 Interstate 10 | |
|---|---|
 I-10 highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Length | 2,460.34 mi[1] (3,959.53 km) |
| Existed | 1957–present |
| NHS | Entire route |
| Major junctions | |
| West end |  SR 1 inSanta Monica, CA |
| Major intersections | |
| East end |   I-95 /US 17 inJacksonville, FL |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| States | California,Arizona,New Mexico,Texas,Louisiana,Mississippi,Alabama,Florida |
| Highway system | |
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in theInterstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at 2,460.34 miles (3,959.53 km), followingI-90,I-80, andI-40. It was part of the originally planned Interstate Highway network that was laid out in 1956, and its last section was completed in 1990.
I-10 stretches from thePacific Ocean atState Route 1 (SR 1, Pacific Coast Highway) inSanta Monica, California, toI-95 inJacksonville, Florida. Other major cities connected by I-10 include (from west to east)Los Angeles,Phoenix,Las Cruces,El Paso,San Antonio,Houston,Baton Rouge,New Orleans,Gulfport,Mobile,Pensacola, andTallahassee. Over one-third of its total length is within the state ofTexas, where the freeway spans the state at its widest breadth.
| mi[1] | km | |
|---|---|---|
| CA | 242.54 | 390.33 |
| AZ | 392.33 | 631.39 |
| NM | 164.27 | 264.37 |
| TX | 881.00 | 1,417.83 |
| LA | 274.42 | 441.64 |
| MS | 77.19 | 124.23 |
| AL | 66.31 | 106.72 |
| FL | 362.28 | 583.03 |
| Total | 2,460.34 | 3,959.53 |
Between its west terminus in Santa Monica, California, and the majorEast Los Angeles Interchange, I-10 is known as theSanta Monica Freeway. The Santa Monica Freeway is also called the Rosa Parks Freeway, named afterthe civil rights activist, for the segment beginning atI-405 (San Diego Freeway), and ending atI-110/SR 110 (Harbor Freeway). The segment between the East Los Angeles Interchange, inEast Los Angeles, and the city ofSan Bernardino, 63 miles (101 km) long, is called theSan Bernardino Freeway.
Other names exist for I-10. For example, from 1976 to 2022, a sign near the western terminus of the highway in Santa Monica proclaimed the highway to be the Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway. The state legislature authorized its removal in 2022 after years of lobbying by Native Americans.[2]
I-10 is known to a considerably lesser degree as the Veterans Memorial Highway, and it is listed as aBlue Star Memorial Highway. InPalm Springs, I-10 is also named the Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway, named afterthe singer, actor, and politician, as a tribute to the late entertainer who served both as the mayor of Palm Springs, and as aUS Representative. Another stretch a short distance east inIndio is proclaimed the Doctor June McCarroll Memorial Freeway, named afterthe nurse known for popularizing road lane striping.
InArizona, the highway is designated the Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway. The portion throughPhoenix is named thePapago Freeway, and it is a vital piece of themetropolitan Phoenix freeway system. This designation starts atState Route 101 (SR 101; Loop 101), near 99th Avenue, and continues eastward to the interchange southeast of downtown, which is the terminus ofI-17.
NearBuckeye, the freeway has milemarkers posted every 0.2 miles (0.32 km) from 112.2 to 110.8 with theInterstate shield and direction of travel posted on the westbound lanes. On the eastbound lanes, milemarkers from 110.8 to 112.2 do not include the I‑10 shield and direction of travel.
From the southern terminus of I-17 to the southernmost junction withSR 202 (Loop 202), the highway is signed as the Maricopa Freeway. This name holds true as well for I-17 from its southern terminus to the Durango Curve south of Buckeye Road. From Loop 202 south to the eastern terminus ofI-8 just southeast ofCasa Grande, the highway is declared the Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway. TheArizona Department of Transportation also has maps that show it as the Maricopa Freeway, while theAmerican Automobile Association and other sources show it as the Pima Freeway. The latter's name is used on a stretch of Loop 101 from Loop 202 to I-17.
Between I-17 in Phoenix and theI-19 interchanges inTucson, I-10 is included in the federally designatedCANAMEX Corridor, extending fromMexico City, Mexico, toEdmonton, Alberta.
In Tucson, between I-10 mileposts 259 and 260 are interchange ramps connecting I-10 with the northern terminus of I-19.
The highest elevation along I-10 occurs just east of Tucson, 20 miles (32 km) west ofWillcox, at the milemarker 320 exit for the rest stop. The westbound lanes of I-10 briefly cross above 5,000 feet (1,500 m) abovesea level.
In New Mexico, I-10 more or less follows the former path ofUS Route 80 (US 80) across the state, although major portions of old US 80 were bypassed in the westernNew Mexico Bootheel and inDoña Ana County. I-10 passes through three southern New Mexico municipalities of regional significance before the junction withI-25:Lordsburg,Deming, andLas Cruces. Most of I-10 in New Mexico, between exit 24 and exit 135, is concurrent withUS 70.
At Lordsburg is the western junction of US 70 and aconcurrency; the two highways are joined all the way to Las Cruces. Several exits between Lordsburg and Deming are either for former towns (includingSepar,Quincy, andGage) or lack any town at all.
At Deming is the western junction ofUS 180, which also forms a concurrency with I-10 all the way to El Paso. One mile (1.6 km) north of Deming on US 180 isState Road 26 (NM 26) which serves as a short cut to north I-25 andAlbuquerque.
I-10/US 70/US 180 continue east to Las Cruces which is the southern end of I-25. US 70 leaves I-10 (prior to the junction with I-25), heading northeast toAlamogordo and passing through the north side of Las Cruces. The junction with I-25 occurs just south of theNew Mexico State University campus, on the southern end of Las Cruces. I-10/US 180 becomes concurrent withUS 85 at the junction with I-25. I-10/US 85/US 180 then turns south to the Texas state line, crossing it atAnthony.
From the state line with New Mexico (atAnthony) toState Highway 20 (SH 20) in westEl Paso, I-10 is bordered by frontage roads South Desert for lanes along I-10 east (actually headed south) and North Desert for lanes along I-10 west (headed north). The Interstate then has no frontage roads for nine miles (14 km) but regains them east of downtown and retains them toClint. In this stretch, the frontage roads are Gateway East for the eastbound lanes and Gateway West for the westbound lanes. All four frontage roads are one-way streets. Gateway East and Gateway West are notable, in particular, for theTexas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)'s liberal usage of theTexas U-turn at most underpasses of I-10 on this stretch.
I-10 is the western terminus forI-20, and the two highways intersect inReeves County, about 41 miles (66 km) southwest of Pecos, at milemarker 186.
A small portion of I-10 fromLoop 1604 toDowntown San Antonio is known as the Northwest Expressway or the McDermott Freeway, while another portion from downtown to Loop 1604 east is called East Expressway or José López Freeway. In Downtown San Antonio, it has a concurrency withI-35, and, throughout most of the northwest side of the city, it has a concurrency withUS 87, which begins inComfort, before turning off and heading east out of the city. Starting in San Antonio, it follows a more direct route ofUS 90, with occasional small concurrences.
InHouston, from the western suburb ofKaty to downtown, I-10 is commonly known as theKaty Freeway. This section has as many as 18 lanes (12 main lanes and 6 mid-freewayhigh-occupancy toll [HOT]/high-occupancy vehicle [HOV] lanes, not counting access road turning lanes)[3][4] and is one of the widest freeways in the world. The space for the expansion was theright-of-way of the oldMissouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad. The section east ofDowntown Houston is officially known as the East Freeway, although it is widely known by locals as the Baytown East Freeway due to a marketing push byBaytown, one of the largest cities inGreater Houston.
InBeaumont, it is known as I-10 south, south of Calder Avenue, and I-10 north, north of Calder Avenue. It is known as I-10 east from the I-10 curve to theNeches River, which is Beaumont's andJefferson County's eastern boundary line. Continuing intoOrange County and passing through the city ofOrange at the easternmost end of Texas, and located at the base of theSabine River bridge is the last I-10 milemarker in Texas, number 880, before entering into Louisiana. Approximately 36 percent of I-10's entire route is located within Texas; the longest segment of any signed Interstate within one state.
InLake Charles, a 13-mile (21 km) loop route signed asI-210 branches off of I-10 and goes through the southern portion of the city. InLafayette, it serves as the southern terminus forI-49. Shortly afterward, there is an 18-mile (29 km) stretch of elevated highway between Lafayette and Baton Rouge known as theAtchafalaya Swamp Freeway, as it goes over theAtchafalaya River, across theAtchafalaya Basin Bridge, and the adjacent swamps. It crosses theMississippi River at theHorace Wilkinson Bridge inBaton Rouge, where the eastbound lanes are the only portion of I-10 that is essentially one lane.
After crossing the Horace Wilkinson Bridge, two lanes fromI-110 south merge with two lanes I-10 east into three lanes with one of the eastbound lanes quickly becoming an exit only lane. After this, the highway is back to four lanes approaching the I-10/I-12 split. I-12 links Baton Rouge toSlidell and bypasses I-10's southward jog through New Orleans by remaining north ofLake Pontchartrain. On this route, I-10 serves as the southern terminus for I-55 inLaPlace and crosses over a portion of Lake Pontchartrain on theI-10 Bonnet Carré Spillway Bridge.
InNew Orleans, a stretch of I-10 from the I-10/I-610 Junction near theOrleans–Jefferson parish line to theUS 90/US 90 Business (US 90 Bus.) junction is known as thePontchartrain Expressway. A dip near the I-10/I-610 junction to travel under a railroad track is one of the lowest points inNew Orleans and is highly susceptible to flooding. Buildups of rainwater dozens of feet deep (several meters) are commonplace during hurricanes. NearSlidell, I-10 serves as the eastern terminus of I-12 and the southern terminus of I-59; turning east to theMississippi state line. The highway is known as the Stephen Ambrose Memorial Highway, named afterthe historian and writer, until the state line.
I-310 andI-510 are the built sections of what was slated to beI-410, which would have acted as a southern bypass of New Orleans. They function as spur routes serving lower density or suburban areas west and east of New Orleans respectively.I-610 is a shortcut from the eastern to western portion of New Orleans avoiding I-10's detour into theNew Orleans Central Business District.
I-10 in Mississippi runs from the Louisiana state line to the Alabama state line throughHancock,Harrison, andJackson counties on theGulf Coast. It passes through the northern sections ofGulfport andBiloxi while passing just north ofPascagoula andBay St. Louis. It also passes right south of the NASAStennis Space Center. The highway roughly parallelsUS 90.
The law defining the route of I-10 is Mississippi Code § 65-3-3.
I-10 crosses over the border fromJackson County, Mississippi, and it goes throughMobile County in southwestern Alabama. InMobile, I-10 is the southern terminus ofI-65. In downtown Mobile, I-10 goes through one of the few highway tunnels in Alabama, theGeorge Wallace Tunnel under theMobile River.
The speed limit of the eastbound approach is posted at 40 mph (64 km/h) because of the sharp downward curve approaching the tunnel. The highway then crosses approximately eight miles (13 km) of the upper part ofMobile Bay on theJubilee Parkway, a bridge that local people call the "Bayway". The highway is next toBattleship Parkway. On the other side of Mobile Bay, the highway goes through the suburban area ofBaldwin County before passing throughMalbis,Loxley, and then on to thePerdido River to cross over intoFlorida.
I-10 travels north of the cities ofPensacola andTallahassee, serving the suburban areas within each respective city. In the former, a six-mile (9.7 km) spur route serves the downtown area, signed asI-110. Most of I-10 in Florida travels through some of the least-populated areas in the state, with large portions of I-10 west ofI-295 inJacksonville having only four lanes.[5]
In Jacksonville, as in Arizona, I-10 is designated as the Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway. The route officially ends at the I-10/I-95 interchange northwest ofDowntown Jacksonville. Throughout much of Florida, I-10 is also State Road 8 (SR 8), though it is not signed as such. (I-110 in Pensacola being known as SR 8A.)[6]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(December 2015) |
While the highway has existed as far back as 1957, the last section of the entire route to be completed was a section of the Papago Freeway from both I-17 interchanges (including theDeck Park Tunnel) in Phoenix, which opened in 1990.
Many widening projects have taken place on the interstate in the late 2000s. InPensacola, Florida, a three-mile (4.8 km) stretch of I-10 was widened to six lanes in 2008.[7] InTallahassee, Florida, construction was completed in June 2009 on a project to widen a roughly eight-mile (13 km) stretch of I-10 to six lanes (eight in some places).[8] In Tucson, Arizona, all exits between Prince Road and 22nd Street reopened after an extensive, three-year improvement project. I-10 was widened from six to eight lanes, and seven bridges and underpasses have been built to deal with congestion.[9]
I-10 from theI-8 interchange inCasa Grande toMarana was widened from four to six lanes from the second half of 2007, to its completion in 2009. Also in Arizona, from Verrado Way inVerrado,Buckeye, all the way toAvondale, the Interstate was widened throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s, with anHOV lane added between Estrella Parkway inGoodyear andLoop 101.
Texas formerly shared the highestspeed limit in the nation withUtah's test section ofI-15.[a] The speed limit along I-10 fromKerr County toEl Paso County was raised by theTexas Legislature to 75 mph (121 km/h) in 1999 and to 80 mph (130 km/h) in 2006. However, the nighttime maximum speed limit remained 65 mph (105 km/h), and the daytime truck speed limit was 70 mph (110 km/h). With 70,000 miles (110,000 km) of highway in Texas, the 432-mile (695 km) stretch of I-10, and 89 miles (143 km) of I-20, between Monahans and the I-10 interchange at the cusp of theDavis Mountains, only a small percentage of roads were affected.[10] On September 1, 2011, nighttime speed limits were eliminated, and the statutory maximum speed limit in Texas was increased from 75 to 80 mph (121 to 129 km/h).
As far back as the 1990s, Florida and Alabama have considered a connector that would linkDothan, Alabama, with I-10. In 2008, a proposal to make this new highway a toll road and to expedite its construction to complete it in five years surfaced. In 2012, federal funds previously set aside for the connector were allocated to other projects. In 2014, Florida sought bids for a feasibility study.[11][12][13]
SR 1 inSanta Monica
I-405 on theMar Vista–Palms–West Los Angeles neighborhood line
I-110 inDowntown Los Angeles
I-5 inBoyle Heights; the highways travel concurrently through Boyle Heights.
SR 60 inBoyle Heights
US 101 in Boyle Heights
I-710 on theMonterey Park–Alhambra city line
I-605 inBaldwin Park
SR 57 /SR 71 on thePomona–San Dimas city line
I-15 inOntario
I-215 inColton
Future I-210 /SR 210 inRedlandsSR 60 inBeaumont
SR 79 in Beaumont
SR 111 nearPalm Springs
SR 62 inWhitewater
SR 86 nearIndio
SR 177 inDesert Center
US 95 inBlythe; the highways travel concurrently toQuartzsite, Arizona.
US 95 /SR 95 in Quartzsite
US 60 southwest ofBrenda
SR 85 in Buckeye
SR 303 in Goodyear
SR 101 on theAvondale–Tolleson city line
SR 202 inPhoenix
I-17 /US 60 in Phoenix
SR 202 /SR 51 in PhoenixI-17 /US 60 in Phoenix
SR 143 in PhoenixUS 60 in PhoenixSR 202 on the Phoenix–Chandler city line
I-8 inCasa Grande
I-19 inTucson
US 191 north-northwest ofCochise; the highways travel concurrently to northeast ofWillcox.
NM 80 south-southwest ofLordsburg
NM 338 southwest of Lordsburg
NM 146 north ofHachita
NM 28 inLas Cruces
US 70 in Lordsburg; the highways travel concurrently to Las Cruces.
US 180 inDeming; the highways travel concurrently toEl Paso, Texas.
I-25 /US 85 on the Las Cruces–University Park line. I-10/US 85 travels concurrently to El Paso, Texas
I-110 /US 54 in El Paso
US 62 /US 180 in El Paso
US 90 inVan Horn
I-20 inReeves County
US 67 west ofFort Stockton; the highways travel concurrently to east-southeast of Fort Stockton.
US 285 in Fort Stockton
US 385 in Fort Stockton; the highways travel concurrently to east-southeast of Fort Stockton.
US 190 west-southwest ofIraan
US 277 inSonora
US 83 /US 377 inJunction. I-10/US 83 travels concurrently to north ofSegovia.
US 290 northwest ofMountain Home
US 87 inComfort; the highways travel concurrently throughSan Antonio.
I-410 in San Antonio
I-35 in San Antonio; the highways travel concurrently through Downtown San Antonio.I-35 /US 90 in San Antonio. I-10/US 90 travels concurrently to west-southwest ofSeguin.
I-37 /US 281 in San Antonio
I-410 /SH 130 in San Antonio; I-10/SH 130 travel concurrently until east of Seguin.US 90 in Seguin
US 183 inLulingUS 90 east ofWaelder
US 77 inSchulenburgUS 90 east-northeast of SchulenburgUS 90 west-southwest ofGliddenUS 90 east ofColumbus; the highways travel concurrently toSealy.US 90 inSealy; the highways travel concurrently to west-southwest ofBrookshire.US 90 inKaty; the highways travel concurrently throughHouston.
I-610 in Houston
I-45 in Houston
I-69 /US 59 in HoustonI-610 /US 90 in Houston
US 69 /US 96 /US 287 inBeaumont; the highways travel concurrently through Beaumont.US 90 in BeaumontUS 90 in Beaumont; the highways travel concurrently toToomey, Louisiana.
I-210 east ofSulphurUS 90 west-southwest ofWestlake; the highways travel concurrently throughLake Charles.
US 171 in Lake CharlesI-210 east-northeast of Lake Charles
US 165 east-northeast ofIowa
I-49 /US 167 inLafayetteI-110 inBaton Rouge
I-12 in Baton Rouge
US 61 southeast ofSorrento
US 51 inLaPlace
I-55 in LaPlace
I-310 west ofKennerI-610 inNew OrleansUS 61 in New OrleansUS 90 in New OrleansI-610 in New OrleansUS 90 in New Orleans
I-510 in New Orleans
US 11 in New OrleansUS 190 inSlidell
I-12 /I-59 in Slidell
US 49 inGulfportI-110 inD'IbervilleUS 90 on theTheodore–Tillmans Corner line.
I-65 inMobile
US 90 /US 98 in MobileUS 90 /US 98 east of MobileUS 90 /US 98 inDaphne
US 29 on theBrent–Ensley CDP lineI-110 on the Brent–Ensley–Ferry Pass CDP lineUS 90 in Ferry Pass
US 331 inDeFuniak Springs
US 231 south ofCottondaleUS 90 inMidway
US 27 inTallahassee
US 319 in TallahasseeUS 90 in Tallahassee
US 19 north-northeast ofCapps
US 221 south-southeast ofGreenvilleUS 90 southeast ofFalmouth
US 129 north-northeast ofLive Oak
I-75 south ofWhite Springs
US 41 northwest ofFive Points
US 441 inLake CityUS 90 southwest ofSanderson
US 301 south-southwest ofBaldwin
I-295 inJacksonvilleUS 17 in Jacksonville; the highways travel concurrently through JacksonvilleI-95 /US 17 in JacksonvilleAnotherI-310 is proposed to connect toGulfport, Mississippi as well.
Geographic data related toInterstate 10 atOpenStreetMap | ||
| ||
 PrimaryInterstate Highways | |
|---|---|
| Signed | |
| Unsigned | |
| Lists | |
| Other | |
Routes initalics are no longer a part of the system. Major Interstates are highlighted. | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
