The new route also made traveling in the Sierra Nevada Range much easier. Before construction, US 40 was a two-lane road with winding turns. This route was often closed in the winter because of the high elevation of the Donner Pass (7239 feet), and drivers had to use a much longer route to the north, US 40 ALT, now SR 70 using the Beckwourth Pass, at an elevation of 5221 ft. After the construction, driving was easier through the Sierra Nevada Range via I-80 and the pass was only closed to intense snowstorms.