Interstate 80 is a trans-continental Interstate Highway in the United States. It starts in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco, California and runs 2,901 miles (4,669 km) east to Teaneck, New Jersey. It connects the states of California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
Major cities along the route include San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, Reno, Salt Lake City, Cheyenne, Lincoln, Omaha, Des Moines, Chicago, Toledo, and the Newark/New York City area.
Understand
[edit]Interstate 80 closely resembles many historically significant routes, including the Lincoln Highway, the Oregon Trail (in Wyoming and Nebraska), the California Trail (in Nevada and California), the first transcontinental airmail route, and the first transcontinental railroad (except in Utah). It also hosts two of the longest straight sections of Interstate in the US, a 75-mile section from Grand Island to Lincoln in Nebraska, and a 44-mile stretch in the Salt Flats of Utah.
I-80 is known as the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway from San Francisco to Cheyenne.
Prepare
[edit]- See also: Driving in the United States, Winter driving, Hot weather
Be prepared for snow and ice during the winter months, as most of the route gets snowfall. In the snowiest sections, as much as 10-12 feet of snow can drop at a time.
Be weary of road closures along the high and mountainous stretches of Interstate 80. Make sure your vehicle is equipped with tires capable of treading on ice (or studded), equipped with chains, filled with appropriate anti-freeze for a lower freezing point, and equipped with a battery that has no problem starting the car in freezing temperatures.
Western Utah along Interstate 80 can get extreme heat due to it mostly being in a desert. Bring sunscreen and a first-aid kit if you are planning to camp or stay in the area.
Interstate 80 goes through mostly rural land, most prominently from Reno to Salt Lake City, a 518 mile (834 km) stretch of highway with only 9 total cities. Stock up on food and gas before leaving a city or town. Charging stations are few and far between on rural sections.
Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]The Interstate 80 corridor can be accessed by plane via San Francisco, Reno, Salt Lake City, Lincoln, and Des Moines with airports near or next to the freeway. In other cities, such as Sacramento, Chicago and Cleveland, the airport can be up to 30 miles (48 km) away from the Interstate.
Go
[edit]By train
[edit]The California Zephyr loosely follows I-80 from Emeryville to Chicago.
Drive
[edit]
Note: State highways are referenced by their postal abbreviations, e.g., CA-60 means California State Highway 60, MS-15 means Mississippi State Highway 15, etc. Interstate highways are listed with an I- abbreviation, e.g., I-5 means Interstate 5, I-380 means Interstate 380. Attractions and cities are listed in bold are linked to their respective Wikivoyage articles for further reading and discussion. If no such article exists on Wikivoyage it is linked to its Wikipedia article or to it's unmade Wikivoyage page that is empty and can be created. Please feel free to plunge forward to edit this or another article or create a new Wikivoyage article that does not yet exist.
Mile markers are statewide mileposts, starting with "0" at the western border of each state which increases as you go east and then starts over at "0" when crossing the state line into the next state. So going west the numbers on the mileposts will decrease and then start over at the highest number when crossing a state line. The exit numbers correspond with the mileposts so some numbers may be skipped if the exits are further apart from one to the next. Other exits that are one next to the other or "2 in 1" may have the same exit number followed by an "A", "B" or even a "C" such as "Exit #46A" to get on Oak St, "Exit #46B" to get on US 1 and so forth.
All exits are from the eastbound side, unless otherwise stated.
California
[edit]The maximum speed limit is 65 mph (112 km/h) for cars on rural stretches and in urban areas or lower if posted otherwise. Speed limit for large trucks is 55 mph (88 km/h) in both rural and urban areas unless posted otherwise. It is not the usual 70 mph found in every other major highway in California as it goes through either urban or mountainous terrain.
- 1 San Francisco
-
East to Sacramento, 
Bayshore Freeway (Mile 0.0). As exit 433B on US-101, I-80 starts on the eastern coast of San Francisco. On US-101 South, the exit is on the left.
-
- San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The Bay Bridge connects San Francisco and Oakland on I-80. $8 Toll.
The MacArthur Maze in the 1970s. The west and north entrances are part of Interstate 80. - 2 Oakland
-
East (Nimitz Freeway) to 
Oakland International Airport (OAK), San Jose, 
East (MacArthur Freeway) to Livermore, and West and East (Eastshore Freeway) (Exits 8A-8B). Nicknamed the MacArthur Maze, this is a confusing interchange with four freeways going into it. I-80 merges with I-580 after this interchange for 4 miles onwards. 
-
- 3 Emeryville and 4 Berkeley
-
East to Oakland (Exit 10). This route basically redirects you to I-580 before the MacArthur Maze.
-
- 5 Albany
- West to San Rafael (Exit 13B). I-580 splits off from the concurrent road of it and I-80.
-
- 6 Hercules
-
East to Antioch (Exit 23). CA-4 is a major route for people going to the Sierra Nevada mountains.
-
- Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge (Also known as the Carquinez Bridge). This bridge connects Contra Costa County to Solano County. Toll $8.
- 7 Vallejo
-
(Sonoma Boulevard) West to Napa (Exit 29A). CA-29 connects Lake County to the Bay Area. Eastbound entrance only. -
East to Benicia (Exit 30A). I-780 connects I-80 to I-680. -
West to Novato (Exit 33). CA-37 connects Vallejo to the other side of the Bay. CA-37 also intersects CA-29.
- 1 Six Flags Discovery Kingdom - An amusement park situated off of CA-37, about half a mile off of I-80, known for rollercoasters such as Medusa and The Joker.
- 1 Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
-
- 8 Fairfield
-
West to near American Canyon (Westbound Entrance Only) (Exit 39B). Connects to the Napa Valley Airport. -
South to Benicia (Exit 40). I-680 connects the East Bay from north-south. - East to Lodi (Exit 43).
-
- 9 Vacaville
-
North to Dunnigan (Exit 56). I-505 is a bypass of the highly congested area of Sacramento.
-
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- 11 West Sacramento
-
East to Sacramento and 
(Unsigned) (Exit 82). US-50 starts in West Sacramento, and here it is home to one of the weirdest highway signs, as the guide sign lists "Ocean City, Maryland" on it, with it being 3,703 miles away. Also, I-305 is unsigned and is concurrent with US-50.
-
- 12 Sacramento
- 13 Roseville
-
West to Olivehurst (Exit 106).
-
- 14 Auburn
-
North to Grass Valley, South to Angels Camp (Golden Chain Highway) (Exit 119B).
-
- 15 Truckee
-
South to Tahoe City (Exit 185). CA-89 starts a concurrency with I-80 for around 2.2 miles until an interchange with CA-267. - North to Sierraville,
South to Kings Beach (Exit 188B).
- 2 Lake Tahoe - One of the most popular resort spots. Situated on the borderline between California and Nevada, it is a freshwater lake, known for its snow.
-
Nevada
[edit]The maximum speed limit is 80 mph (129 km/h) for cars on rural stretches and 65 mph (105 km/h) in urban areas or lower if posted otherwise. Speed limit for large trucks is 75 mph (120 km/h) in rural areas and 65 mph (105 km/h) urban areas unless posted otherwise.
- 16 Reno
-
(Exit 10). NV-659 is a loop route around the Reno-Sparks area. -
North to Susanville, South to Carson City, Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) (Exit 15).
-
- 17 Sparks
- (Exit 19). NV-659 meets back at Interstate 80 in Sparks.
-
- 18 Fernley
-
(Exits 46 and 48). The only entrance into Fernley, the last city before a very rural section. There are also other Business 80 routes in Nevada.
Interstate 80 east of Fernley, with the guide sign showing how rural the area really is.
-
- Rural Areas
-
South to Fallon (Exit 83). US-95 starts a concurrency with I-80 until Winnemucca
-
- 19 Winnemucca
- (Exits 176 and 180). The entrance to the city of Winnemucca.
-
- 20 Battle Mountain
- (Exits 229 and 233).
-
South to Austin (Exit 231).
-
- Rural Areas
-
South to Austin (Exit 261).
-
- 21 Carlin
-
to 
and Eureka (Exit 279). - (Exit 283).
-
- 22 Elko
- to
(Exits 298 and 303). -
North to 
in Idaho, Elko Regional Airport (EKO) (Exit 301).
-
- 23 Wells
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Utah
[edit]The maximum speed limit is 80 mph (129 km/h) for cars on rural stretches and 65 mph (105 km/h) in urban areas or lower if posted otherwise. Speed limit for large trucks is 75 mph (120 km/h) in rural areas and 65 mph (105 km/h) urban areas unless posted otherwise.
In January 2014, Utah DOT introduced variable speed limits to I-80 in Parleys Canyon, allowing speed limits between 35 mph (56 km/h) up to the normal 65 mph (105 km/h) depending on weather and traffic conditions.
- Rural Areas
-
South to Dugway (Exit 77). The highway leads to the closed city of Dugway. The only roads leading to the town pass through military checkpoints at the boundaries of the Dugway Proving Ground. Non-resident civilians must request advance authorization to enter the town.
-
- 24 Lake Point
-
South to Tooele (Westbound Entrance Only) (Exit 99).
-
- 25 Salt Lake City
- Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC),
South (Exit 115). -
North to North Salt Lake, South to Cottonwood Heights (Exit 117). -
North to Ogden, South to Provo (Exit 120). I-80 runs concurrent with I-15 South for around 3 miles. - East from South (Exit 304). The exit is from I-15, after I-80 started a concurrency with it. This exit ends the concurrency.
-
- 26 Silver Summit (North Snyderville Basin)
-
South to Provo (Exit 146).
-
- 27 Echo
-
North to Boise (Exit 168).
-
Wyoming
[edit]The maximum speed limit is 80 mph (129 km/h) for cars on rural stretches and 65 mph (105 km/h) in urban areas or lower if posted otherwise. Speed limit for large trucks is 75 mph (120 km/h) unless posted otherwise.
Nebraska
[edit]The maximum speed limit is 75 mph (120 km/h) for cars on both rural stretches and in urban areas or lower if posted otherwise. Speed limit for large trucks is also 75 mph (120 km/h), but can vary on various sections.
Iowa
[edit]The maximum speed limit is 70 mph (113 km/h) for cars on rural stretches and 65 mph (105 km/h) in urban areas or lower if posted otherwise. Speed limit for large trucks is 65 mph (105 km/h) unless posted otherwise.
Illinois
[edit]The maximum speed limit is 70 mph (113 km/h) for cars on rural stretches and 55 mph (89 km/h) in urban areas or lower if posted otherwise. Speed limit for large trucks is 70 mph (113 km/h) unless posted otherwise.
Illinois has a minimum speed limit of 45 mph (72 km/h) on Interstates.
The Illinois law allows Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, Madison, McHenry, St. Clair and Will Counties to adopt an ordinance that sets a lower maximum speed limit. These counties have a maximum large truck speed limit of 60 mph (97 km/h) outside of urban areas and 55 mph (89 km/h) inside urban areas.
Indiana
[edit]The maximum speed limit is 70 mph (113 km/h) for cars on rural stretches and 55 mph (89 km/h) in urban areas or lower if posted otherwise. Speed limit for large trucks is 65 mph (105 km/h) unless posted otherwise.
Ohio
[edit]The maximum speed limit is 70 mph (113 km/h) for cars on rural stretches and 65 mph (105 km/h) in urban areas or lower if posted otherwise. Speed limit for large trucks is 70 mph (113 km/h) in rural areas and 65 mph (105 km/h) in urban areas unless posted otherwise.
Pennsylvania
[edit]The maximum speed limit is 70 mph (113 km/h) for cars on both rural stretches and in urban areas or lower if posted otherwise. Speed limit for large trucks is 55 mph (89 km/h) unless posted otherwise.
New Jersey
[edit]The maximum speed limit is 65 mph (105 km/h) for cars on rural stretches and 55 mph (89 km/h) in urban areas or lower if posted otherwise. Speed limit for large trucks is 65 mph (105 km/h) in rural areas and 55 mph (89 km/h) in urban areas unless posted otherwise.
Alternative Routes
[edit]US-50 is the closest alternate route that goes cross-country. It runs from Sacramento to Ocean City, Maryland. However, US-50 is more rural than I-80, and takes a more southern route. It's so rural that the Nevada section of the highway is considered the "Loneliest Road in America".
Stay safe
[edit]As noted before, parts of I-80 get some of the most severe and coldest weather in the US. Always bring chains and antifreeze on you if you are going through steep and snowy terrain and make sure your battery can start up in freezing weather.
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Snakes and scorpions are common in rural Utah. Be aware of your surroundings when driving, walking, camping, or even using the bathroom.
Also in rural Utah and other rural areas, cell phone service is spotty at best, but most likely non-existent. If you plan to travel in these areas, be sure to have alternate communication methods available (satellite phone, CB radio, amateur radio, signaling mirrors or lighting, etc.).
Never head far out into the desert without reserve water and gasoline. Expect to need a gallon of water per day per person in the event that an emergency situation develops. You should also carry sunscreen and a first aid kit in case you are unable to return immediately.
Go next
[edit]
Interstate 5 connects the West Coast together. It has some of the most scenic views you will ever see, like Mount Shasta and the western Cascade Mountains.
Interstate 10 is the southern version of Interstate 80.
