farwell is located on the Texas-New Mexico border with the town of Texico, New Mexico on the opposite side...
.
Texas
US 60 runs in a northeasterly direction across the Texas PanhandleTexas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
. It enters the state as a four-lane divided highway at Farwell
Farwell, Texas
Farwell is a city in and the county seat of Parmer County, Texas, United States. Farwell is located on the Texas-New Mexico border with the town of Texico, New Mexico on the opposite side...
on the Texas-New Mexico border, and heads northeast, intersecting U.S. Route 385 at Hereford
Hereford, Texas
Hereford is a city in Deaf Smith County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,597 at the 2000 census. It is the only incorporated Hereford in the country. It is the county seat of Deaf Smith County....
. At Canyon
Canyon, Texas
Canyon is a city in Randall County, Texas, United States. The population was 12,875 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randall County. It is the home of West Texas A&M University and Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. Palo Duro Canyon State Park is some twelve miles east of Canyon...
, the route begins a concurrency with both U.S. Route 87
U.S. Route 87
U.S. Highway 87 is a north–south United States highway that runs for 1,998 miles from northern Montana to southern Texas. Most of the portion from Billings, Montana, to Raton, New Mexico, is co-signed along Interstates 90 and 25...
and Interstate 27
Interstate 27
Interstate 27 is an intrastate Interstate Highway, located entirely in the U.S. state of Texas, running north from Lubbock to Interstate 40 in Amarillo. These two cities are the only control cities on I-27; other cities and towns served by I-27 include New Deal, Abernathy, Hale Center, Plainview,...
; the three routes are united to Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
.
At Amarillo, the road crosses Interstate 40
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
and has a short concurrency with Historic US 66 on Amarillo Boulevard. The road continues as a divided highway, heading northeast to Pampa
Pampa, Texas
Pampa is a city in Gray County, Texas, United States. The population was 17,887 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Gray County.Pampa is the principal city of the Pampa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Gray and Roberts counties....
, where the road goes to two lanes. At Canadian
Canadian, Texas
Canadian is the county seat of Hemphill County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,233 at the 2000 census. It is named for the Canadian River, a tributary of the nearby Arkansas River. Canadian is sometimes called "the oasis of the Texas Panhandle."-History:The trails along the river are...
, the route briefly returns to four-lane status and forms a concurrency with U.S. Route 83
U.S. Route 83
U.S. Route 83 is one of the longest north–south U.S. Highways in the United States, at . Only four other north–south routes are longer: U.S. Routes 1, 41, 59 and 87. The highway's northern terminus is north of Westhope, North Dakota, at the Canadian border, where it continues as...
. US 60 leaves Texas for Oklahoma 2 mi (3.2 km) east of Higgins
Higgins, Texas
Higgins is a city in Lipscomb County, Texas, United States, named after G.H. Higgins, a stockholder in the Santa Fe Railroad. The population was 425 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Higgins is located at ....
.
Oklahoma
Except for three short sections near EnidEnid, Oklahoma
Enid is a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. In 2010, the population was 49,379, making it the ninth largest city in Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, and is named after Enid, a...
, Vinita
Vinita, Oklahoma
Vinita is a city in south-central Craig County, Oklahoma. As of 2009, the population estimate was 6,057. It is the county seat of Craig County.-Geography:...
, and Ponca City
Ponca City, Oklahoma
Ponca City is a small city in Kay and Osage counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, which was named after the Ponca Tribe. Located in north central Oklahoma, it lies approximately south of the Kansas border, and approximately east of Interstate 35. 25,919 people called Ponca City home at the...
, US 60 is a two-lane highway its entire length across Oklahoma. It enters the state 14 mi (22.5 km) west of Arnett
Arnett, Oklahoma
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 520 people, 238 households, and 140 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,233.1 people per square mile . There were 281 housing units at an average density of 666.4 per square mile...
and travels east to Orienta
Orienta, Oklahoma
Orienta is a small community located at the junction US Highway 60 and US Highway 412 in Major County, Oklahoma. It lies north of Fairview, east of the Glass Mountains and south of the Cimarron River. The post office was established March 12, 1901, and took its name from the Kansas City, Mexico and...
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 24 miles (38.6 km). Near Tonkawa
Tonkawa, Oklahoma
Tonkawa is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States, along the Salt Fork Arkansas River. The population was 3,299 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, US 60 has an interchange with Interstate 35.
At Ponca City
Ponca City, Oklahoma
Ponca City is a small city in Kay and Osage counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, which was named after the Ponca Tribe. Located in north central Oklahoma, it lies approximately south of the Kansas border, and approximately east of Interstate 35. 25,919 people called Ponca City home at the...
, US 60 enters Osage County, leaving it at Bartlesville
Bartlesville, Oklahoma
Bartlesville is a city in Osage and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 43,070 at the 2010 census. Bartlesville is located forty-seven miles north of Tulsa and very close to Oklahoma's northern border with Kansas. It is the county seat of Washington County, in...
. From Vinita to Afton
Afton, Oklahoma
Afton is a town in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,118 at the 2000 census, most of the recent population growth was from the near abandonment of nearby towns of Cardin and Picher from ground contamination sites by local mining quarries.-Geography:Afton is located at ...
, the highway has a concurrency with Historic U.S. Highway 66 and U.S. Highway 69. The road will cross Interstate 44 at each Vinita and Afton. It passes through Twin Bridges State Park
Twin Bridges State Park
Twin Bridges State Park is located on the north side of the Grand Lake o' the Cherokees in northeastern Oklahoma. It was named for the two bridges which carry U.S. Highway 60 over arms of the lake which connect to the Neosho River and the Spring River...
about 12 miles (19.3 km) west of the Missouri state line.
Missouri
US 60 crosses southern MissouriMissouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, south of Interstate 44. It crosses the Oklahoma state line into Missouri near Seneca
Seneca, Missouri
Seneca is a city in Newton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,336 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-2008 tornado:...
. It is concurrent with U.S. Route 62
U.S. Route 62
U.S. Route 62 runs from the US-Mexico border at El Paso, Texas to Niagara Falls, New York, near the United States-Canada border. It is the only east-west US Route that connects Mexico and Canada.Parts of U.S...
from Charleston, Missouri
Charleston, Missouri
Charleston is a city in Mississippi County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,732 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Mississippi County and it is a home to a local correctional facility.-History:...
, and spans the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
to enter Illinois. Prior to the creation of the U.S. Highway system, U.S. Route 60 was Route 16.
Between the Oklahoma state line (south of Seneca
Seneca, Missouri
Seneca is a city in Newton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,336 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-2008 tornado:...
) and Republic
Republic, Missouri
Republic is a city in Christian and Greene counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population is 14,751 according to the 2010 United States Census. It is part of the Springfield, Missouri, Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, US 60 is a two-lane highway. At Republic, the road becomes a four-lane divided highway, turning southeast onto the James River Freeway
James River Freeway
James River Freeway is a fourteen mile -long freeway located largely on the south side of Springfield, Missouri. Its western terminus is at Interstate 44 north of Brookline and its eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 65 in southeastern Springfield. It is named for the James River, which passes near...
at the Springfield city limits.
Most of the route east of Springfield
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
are four-lane divided and several stretches are freeway-grade. On July 9, 2010, The Missouri Department of Transportation
Missouri Department of Transportation
The Missouri Department of Transportation is a state government organization in charge of maintaining public roadways of the U.S. state of Missouri.-External links:*...
(MoDOT) finished the process of upgrading US 60 to four lanes along a 59 miles (95 km) segment between Willow Springs
Willow Springs, Missouri
Willow Springs is a city in Howell County, Missouri, in the Ozark Mountains of the United States. The population was 2,147 at the 2000 census.- History :...
and Van Buren
Van Buren, Missouri
Van Buren is a city in Carter County, Missouri, United States. The population was 845 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a town. It is the county seat of Carter County. The city was organized in 1830 and was named for United States Secretary of State Martin Van Buren.-Geography:Van Buren is...
. The completion of this project means that US 60 is now a four-lane facility from Springfield to Charleston
Charleston, Missouri
Charleston is a city in Mississippi County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,732 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Mississippi County and it is a home to a local correctional facility.-History:...
, a distance of approximately 240 miles (386.2 km). A stretch of US 60 from east of US 65 in Springfield to Rogersville, MO has been in long range plans to be upgraded to freeway status, removing all at-grade crossings, installing overpasses and interchanges, and access roads. This would begin the upgrade to I-66, but the funds do not exist.
US 60 intersects Interstate 55 and Interstate 57 just southeast of Sikeston
Sikeston, Missouri
Sikeston is a city located both in southern Scott County and northern New Madrid County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is geographically situated just north of the "Missouri Bootheel", although many locals consider Sikeston a part of it. By way of Interstate 55, Sikeston is close to the...
, and runs concurrently with I-57 from this junction to the east side of Charleston.
From Charleston to Bird's Point
Bird's Point, Missouri
Bird's Point is an unincorporated community in Mississippi County, Missouri. It lies on an island or former island in the Mississippi River, near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and is situated directly across from Cairo, Illinois. This is the point where the U.S...
, where the route leaves Missouri on a bridge crossing of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, US 60 is concurrent with U.S. Route 62 and, for a short distance, Route 77.
William Jefferson Blythe, Jr.
William Jefferson Blythe, Jr.
William Jefferson "Bill" Blythe, Jr. was an Arkansas salesman of heavy equipment and the biological father of former U.S. President Bill Clinton.-Personal life:...
, father of former president Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, died on Route 60 (now Route 114) outside of Sikeston, Missouri
Sikeston, Missouri
Sikeston is a city located both in southern Scott County and northern New Madrid County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is geographically situated just north of the "Missouri Bootheel", although many locals consider Sikeston a part of it. By way of Interstate 55, Sikeston is close to the...
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, 0.92 miles (1.48 km), in Illinois. The routes enter Illinois at its very southern tip between the MississippiMississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
and Ohio
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
rivers.
The concurrent routes pass Fort Defiance (Illinois)
Fort Defiance (Illinois)
Fort Defiance, known as Camp Defiance during the American Civil War, is a former military fortification located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers near Cairo in Alexander County, Illinois. The strategic significance of the site has been known since prehistoric times with...
, which lies at the lowest and southernmost point of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, then intersect with U.S. 51 south of Cairo
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the county seat of Alexander County. Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The rivers converge at Fort Defiance State Park, an American Civil War fort that was commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant...
, turning eastward along with southbound U.S. 51 to cross the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
into Kentucky.
West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, US 60 largely follows the path of the Midland Trail
Midland Trail
For the trail's section in West Virginia see: The Midland Trail in West Virginia.The Midland Trail, also called the Roosevelt Midland Trail, was a national auto trail spanning the United States from Washington, D.C...
. It enters the state at Kenova
Kenova, West Virginia
Kenova is a city in Wayne County, West Virginia, at the confluence of the Ohio and Big Sandy Rivers. The name of the town comes from its unique position where the borders of Kentucky, Ohio, and Virginia meet. Founded in 1859 but not incorporated until 1894, the town's early history and...
by crossing over the Big Sandy River
Big Sandy River (Ohio River)
The Big Sandy River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in western West Virginia and northeastern Kentucky in the United States. The river forms part of the boundary between the two states along its entire course...
from Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. From there, it heads through Huntington
Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...
east to Charleston
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
.
From Charleston
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
, US 60 heads southeast on its own course apart from Interstate 64
Interstate 64
Interstate 64 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. 40, and U.S. 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange with I-264 and I-664 at Bowers Hill in Chesapeake, Virginia. As I-64 is concurrent with...
, its replacement. The road first follows the Kanawha River
Kanawha River
The Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, it has formed a significant industrial region of the state since the middle of the 19th century.It is formed at the town of Gauley...
to its source at Gauley Bridge
Gauley Bridge, West Virginia
Gauley Bridge is a town in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 738 at the 2000 census. The Kanawha River is formed at Gauley Bridge by the confluence of the New and Gauley Rivers...
, where US 60 then climbs out of the river valley and follows a twisting path through Rainelle
Rainelle, West Virginia
Rainelle is a town in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,545 at the 2000 census.-History:Rainelle was named for the Raine family. Thomas and his brother John Raine moved there from Pennsylvania in 1906 to exploit one of the last large stands of virgin hardwoods in...
and back to Interstate 64
Interstate 64
Interstate 64 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. 40, and U.S. 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange with I-264 and I-664 at Bowers Hill in Chesapeake, Virginia. As I-64 is concurrent with...
at Sam Black Church
Sam Black Church, West Virginia
Sam Black Church is an unincorporated community in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. It is located at the intersection of Interstate 64 and U.S. Highway 60 on the Midland Trail, a National Scenic Byway. The community is named for Sam Black Church, a Registered Historic Place which is...
. This stretch was the last section of US 60 to be bypassed by the Interstate system in West Virginia. I-64 between Beckley
Beckley, West Virginia
Beckley is a city in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States, which was founded on April 4, 1838. The 2008 population was estimated to be 16,832 by the U.S. Census Bureau. Early in its history, the town was known as Beckleyville and Raleigh Court House...
and Sam Black Church, West Virginia was not completed and open to traffic until July 15, 1988 Due to its location, many miles away from I-64, US 60 still serves a large amount of traffic through the central part of the state, even though I-64 has replaced the highway for most through traffic. From the early 1970s, when I-64 was completed through Charleston to the West Virginia Turnpike until 1988, all east-west I-64 traffic was routed onto the mostly two lane U.S. 60 from Charleston to Sam Black Church where I-64 resumed. During this time U.S. 60 was signed by W.V.D.O.T. with a U.S.60 shield and a "to I-64(east or west)" sign in order to assure travelers they would eventually return to the interstate highway by following the federal designated route. This stretch of highway from Charleston to Sam Black Church is significant as it was the second to last segment of U.S. highway to be replaced by an interstate (of the original 1960s grid plan).
From Sam Black Church
Sam Black Church, West Virginia
Sam Black Church is an unincorporated community in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. It is located at the intersection of Interstate 64 and U.S. Highway 60 on the Midland Trail, a National Scenic Byway. The community is named for Sam Black Church, a Registered Historic Place which is...
east through Lewisburg
Lewisburg, West Virginia
Lewisburg is a city in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,830 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Greenbrier County.-Geography:Lewisburg is located at ....
to White Sulphur Springs
White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
White Sulphur Springs is a city in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,444 at the 2010 census.-Geography:White Sulphur Springs is located at ....
, US 60 lives in the shadow of I-64 and carries a very small amount of traffic. Just east of White Sulphur Springs, US 60 joins I-64 for the last 2 miles (3.2 km) in the state before they enter Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
at Allegheny Mountain
Allegheny Mountain (West Virginia-Virginia)
Allegheny Mountain is a major mountain ridge in the southern range of the Allegheny Mountains, part of the Appalachian Mountains...
.
Virginia
In Virginia, U.S. Route 60 runs 312 mi (502.1 km) west to east through the central part of the state, generally close to and paralleling the Interstate 64 corridor, except for the crossing of the Blue Ridge MountainsBlue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
, and in the South Hampton Roads
South Hampton Roads
South Hampton Roads is a region located in the extreme southeastern portion of Virginia in the United States, and is part of the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA with a population about 1.7 million....
area.
Between Lexington in the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
and Richmond, I-64 uses a lower elevation crossing of the Blue Ridge Mountains located about 30 miles (48.3 km) further north, where it runs parallel to U.S. Route 250 through Rockfish Gap
Rockfish Gap
Rockfish Gap is a wind gap located in the Blue Ridge Mountains between Charlottesville and Waynesboro, Virginia, United States, through Afton Mountain, which is frequently used to refer to the gap....
. In contrast, through this section, the older US 60 is mostly a rural two-lane road. With the crossing of the Blue Ridge Mountains at a higher altitude in more rugged terrain, US 60 in this area offers much more challenging and weather-sensitive driving conditions, as well as a history of many crashes in the years before I-64 was completed.
East of north–south U.S. Route 29
U.S. Route 29
U.S. Route 29 is a north–south United States highway that runs for from the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland, to Pensacola, Florida. This highway's northern terminus is at Maryland Route 99 in Ellicott City, Maryland...
(which runs parallel to the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge), the older US 60 and I-64 gradually converge as they pass through the rolling hills of the rocky Piedmont region
Piedmont (United States)
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...
in an easterly direction to reach the fall line
Fall line
A fall line is a geomorphologic unconformity between an upland region of relatively hard crystalline basement rock and a coastal plain of softer sedimentary rock. A fall line is typically prominent when crossed by a river, for there will often be rapids or waterfalls...
at Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, where they again become very close.
From Richmond east to the harbor area near the mouth of Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
, US 60 again essentially parallels I-64 through Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
and the Historic Triangle
Historic Triangle
The Historic Triangle is located on the Virginia Peninsula of the United States and includes the colonial communities of Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, and Yorktown, with many restored attractions linked by the Colonial Parkway in James City and York counties and the City of...
region, extending down the Virginia Peninsula
Virginia Peninsula
The Virginia Peninsula is a peninsula in southeast Virginia, USA, bounded by the York River, James River, Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay.Hampton Roads is the common name for the metropolitan area that surrounds the body of water of the same name...
east to the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel
Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel
The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel is the -long Hampton Roads crossing for Interstate 64 and U.S. Route 60. It is a four-lane facility comprising bridges, trestles, man-made islands, and tunnels under the main shipping channels for Hampton Roads harbor in the southeastern portion of Virginia in the...
which it shares with I-64. A few miles south of the bridge-tunnel
Bridge-tunnel
A fixed link, fixed crossing, or bridge-tunnel is a persistent, unbroken road or rail connection across water that uses some combination of bridges, tunnels, and causeways and does not involve intermittent connections such as drawbridges or ferries.The Confederation Bridge was commonly referred to...
, in Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, US 60 diverges to the east to follow the south shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
through Ocean View and past the south entrance to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is a long fixed link crossing the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and connecting the Delmarva Peninsula's Eastern Shore of Virginia with Virginia Beach and the metropolitan area of Hampton Roads, Virginia...
to reach Cape Henry
Cape Henry
Cape Henry is a cape on the Atlantic shore of Virginia north of Virginia Beach. It is the southern boundary of the entrance to Chesapeake Bay.Across the mouth of the bay to the north is Cape Charles...
. There it curves south to run along the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
shoreline to end near the south end of the Virginia Beach resort strip.
History
US 60 had its beginnings in the Midland TrailMidland Trail
For the trail's section in West Virginia see: The Midland Trail in West Virginia.The Midland Trail, also called the Roosevelt Midland Trail, was a national auto trail spanning the United States from Washington, D.C...
, an auto trail
Auto trail
The system of auto trails was an informal network of marked routes that existed in the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. Marked with colored bands on telephone poles, the trails were intended to help travellers in the early days of the automobile.Auto trails were...
organized in 1912 by residents of Grand Junction, Colorado
Grand Junction, Colorado
The City of Grand Junction is the largest city in western Colorado. It is a city with a council–manager government form that is the county seat and the most populous city of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Grand Junction is situated west-southwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. As...
. The next year, this route was considered but rejected for the Lincoln Highway
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
, after which the Midland Trail Association laid out and marked its own transcontinental highway, eventually connecting Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
with Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. When the Joint Board on Interstate Highways published its preliminary plan for a system of interstate routes in 1925, the Midland Trail was split among many numbers, including 52, 62, 150, 50, and 40. East of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, where it would become US 60, it was assigned parts of 52 and 62. Route 52 began at Newport News and followed the Midland Trail to Richmond, but took a more southerly route to Lexington, Virginia
Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 7,042 in 2010. Lexington is about 55 minutes east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777.It is home to...
. The trail was used again through West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
to Huntington, where Route 52 split to the northwest. Route 62 began at Ashland, Kentucky
Ashland, Kentucky
Ashland, formerly known as Poage Settlement, is a city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States, nestled along the banks of the Ohio River. The population was 21,981 at the 2000 census. Ashland is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2000 census, the...
(near Huntington) and followed the Midland Trail across northeastern Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
to Louisville, where the trail crossed the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
and became Route 150. Route 62 continued southwest along the south bank of the Ohio River to Wickliffe in western Kentucky, and then crossed the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
at the Ohio's mouth. The final portion of Route 62 crossed southern Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
to Springfield on an existing main highway that had been numbered 16 by the state.
Kentucky Governor William J. Fields
William J. Fields
William Jason Fields was a politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. Known as "Honest Bill from Olive Hill", he represented Kentucky's Ninth District in the U.S...
objected to the Joint Board's plan, which took most major east–west routes (multiples of ten) to the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
, but sent Route 60 from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
northeast to end in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, leaving none to cross Kentucky, the only Mississippi Valley state without such a route. Proposals were considered for splitting US 60 into 60N and 60E at Springfield or using 62 for the Chicago route; Missouri had already prepared maps that showed the original plans for 60 and 62. The final plan, agreed to by the affected states, assigned US 66 to the Los Angeles-Chicago highway and US 60 to the route from Springfield to Virginia Beach (extended from Newport News), absorbing all of 62 and part of 52 from the 1925 plan.
Although US 60 initially stretched less than halfway across the country, due to its late creation, it was soon extended west to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. One auto trail — the Atlantic and Pacific Highway
Atlantic and Pacific Highway
The Atlantic and Pacific Highway was an auto trail in the United States, essentially eliminated by the U.S. Highway system in the late 1920s. It connected New York City on the Atlantic Ocean with Los Angeles on the Pacific Ocean.-Routing:...
- and three other U.S. Highways played a part in this extension. The Atlantic and Pacific Highway had been organized in 1921, and connected New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with Los Angeles. The original alignment of U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,385 miles from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. As can be derived from its number, it is a major east–west highway of the Southern and Southwestern United States...
entered Clovis, New Mexico
Clovis, New Mexico
Clovis is the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico, United States. Its population was 32,667 at the 2000 census; according to 2010 Census Bureau estimates, the population had risen to 37,775....
from the east, as it does now, but continued west to Holbrook, Arizona
Holbrook, Arizona
-Historical events:*During 1881 & 1882, railroad tracks were laid down and a railroad station was built. The community was then named Holbrook after the first engineer of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad...
. Crossing US 70 at Clovis was the El Paso
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
-Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
U.S. Route 366. Finally, U.S. Route 164 was created by 1928, stretching northeast and east from Amarillo to U.S. Route 64
U.S. Route 64
U.S. Route 64 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,326 miles from eastern North Carolina to just southwest of the Four Corners in northeast Arizona. The western terminus is at U.S. Route 160 in Teec Nos Pos, Arizona. The highway's eastern terminus is at NC 12 and U.S. Route...
and U.S. Route 77
U.S. Route 77
U.S. Route 77 is a north–south United States highway. It is unsigned in and around Dallas, Texas. Its historic segment through South Dakota and Minnesota was decommissioned with the advent of Interstate 29 but otherwise the route has been spared the decommissioning that has shortened other US...
in Enid, Oklahoma
Enid, Oklahoma
Enid is a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. In 2010, the population was 49,379, making it the ninth largest city in Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, and is named after Enid, a...
. The American Association of State Highway Officials approved the first part of the extension in May 1930, following the rest of Missouri's Route 16 to the Oklahoma state line, and several state highways to Enid, before absorbing US 164 to a terminus at Amarillo. The remainder to Los Angeles was approved at AASHO's June 1931 meeting, and involved a number of other changes. US 60 replaced US 366 from Amarillo to Clovis, where it continued west along US 70 to Springerville, Arizona
Springerville, Arizona
Springerville is a town in Apache County, Arizona, United States within the White Mountains. Its postal ZIP code is 85938. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 1,956.Springerville sits at an elevation of 6,974 feet...
. The remainder of US 70 to Holbrook, Arizona
Holbrook, Arizona
-Historical events:*During 1881 & 1882, railroad tracks were laid down and a railroad station was built. The community was then named Holbrook after the first engineer of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad...
became a new U.S. Route 260, while US 60 followed the Atlantic and Pacific Highway, which it had picked up at Vaughn, New Mexico
Vaughn, New Mexico
Vaughn is a town in Guadalupe County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 539 at the 2000 census.Vaughn is located at an intersection of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific railroad lines.-History:...
, southwest and west through Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
to Los Angeles. US 70 was not truncated to Clovis, but was instead redirected southwest along US 366 to El Paso, and later reached Los Angeles itself, though most of the route west of Globe, Arizona
Globe, Arizona
Globe has an arid climate, characterized by hot summers and moderate to warm winters. Globe's arid climate is somewhat tempered by its elevation, however, leading to slightly cooler temperatures and slightly more precipitation than Phoenix or Yuma....
overlapped US 60.
After the Interstate Highway System
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
was signed into law in 1956, the Midland Trail portion of US 60, from Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
east to the Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
area, was bypassed by Interstate 64
Interstate 64
Interstate 64 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. 40, and U.S. 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange with I-264 and I-664 at Bowers Hill in Chesapeake, Virginia. As I-64 is concurrent with...
. From Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
west to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Interstate 10
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
paralleled and replaced US 60. I-10 and I-64 were mostly completed by the late 1970s, though part of Interstate 64 in West Virginia
Interstate 64 in West Virginia
The alignment of Interstate 64 was to originally parallel US 60 from Charleston to the Virginia state line. This would go through environmentally sensitive areas such as Hawk's Nest and the New River Gorge area and might have disrupted the natural beauty and the isolation of the area.In 1969,...
, built on a new alignment east from Beckley
Beckley, West Virginia
Beckley is a city in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States, which was founded on April 4, 1838. The 2008 population was estimated to be 16,832 by the U.S. Census Bureau. Early in its history, the town was known as Beckleyville and Raleigh Court House...
, did not bypass the old winding US 60 until July 15, 1988. California decommissioned its portion of US 60 in 1964; most was replaced by I-10, while the independent piece in the Los Angeles area became State Route 60. In the 1970s, the portion overlapping I-10 in western Arizona was removed. US 60 between Phoenix and Louisville remains a major regional corridor in most places, and is not paralleled by an Interstate for any significant length.
Major intersections
- Interstate 10Interstate 10Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
at Brenda, AZBrenda, ArizonaBrenda, Arizona is a small community in southwestern Arizona. It is located approximately 13 miles east of Quartzsite, , and 4 miles northeast on US 60 in Arizona.... - Interstate 10Interstate 10Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
/ Interstate 17Interstate 17Interstate 17 , also known as the Black Canyon Freeway, is an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the state of Arizona, United States. I-17's southern terminus lies within Phoenix, at Interstate 10, and its northern terminus is in Flagstaff, at Interstate 40...
at Phoenix, AZPhoenix, ArizonaPhoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data... - Interstate 25Interstate 25Interstate 25 is an Interstate Highway in the western United States. It is primarily a north–south highway. I-25 stretches from Interstate 10 at Las Cruces, New Mexico, , to Interstate 90 in Buffalo, Wyoming, .Interstate 25 is the main north–south expressway through...
at Socorro, NMSocorro, New MexicoSocorro is a city in Socorro County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It stands in the Rio Grande Valley at an elevation of . The population was 9,051 at the 2010 census... - Interstate 27Interstate 27Interstate 27 is an intrastate Interstate Highway, located entirely in the U.S. state of Texas, running north from Lubbock to Interstate 40 in Amarillo. These two cities are the only control cities on I-27; other cities and towns served by I-27 include New Deal, Abernathy, Hale Center, Plainview,...
at Canyon, TXCanyon, TexasCanyon is a city in Randall County, Texas, United States. The population was 12,875 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randall County. It is the home of West Texas A&M University and Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. Palo Duro Canyon State Park is some twelve miles east of Canyon... - Interstate 44Interstate 44Interstate 44 is a major highway in the central United States. Its western terminus is in Wichita Falls, Texas at a concurrency with US 277, US 281 and US 287; its eastern terminus is at the Illinois state line on the Poplar Street Bridge over the Mississippi River in St...
at Vinita, OKVinita, OklahomaVinita is a city in south-central Craig County, Oklahoma. As of 2009, the population estimate was 6,057. It is the county seat of Craig County.-Geography:... - Interstate 24Interstate 24Interstate 24 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It runs diagonally from Interstate 57 to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at Interstate 75....
at Paducah, KYPaducah, KentuckyPaducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,... - Interstate 65Interstate 65Interstate 65 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States. The southern terminus is located at an intersection with Interstate 10 in Mobile, Alabama, and its northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 90 , U.S. Route 12, and U.S...
at Louisville, KYLouisville, KentuckyLouisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096... - Interstate 75Interstate 75Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
at Lexington, KYLexington, KentuckyLexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region... - Interstate 64Interstate 64Interstate 64 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. 40, and U.S. 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange with I-264 and I-664 at Bowers Hill in Chesapeake, Virginia. As I-64 is concurrent with...
/ Interstate 77Interstate 77Interstate 77 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the old U.S...
at Charleston,WVCharleston, West VirginiaCharleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early... - Interstate 81Interstate 81Interstate 81 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island at the Canadian border, where the Thousand Islands Bridge connects it to Highway 401, the main freeway...
at Lexington, VALexington, VirginiaLexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 7,042 in 2010. Lexington is about 55 minutes east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777.It is home to... - Interstate 95Interstate 95Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore,...
at Richmond, VARichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
See also
- U.S. Route 160U.S. Route 160U.S. Route 160 is a 1,465 mile long east–west United States highway in the Midwestern United States. The western terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 89 five miles west of Tuba City, Arizona. The eastern terminus is at U.S...
- U.S. Route 260
- U.S. Route 360U.S. Route 360U.S. Route 360 is a spur of US 60 in the U.S. state of Virginia. The U.S. Highway runs from US 58 Business, Virginia State Route 293, and SR 360 in Danville east to SR 644 in Reedville. US 360 connects Danville, South Boston, and Keysville in Southside Virginia with the state capital of...
- U.S. Route 460U.S. Route 460U.S. Route 460 is a spur of U.S. Route 60. It currently runs for 655 miles from Norfolk, Virginia at U.S. Route 60 at Ocean View to Frankfort, Kentucky at U.S. Route 60. It passes through the states of Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky...
- Auxiliary routes of U.S. Route 60