U.S. Route 14 in Wyoming
U.S. Highway 14 (US 14) in the U.S. state of Wyoming runs east to west across the northern part of the state. The road connects South Dakota on the east with Yellowstone National Park on the west. It is mostly a two-lane surface road except for several sections that it shares with Interstate 90 (I-90).
U.S. Highway 14 | |
|---|---|
US 14 highlighted in red and US 14A in blue | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained by WYDOT | |
| Length | 449.21 mi (722.93 km) |
| Existed | 1936–present |
| Major junctions | |
| West end | US 16 / US 20 at Yellowstone National Park |
| East end | I-90 / US 14 at the South Dakota state line |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Wyoming |
| Counties | Park, Big Horn, Sheridan, Campbell, Crook |
| Highway system | |
| |
Route description edit
While the official western terminus of the road is at the Eastern gate of Yellowstone National Park, some commercially produced maps show US 14 within the park itself starting at a junction with US 89 and US 287 at West Thumb and following the northern shore of Yellowstone Lake. From the park US 14 is cosigned with US 16 and US 20. The roads lead east out of the Absaroka Range and down the Shoshone River valley to Cody. Here, US 14A splits north toward Powell, while US 14/US 16/US 20 continues east across the Bighorn Basin to Greybull. At Greybull, US 16 and US 20 go south, while US 14 travels east to Shell, and the western slope of the Bighorn Mountains. The road ascends a windy path through steep Shell Canyon and rejoins US 14A at the top of the range at Burgess Junction.[1] The road is designated as Bighorn Scenic Byway between Shell and Dayton on the eastern side of the mountain range. On the east side of the Bighorn Mountains, the road merges with I-90 and travels southeast to Sheridan. From Sheridan, the road continues east, rejoining with US 16 near Clearmont. The roads travel across the Powder River Country to Gillette where it joins again with I-90 to Moorcroft. From here, it diverges north from I-90 briefly to junction with Wyoming Highway 24 (WYO 24) with access to Devils Tower National Monument. US 14 turns south and rejoins I-90 which it follows to the eastern border of Wyoming and South Dakota.[citation needed]
History edit
US 14 was originally planned to stop in Wall, South Dakota. In 1936, the road was extended to the Wyoming border and US 16 was rerouted through Newcastle and the old US 16 was redesignated as US 14. Prior to 1940, US 14 followed the route currently serviced by US 14A through Lovell and Powell. In 1940, the highway took over WYO 520 between Burgess Junction and Greybull, and the old road was renamed WYO 14. Due to confusion, it was recommissioned as US 14A in 1965. In the 1960s, portions of the highway in the eastern part of the state became I-90.[citation needed]
Major intersections edit
| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowstone National Park | 0.00 | 0.00 | Yellowstone National Park East Entrance | National western terminus of US 14 and US 16; western end of US 16 and US 20 overlaps; US 20 resumes in Montana at the park's west entrance | |
| Park | Cody | 49.38 | 79.47 | WYO 291 (South Fork Road) | |
| 51.96 | 83.62 | US 14A east (16th Street) / WYO 120 west (Chief Joseph Scenic Highway) – Powell, Big Horn Natl Rec Area | Western end of WYO 120 overlap | ||
| 54.18 | 87.19 | WYO 120 south – Meeteetse, Thermopolis | Eastern end of WYO 120 overlap | ||
| Big Horn | | 85.12 | 136.99 | WYO 30 – Burlington | |
| Emblem | 85.72 | 137.95 | WYO 32 – Powell, Lovell | ||
| | 100.11 | 161.11 | US 310 west / WYO 789 north – Lovell, Billings, Bighorn Canyon Natl Recreation Area | Western end of WYO 789 overlap | |
| Greybull | 105.09 | 169.13 | US 16 east / US 20 east / WYO 789 south – Basin, Worland | Eastern end of US 16, US 20, and WYO 789 overlaps | |
| Sheridan | | 152.49 | 245.41 | US 14A west (Medicine Wheel Passage) – Lovell, Yellowstone, Teton | |
| Dayton | 179.30 | 288.56 | WYO 343 | ||
| Ranchester | 185.14 | 297.95 | WYO 345 – Parkman | ||
| 185.49 | 298.52 | I-90 west / US 87 north – Billings | Western end of I-90 and US 87 overlaps | ||
| | 191.80 | 308.67 | WYO 345 – Acme | ||
| | 193.52 | 311.44 | WYO 339 – Decker, Mont. | ||
| Sheridan | 198.10 | 318.81 | I-90 BL east (Main Street) / WYO 338 (Decker Road) | ||
| 200.33 | 322.40 | WYO 330 (Fifth Street) | |||
| 202.48 | 325.86 | I-90 east / I-90 BL west / US 87 south – Sheridan, Big Horn | Eastern end of I-90 and US 87 overlaps | ||
| | 229.92 | 370.02 | US 16 west – Buffalo | Western end of US 16 overlap | |
| | 256.88 | 413.41 | WYO 341 – Arvada | ||
| Campbell | | 304.38 | 489.85 | WYO 59 north – Broadus | Western end of WYO 59 overlap |
| Gillette | 308.17 | 495.95 | WYO 50 to I-90 (I-90 BL) – Buffalo, Moorcroft | ||
| 309.19 | 497.59 | WYO 59 south to I-90 – Douglas | Eastern end of WYO 59 overlap | ||
| 310.51 | 499.72 | I-90 west / I-90 BL ends / WYO 51 – Buffalo | Western end of I-90 overlap | ||
| 311.52 | 501.34 | Garner Lake Road | |||
| | 315.41 | 507.60 | Wyodak Road | ||
| | 323.73 | 520.99 | Rozet | ||
| Crook | Moorcroft | 335.90 | 540.58 | I-90 east / I-90 BL ends – Sundance | Eastern end of I-90 overlap; western end of BL 90 overlap |
| 336.04 | 540.80 | WYO 51 west | |||
| 337.10 | 542.51 | I-90 BL east / US 16 east to I-90 – Upton, Newcastle | Eastern end of BL 90 and US 16 overlaps | ||
| | 342.09 | 550.54 | WYO 113 – Pine Haven | ||
| | 362.66 | 583.64 | WYO 24 east – Devils Tower, Hulett | ||
| Sundance | 382.01 | 614.79 | I-90 / I-90 BL begins – Moorcroft, Spearfish | Western end of BL 90 overlap | |
| 382.21 | 615.11 | WYO 116 west – Upton | |||
| 383.67 | 617.46 | WYO 585 south – Newcastle | |||
| 385.43 | 620.29 | I-90 west / I-90 BL ends – Moorcroft | Eastern end of BL 90 overlap; western end of I-90 overlap | ||
| | 388.35 | 624.99 | Moskee Road | ||
| | 395.74 | 636.88 | WYO 111 – Aladdin | ||
| Beulah | 402.33 | 647.49 | Beulah | ||
| | 403.57 | 649.48 | I-90 east / US 14 east – Spearfish, Sturgis, Rapid City | Continuation into South Dakota | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
Related route edit
U.S. Highway 14A | |
|---|---|
| Location | Cody–Burgess Junction |
| Length | 103.01 mi (165.78 km) |
| Existed | 1936–present |
U.S. Highway 14A (US 14A) is an alternate route for US 14 between Cody and Burgess Junction. At its west end in Cody, US 14 is concurrent with US 16 and US 20. West of Burgess Junction, US 14A passes through the Bighorn Mountains, reaching a maximum elevation of 9,430 feet (2,870 m). This portion of the road is closed during the winter months. The total length of US 14A is approximately 106 miles (171 km). Intermediate towns on the highway include Powell and Lovell. At Lovell, US 14A is concurrent with US 310 for approximately three miles (4.8 km).
In the initial 1925 plan, roughly the west half of present US 14A, from Cody to US 310 in Deaver, was assigned the number U.S. Highway 220 (US 220).[2] However, two spurs of US 20 were added in Pennsylvania, and so US 220 became U.S. Highway 420 (US 420) in the final 1926 plan.[3]
Around 1933, US 116 was extended west from Sheridan to Deaver, then absorbing US 420 to end at Cody. Soon after, it became part of an extended US 14.[citation needed] US 14 was shifted south to its present alignment in 1940, and the old alignment became WYO 14 for a while and was recommissioned as US 14A around 1965.[citation needed]
References edit
- ^ "Mystery draws thousands to last stand site". Calgary Herald. December 31, 1988. ProQuest 243969211.
Wyoming 14 [sic] is not for everyone. There is a stiff climb up to the plateau of the Bighorns and a steep, winding downgrade on the other side.
(subscription required) - ^ Joint Board on Interstate Highways (1925). "Appendix VI: Descriptions of the Interstate Routes Selected, with Numbers Assigned". Report of Joint Board on Interstate Highways, October 30, 1925, Approved by the Secretary of Agriculture, November 18, 1925 (Report). Washington, DC: United States Department of Agriculture. p. 58. OCLC 733875457, 55123355, 71026428. Retrieved July 24, 2022 – via Wikisource.
- ^ Bureau of Public Roads & American Association of State Highway Officials (November 11, 1926). United States System of Highways Adopted for Uniform Marking by the American Association of State Highway Officials (Map). 1:7,000,000. Washington, DC: United States Geological Survey. OCLC 32889555. Retrieved November 7, 2013 – via Wikimedia Commons.