Interstate 70 - History

History

Besides being the first Interstate to receive a contract for pavement, other oddities happened with I-70 as well:

As first proposed, the western terminus of I-70 was Denver, Colorado. Utah and Colorado pressured the federal government to extend the plans for I-70 farther west, arguing that a direct link between Denver, Colorado and Salt Lake City, Utah was vital for an effective highway system. The proposal was to follow what is now U.S. Route 6 west and connect to I-15 at Spanish Fork, Utah. Federal planners (influenced by the military) agreed to extend the proposed route of I-70, but not to serve Salt Lake. The military wanted to better connect southern California with the North Eastern U.S. This led to I-70's constructed route through the San Rafael Swell and terminating at Cove Fort. Many motorists include I-70 as part of their cross-country drives between New York City and Los Angeles (which are accessible to I-70 via other interstates).

As a result of freeway revolts in the Baltimore area, Interstate 70 was not completed east of Maryland Route 122 to its planned terminus on Interstate 95 within the city of Baltimore, and for all intents and purposes, ends at a four-way symmetrical stack interchange with Interstate 695, the Baltimore Beltway. In reality, I-70 ends at a Park and Ride lot at Route 122 as the freeway enters the city of Baltimore at Exit 94. Commuters park their cars in spaces on the pavement where high-speed freeway lanes were to be.

The highway gave its name to the I-70 Killer, a serial killer who committed a string of murders within a few miles of it in several Midwestern states in the early 1990s. No suspect has ever been apprehended despite the widespread publicity the murders have generated, including their being featured several times on the television show America's Most Wanted and Unsolved Mysteries.

John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo, the duo responsible for the Beltway sniper attacks, were apprehended at a rest stop on I-70 near Myersville, Maryland, in 2002.

The 1985 World Series was a contest between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals, and won by the Royals. As these cities are primarily connected by Interstate 70, this World Series was often referred to as the I-70 Series in the media.