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19-759: The range parallels and is just south of Interstate 40 and the Clipper Valley , between the freeway and the National Old Trails Highway - U.S. Route 66 . The Clipper Mountains are southeast of the Granite Mountains and Providence Mountains , north of the Old Woman Mountains , and west of the Sacramento Mountains . They are northwest of the small communities of Essex and Goffs . The range

38-666: A massive roadcut through the Bristol Mountains to accommodate a better alignment of I-40 and a new rail line. This proposal was abandoned by the California State Department of Highways in 1968. The section between Ludlow and Needles was constructed using conventional explosives and excavation and designed with culverts for migrating Bighorn sheep and water tanks. It opened to traffic on April 13, 1973. A sign at that start of I-40 in Barstow showing

57-416: A second realignment, L refers to an overlap due to a correction or change, and T indicates postmiles classified as temporary ( for a full list of prefixes, see California postmile § Official postmile definitions ). Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in

76-685: Is a United States Numbered Highway , stretching from the Mexican border in San Luis, Arizona to the Canadian border near Eastport, Idaho . The California portion of US 95 traverses through the far eastern edges of both Riverside and San Bernardino counties. US 95 serves Blythe and Needles and junctions with SR 62 at Vidal Junction . The route overlaps with two Interstate highways, specifically I-10 near Blythe and I-40 near Needles. US 95, running concurrently with I-10 , crosses

95-826: Is considered critical habitat for the threatened desert tortoise . Interstate 40 in California Interstate ;40 ( I-40 ) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, stretching from Barstow, California , to Wilmington, North Carolina . The segment of I-40 in California is sometimes called the Needles Freeway . It passes through the eastern fringe of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, going east from its western terminus at I-15 in Barstow across

114-567: Is home to at least three natural springs , and the 'Tom Reed Mine.' The Clipper Mountain Wilderness is on the northern slopes of the range, and also within Mojave Trails National Monument . It includes rugged yellow and dark brown, horizontally striped mesas; narrow canyons with hidden springs; and sparsely vegetated alluvial fans. This small cluster of volcanic mountains is oriented northeast to southwest. In

133-694: The Colorado River from the state of Arizona and enters the city of Blythe . The highway exits I-10 at Intake Boulevard and turns due north, leaving the city limits. A few miles north, US 95 turns northeast to parallel the Colorado River. The route passes through the Big Maria Mountains and the Riverside Mountains before entering San Bernardino County . Upon entering San Bernardino County, US 95 turns away from

152-638: The Colorado River into Arizona . The maximum speed limit for the entire California segment of I-40 is 70 mph (110 km/h). I-40 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System and is part of the National Highway System , a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration . I-40 is eligible for

171-802: The Federal Highway Administration . US 95 is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System , but it is not officially designated as a scenic highway by the California Department of Transportation . Route 146 was designated by the California State Legislature in 1933 and contained the portion from Blythe to the Nevada state line. US 95 was extended south from its routing in Idaho by AASHO through Searchlight and Needles to Blythe on June 28, 1939;

190-820: The Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County past the Clipper Mountains to Needles , before it crosses over the Colorado River into Arizona east of Needles. All 155 miles (249 km) of I-40 in California are in San Bernardino County. I-40 goes through the Mojave Desert on the entirety of its run through California. The highway starts its eastward journey at a junction with I-15 in Barstow . The freeway passes through Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow before leaving

209-608: The State Scenic Highway System , but it is not officially designated as a scenic highway by the California Department of Transportation . I-40 from I-15 to the Arizona state line is known as the Needles Freeway, as named by Senate Concurrent Resolution 1 in 1968. In 1957, the California Department of Highways proposed that the route be numbered as I-30 because of the already existing US 40 in

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228-786: The Colorado River, heading northwest towards Vidal Junction , the junction with SR 62 in the Vidal Valley . The highway continues north through the Chemehuevi Valley and the Chemehuevi Mountains before entering the city of Needles after several miles. After passing the Needles Municipal Airport , US 95 merges onto I-40 westbound and continues through Needles on the freeway. US 95 exits from I-40 west of Needles and continues northwest to Searchlight Junction , where US 95 continues north at

247-498: The center, the most prominent ridge, Clipper Mountain, reaches an elevation of 4,625 feet (1,410 m) before it dramatically drops off in a series of sharp cliffs overlooking the Fenner and Clipper Valleys . Castle Dome, a local landmark, can be clearly seen from Historic Route 66 to the south and east. The vegetation types are predominantly xeric desert scrub , with creosote bush ( Larrea tridentata ), and desert wash scrub . In

266-603: The city limits. I-40 provides access to the town of Daggett but passes south of the town. After passing south of the Barstow-Daggett Airport , I-40 goes through Newberry Springs and Ludlow before traveling along the south end of Mojave National Preserve . Several miles east of the preserve, I-40 intersects U.S. Route 95 (US 95), and the two highways run concurrently into the city of Needles . In Needles, US 95 continues south while I-40 continues east through Mojave National Preserve and across

285-446: The distance to Wilmington, North Carolina , had been stolen multiple times. The entire route is in San Bernardino County . California does not have any auxiliary Interstate Highways associated with I-40. One business loop of I-40 exists in the state, running through Needles . It is also designated as Historic Route 66 since it follows the former routing of US 66 . US 95 (CA) U.S. Route 95 ( US 95 )

304-456: The junction with the old routing of US 66 . The highway continues north, east of Homer Mountain , to the Nevada state line. US 95 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System , and a small portion near I-10 and the portion north of I-40 are part of the National Highway System , a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by

323-412: The routing became effective at the start of 1940. In the 1964 state highway renumbering , the law was changed to reflect the designation as US 95. Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964 , based on the alignment that existed at the time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. R reflects a realignment in the route since then, M indicates

342-402: The spring, the alluvial fans turn yellow with brittlebush flowers ( Encelia farinosa ), as well as wildflowers. Wildlife includes a herd of 40-50 desert bighorn sheep , coyote, roadrunners , chucker, quail , prairie falcons , red-tailed hawks , golden eagles , ground squirrels, kangaroo rats, black-tailed jackrabbits , rattlesnakes , and several species of lizards. The entire wilderness

361-497: The state. However, this was rejected, and, eventually, US 40 was decommissioned in favor of I-80 . Today, the Needles Freeway replaced the former US 66 across the Mojave Desert. As a result, a number of communities along the former route, like Amboy , have become ghost-towns . In the early 1960s, Project Carryall , a component of Project Plowshare , would have detonated 22 nuclear explosions to excavate

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