Interstate 8

Interstate 8 (I-8) is an east–west Interstate Highway which crosses southern California and Arizona, connecting Ocean Beach, San Diego on the Californian coast to Interstate 10 at Casa Grande southeast of Phoenix, Arizona.

In-game, the route is almost featured in its entirety, running from Interstate 5 in San Diego to Interstate 10 in Arizona, making it only slightly shorter compared to its real-life counterpart.

Course

I-8 in ATS begins at Interstate 5 in San Diego, and soon after intersects with Interstate 15, which is followed by eastbound and westbound Weigh Stations. From there the highway runs through the chaparral of Southern California's Peninsular Ranges before descending Mountain Springs Grade, a pass notable for its low speed limits, weaving course, and the large gap between the eastbound and westbound lanes. Leaving the mountains, the highway enters the Colorado Desert and the Imperial Valley, where it passes the city of El Centro. It's worth noting that, on the real I-8, this section of the highway is home to the lowest above-ground elevation on the Interstate Highway System, with a point 52 feet (16 m) below sea level.

Leaving the Imperial Valley, I-8 crosses the Colorado River into Arizona, at the city of Yuma. The highway then runs through the arid, sparsely-populated Sonoran Desert, which features a Gas Station at Dateland and two Rest Stops, one for each direction of travel. South of Phoenix, access to the state's capital and largest city is provided via AZ 85; soon after, the highway terminates at Interstate 10.

Cities

California

• San Diego
• El Centro

Arizona

• Yuma
• Phoenix (via SR 85 or Interstate 10)
• Tucson (via Interstate 10)

Route Details

California

Post-1.53

Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Facilities	Notes
San Diego	0	0	2A-B	ISCA5 I-5 North – Los Angeles ISCA5 I-5 South – Rosecrans Street, Downtown		Western terminus in American Truck Simulator
	9	15	5	Mission Center Road
	24	39	7A-B	ISCA15 I-15 North – San Bernardino CA15 SR 15 South		Southern terminus of I-15; northern terminus of SR 15
	52	84	61	Crestwood Road, Live Oak Springs
El Centro	118	190	115	CA86 SR 86 (4th Street) – El Centro		Eastern terminus in the American Truck Simulator base game; also serves Brawley and Indio
	146	236		Winterhaven California Border Protection Station		Westbound only
Yuma	155	249	172	4th Avenue – Yuma, Winterhaven

Arizona

Post-1.5

Location	Feature	↓mi↓	↓km↓	Exit	Destinations	Notes	Concurrencies
		0	0	California–Arizona state line			N/A
Yuma		1	2	2	North: US95 US 95 North – Proving Ground, Quartzsite South: US95 US 95 South – Yuma
		39	63	67	South: Dateland
		56	90		Rest stop	Eastbound only
		84	135		Rest stop	Westbound only
		141	227	115	North: AZ85 SR 85 North – Phoenix
		177	285	178A-B	North: IS10 I-10 West – Phoenix South: IS10 I-10 East – Tucson	Eastern terminus; I-10 exit 199

Release History

• In the initial version of American Truck Simulator, Interstate 8 began at a diamond interchange in eastern San Diego and ended at SR 111 in El Centro.
• In the initial version of the Arizona map expansion DLC, the section of Interstate 8 between SR 111 in El Centro and Interstate 10 south of Phoenix was added.
• In update 1.5, as part of the 1:35 to 1:20 map rescale, the section of Interstate 8 between Interstate 5 and the diamond interchange in eastern San Diego was added, along with the hybrid interchange with Interstate 5. On the rest of the route, several new sections were added to the existing route to accommodate the new map scale, including Mountain Springs Grade and the gas station and rest areas between Yuma and Phoenix. 
• In update 1.29, the cloverstack interchange with Interstate 15 was added when it was extended from Interstate 10 to Interstate 8.
• In update 1.32, the cloverstack interchange with Interstate 15 was partially rebuilt.
• In update 1.35, both diamond interchanges in Yuma were rebuilt.
• In update 1.38, the diamond interchange with SR 111 in El Centro was rebuilt and a rest area was added there while the truck stop was rebuilt and moved.
• In update 1.53, the course of Interstate 8 in southern California was completely reworked.

See also

• Real-life information about Interstate 8