Interstate 90 in Idaho

This article is about the section of Interstate 90 in Idaho. For the entire route, see Interstate 90.

Interstate 90 marker

Interstate 90
Route information
Maintained by ITD
Length: 73.888 mi[1] (118.911 km)
Major junctions
West end: I90 at the Washington state line
 
East end: I90 at the Montana state line
Highway system

State Highways in Idaho

US-89US-91

In the U.S. state of Idaho, Interstate 90 has a 74-mile-long (119 km) routing in the panhandle. Traveling east from Spokane, Washington, I-90 passes through Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene, over Fourth of July Summit, and through the Silver Valley before entering Montana at Lookout Pass.

I-90 is a major east-west freeway route in northern Idaho.[2] I-90 is the third longest stretch of Interstate highway in Idaho. Interstate 84 and Interstate 15 are longer. Interstate 86 and Interstate 184 are shorter. I-90 is the only coast-to-coast Interstate in Idaho.

Route description

Interstate 90 enters Idaho and Kootenai County just east of the Spokane River bridge near the community of State Line, the smallest city in Idaho. It proceeds east through Post Falls to Coeur d'Alene, the county seat, and meets U.S. Route 95. I-90 turns southeast and passes north of downtown, which is accessible via an Interstate Business Loop, and Lake Coeur d'Alene. It continues east-southeast to Fourth of July Summit at an elevation of 3,081 feet (939 m) and down to Cataldo, home to the Old Cataldo Mission built 163 years ago in 1853.

Shortly after leaving Cataldo, I-90 enters Shoshone County and passes through or near the communities of Pinehurst, Kellogg, Osburn, Wallace, and Mullan. I-90 leaves the county and state at Lookout Pass at 4,725 feet (1,440 m)) and enters Montana.[2]

Eastbound I-90 on the 1991 viaduct
at Wallace in 2007

History

Interstate 90 through Idaho was formerly U.S. Route 10,[3] though some parts of I-90 were cut as new roadway.[4][5] The small town of Wallace in the Silver Valley still prides itself on having what was the last stoplight on I-90. Its downtown has many historical buildings, which would have been wiped out by the original planned route of the freeway,[6][7] so in 1976, city leaders had the downtown placed on the National Register of Historic Places.[8][9][10] Alternatives discussed in 1963 included tunnels and twin levels.[3][11]

As a result, the federal government was forced at great expense to reroute the freeway to the northern edge of downtown and elevate it. Work on that section was resumed in 1984,[12] and it opened in September 1991.[13] A bicycle path is routed beneath part of that segment. Before the move to the viaduct, I-90 went from a freeway at the western edge of Wallace, then turned to surface streets and followed the main arterial as U.S. Route 10 through town, which included the last stoplight on I-90 between Seattle and Boston.[14] Upon reaching the eastern edge of the town it became a limited access divided highway once again.[15]

The interstate also was routed along Lake Coeur d'Alene as a surface street before the Veterans Memorial Centennial Bridge was completed in the heights above the lake.

Exit list

CountyLocationmi[1]kmExit[1]DestinationsNotes
Kootenai0.0000.000 I90 westContinuation into Washington
Post Falls1.1601.8671Beck Road
2.0803.3472Pleasant View Road
4.6327.4545 I-90 Business Loop east (Spokane Street) City CenterExit is just east of northernmost point on I-90
5.4508.7716 I-90 Business Loop west (Seltice Way) City CenterWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
7.12811.4717 SH-41 north Rathdrum, Spirit Lake
Coeur d'Alene11.29018.16911 I-90 Business Loop east (Northwest Boulevard) City Center
12.04019.37712 US-95 Sandpoint, Moscow
12.56020.213134th Street
13.56021.8231415th Street
14.78023.78615 I-90 Business Loop west (Sherman Avenue) City Center
16.88227.16917Mullan Trail Road
22.06335.50722 SH-97 south Harrison, St. Maries
28.38045.67328Fourth of July Pass Recreation Area
34.02854.76334 SH-3 south – Rose Lake, St. Maries, Harrison
39.02462.80339Old Mission State Park
40.09664.52840Cataldo
Shoshone43.01669.22843Kingston
45.26172.84145Pinehurst, Smelterville
47.68776.74548Smelterville, Shoshone County Airport
Kellogg49.71580.00949Bunker Avenue Silver Mountain
50.32180.98450Hill StreetEastbound exit and westbound entrance
50.55181.35451Division Street WardnerNo westbound entrance
54.18687.20454Big Creek
Osburn57.03691.79157 I-90 Business Loop east Osburn
59.55395.84160 I-90 Business Loop west Silverton, Osburn
Wallace60.99098.15461 I-90 Business Loop east Wallace
61.94899.69662 I-90 Business Loop west / SH-4 east Wallace, Burke
64.270103.43364Golconda District
65.352105.17465Compressor District
66.500107.02166Gold CreekEastbound exit and entrance
67.353108.39467Morning District, West Mullan
Mullan68.100109.59668 I-90 Business Loop east MullanEastbound exit and westbound entrance
68.908110.89769 I-90 Business Loop west Mullan, East Mullan
73.888118.911 I90 east (Lookout Pass)Continuation into Montana
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Route map: Bing / Google

KML is from Wikidata

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Milepoint Log Report" (PDF). Idaho Transportation Department. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Idaho Official Highway Map (2007 ed.), Boise, Idaho: Idaho Department of Transportation, 2007
  3. 1 2 "Idaho eyes twin-level freeway". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. December 18, 1963. p. 6.
  4. "Idaho seeking funds to buy right of way for freeway route". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. February 1, 1957. p. a3.
  5. Leeright, Bob (July 31, 1971). "Displaced residents add to cost of highways". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. p. 5.
  6. "Plans for Interstate 90 explained to Wallace CC". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. January 23, 1970. p. 3.
  7. "Wallace Chamber seeks I-90 shift". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. January 18, 1973. p. b3.
  8. "Wallace freeway hearing ordered by federal judge". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. July 23, 1976. p. 13.
  9. "I-90 study includes historic site survey". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. January 10, 1980. p. 10.
  10. Collin, Matthew (January 26, 1981). "Wallace freeway 12 years overdue". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 6.
  11. "Freeway alternatives reviewed for Wallace". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. October 25, 1978. p. 5.
  12. Bond, Dave (July 18, 1984). "Wallace bypass work to start". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 1.
  13. Idaho Transportation Department Archived September 26, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
  14. "He stalled Interstate 90 right in the middle of town". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. February 13, 1981. p. 15F.
  15. "Lone stoplight on Interstate 90 to pass by after new bypass". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. Associated Press. September 8, 1991. p. A9.
Interstate 90
Previous state:
Washington
Idaho Next state:
Montana
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