Salt Lake City Utah to West Wendover, Nevada Facility Proposed For Construction In The I-80 Median- Expected to Spur Tourism and Automotive Technology Development In The Bonneville Salt Lakes Flats Area
Project to construct a pair of barrier separated highway speed carriageways in the median of I-80 from Wendover, ultimately to western Salt Lake City, would bring a whole new opportunity for ultra high speed driving in the Bonneville Salt Flats area.
- 1st stage is the 50 mile western portion.
- 2nd stage is a re-aligned I-80 segment between
Aragonite and Sinclair, to provide a greater radii curve.
- 3rd stage is the eastern portion to western Lake Point,
and continue to western Salt Lake City with a speed limit reduced to 120
mph.
Would be separate from the regular I-80 2x2 roadways. It would ultimately have full left and right
hand shoulders flanking 3 lanes in each direction, with individual minimum
speed postings: a posted right-hand lane minimum speed of 90 mph, a middle lane
minimum of 110 mph, and a left lane minimum of 140 mph. Travel at 155 mph or high would require the
operation of 4 way blinkers to increase visual impacts of such higher speed
traffic to others, with passing speed variables limited to a differential of 35
mph to vehicles in the immediate adjacent lane.
Would feature camera enforcement for lane discipline posted regulations,
with passing on the left strictly enforced, and be open via a special toll.
Would be part of an automotive development program encouraging
automotive technological and vehicular construction projects, with new
facilities for accommodating increased tourism based upon a love of automobiles,
including a boost to automotive activities upon the Salt Lake Flats.
Is also being supported by the Nevada Casino business
interests to encourage traffic from Salt Lake City and its International
Airport to West Wendover, Nevada, which are discussing establishing a high
speed automobile service and rentals between those points. The casinos are expected to use various
models of high performance automobiles for such a service, with various auto manufactures
rumored to be considering offering the use of certain models for free in exchange
for the publicity to drive sales.
Is expected to spur tourism in the Wendover- Salt Flats
area.
Would be equipped with special tollway entryways to
discourage inebriated drivers.
Would be equipped with roadside facilities with refueling
stations, including Tesla ‘supercharger’ recharging equipment at 50 mile
intervals to facilitate high performance electric automobile clientele, who
would need these to accommodate the reduced millage range of such high speed
driving; while Teslas for instance, which lack combustion engines for running
generators and thus relay strictly upon batteries, are known to have a range of
over 200 miles, the higher speed driving to be expected upon this facility
would reduce that notably, with speeds of about 125 mph reportedly reducing the
range to around 90 to 115 miles. Such
refueling stations likewise would also include combustion fuel stations
offering more than the standard fare of gasolines, including E-85 for flex fuel
vehicles, and special higher octane blends for operating ultra high performance
automobiles at higher speeds, particularly in higher temperature weather. Such stations would likewise be used to
showcase various alternative fuel alternatives as part of the general use of
this high speed corridor to showcase advancements in automotive technologies to
promote greater efficiencies and cleaner automobiles.
The corridor likewise would add improvements to the existing
I-80, including better markings, and would line it with various shrubs to
provide safer means of controlling possible errant vehicles, as well as to ‘eat’
CO2 emissions from combustion engine propelled vehicles.
An evaluation of safety records would be used to refine the
speed regulations for this and ultimately other such facilities.
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