 U.S. Route 93 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US 93 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Length | 1,359 mi[1][2][3][4] (2,187 km) | |||
| Existed | 1926–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  US 60 inWickenburg, AZ | |||
| Major intersections |
| |||
| North end |  Highway 93 at theCanada–US border at thePort of Roosville north ofEureka, MT | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| States | Arizona,Nevada,Idaho,Montana | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
U.S. Route 93 (US 93) is a major north–south 1,359-mile (2,187 km)[1][2][3][4][5]U.S. Numbered Highway in the westernUnited States, that connectsU.S. Route 60 (US 60) inWickenburg, Arizona, withBritish Columbia Highway 93 at theCanadian border (north ofEureka, Montana).[6] The highway passes throughKingman, Arizona;Las Vegas, Nevada;Twin Falls, Idaho; andMissoula, Montana.
| mi | km | |
|---|---|---|
| AZ | 199 | 320 |
| NV | 527 | 848 |
| ID | 351 | 565 |
| MT | 288 | 463 |
| Total | 1,365 | 2,197 |
US 93 begins at US 60 in Wickenburg, a small town approximately 50 miles (80 km) northwest ofPhoenix. Thirty miles (48 km) northwest of Wickenburg, US 93 passes through a large forest ofJoshua trees and is thus labeled the Joshua Forest Parkway of Arizona until it reachesWikieup.
From there, it heads north, eventually merging withInterstate 40 (I-40) to head west toKingman. US 93 then splits from I-40 in Kingman and heads north to theHoover Dam.Chloride is located off this highway, andSanta Claus is on the western side, about 15 miles (24 km) before the Chloride Road intersection.
This highway was known to be one of the deadliest routes in America until recently[when?]. The years of improvements have made it a much safer road to travel, according to theFederal Highway Administration.[7]
US 93 enters Nevada whereInterstate 11 (I-11) currently begins: on theHoover Dam Bypass. I-11 / US 93 then winds its way west-southwest throughBoulder City before merging withU.S. Route 95 (US 95) past the interchange withNevada State Route 173. These three routes (I-11 / US 93 / US 95) then curve northwest towardLas Vegas. US 93 exits at theLas Vegas Spaghetti Bowl interchange just northwest of downtown, heading northbound concurrently withInterstate 15 (I-15). Those two routes then run in a northeasterly direction throughNorth Las Vegas until they exit the metro area, where US 93 diverges from I-15 atApex to head north towardGreat Basin National Park. Near there, the highway joins with the combined US RoutesU.S. Route 6 /U.S. Route 50 (US 6 / US 50) to run northwest towardEly. In Ely, US 6 first departs and heads west towardTonopah. Then, shortly thereafter, US 50 departs US 93 to continue west towardFallon andReno (viaU.S. Route 50 Alternate west,U.S. Route 95 Alternate north, andInterstate 80 [I-80] west) andCarson City. Upon reachingLages Station,U.S. Route 93 Alternate (US 93 Alt) splits off in a northeasterly direction towardWest Wendover. The main route of US 93 continues north from Lages Station, intersecting I-80 atWells before crossing theIdaho state line on the north edge ofJackpot.
BetweenState Route 318 and Majors Junction (US 6 / US 50), US 93 is designated aNevada Scenic Byway.[8] From Ely toSchellbourne Ranch, US 93 is part of theLincoln Highway,[9] the first road across the United States.
Shortly after entering Idaho, US 93 crossesU.S. Route 30 as it before running through the northern edgeTwin Falls. North of here, the highway crosses theSnake River Canyon via thePerrine Bridge en route to an interchange withInterstate 84. US 93 passes throughShoshone and runs concurrently withU.S. Route 20 /U.S. Route 26 (US 20 / US 26) before reachingArco. The highway then turns northwest (leaving US 20 / US 26) to enter theBig Lost River valley throughMackay.
Just south ofChallis, US 93 becomes the northern leg of theSalmon River Scenic Byway as it heads toward the town ofSalmon.[10] From there, the highway follows portions of theLewis and Clark Trail and passes through theSalmon-Challis National Forest before enteringMontana.
US 93 enters Montana from Idaho atLost Trail Pass and travels north descending through theBitterroot National Forest. The highway continues along the Lewis and Clark Trail into theBitterroot Valley towardsMissoula, passing throughDarby andHamilton. AtLolo,U.S. Route 12 (US 12) joins from the west and they run concurrently northeast for 7.537 miles (12.130 km), where US 93 heads due north on Reserve Street in Missoula. US 93 then joinsInterstate 90 (I-90) and runs concurrently westward for 5.352 miles (8.613 km) toWye, where it heads north.
From Wye, US 93 continues north through theFlathead Indian Reservation, where its signage includes the historicSalish andKutenai names for towns, rivers, and streams.[11] Portions of this section run along theCSKT Bison Range. North of the reservation, US 93 traverses the western shore ofFlathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake west of theMississippi River. North of the lake the highway runs through the cities ofKalispell andWhitefish, traveling through theFlathead National Forest and the Stillwater State Forest before reaching its terminus at the Canada–US border nearEureka. On entering Canada, the roadway becomesBritish Columbia Highway 93.
The portion north of Hamilton travels through one of the most densely populated areas in Montana. This section also serves as a popular north–south connection betweenYellowstone National Park andGlacier National Park. As a result, the road tends to become more congested between Hamilton and Whitefish. A popularbumper sticker inMontana reads, "Pray for me, I drive Hwy 93!"[12]
Total US 93 mileage in Montana as of 2013 is 287.919 miles (463.361 km): 90.763 miles (146.069 km) from the Idaho line to Reserve Street in Missoula via corridor N-7 (C000007) (includes 7.524 miles (12.109 km) concurrency with US 12), 5.369 miles (8.641 km) via corridor N-92 (C000092) (Reserve Street), 5.384 miles (8.665 km) concurrent with I-90 and MT 200 (C000090) and 186.403 miles (299.987 km) from Wye to the Canadian border via corridor N-5 (C000005) (includes 27.215 miles (43.798 km) concurrency withMontana Highway 200).
![[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 missing information.(June 2010) |
US 93 was not one of the originalU.S. highways proposed in the 1925 Bureau of Public Roads plan.[citation needed] However, the revised numbering plan approved by theAmerican Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) on November 11, 1926, established US 93 from theCanada–US border north ofEureka,Montana, south through Montana and Idaho to a southern terminus atWells,Nevada.[5]
US 93's original northern terminus was a few miles west of its current terminus, along theKootenai River at the Gateway Port of entry. This was the case until around 1934, when US 93 was routed along its current route.[14]
AASHO, at its June 8, 1931, meeting, approved a southerly extension of US 93 south toGlendale,Nevada.[5] By 1932, theNevada Department of Highways had marked the continuation of the highway using the routing of several preexisting state highways.[15]
At the request of theArizona State Highway Department, the AASHO route numbering committee approved another extension of US 93 in 1935. This shifted the southern terminus south toKingman,Arizona, by way ofLas Vegas.[5] Nevada officials again extended the route along preexisting highways; however, they may not have signed the extension right away as it was not shown on Nevada's state-published maps until 1939.[5][16][17]
Until 1993, US 93 ended a short distance north ofWickenburg, Arizona, at a junction withU.S. Route 89. When US 89 was decommissioned in the area, the US 93 designation was carried on into Wickenburg.[citation needed]
A highway segment opened on October 19, 2010, in the area ofHoover Dam;[18] theHoover Dam Bypass replaces a segment of US 93 over the dam that had been closed to truck traffic due to security concerns since theSeptember 11 attacks in 2001.[19] The bypass crosses theColorado River on a bridge downstream of the dam. The bypass eliminated the permanent truck detour through eitherLaughlin, Nevada, orNeedles, California, that had been in place since 2001.
US 93 (with US 60 to the southeast of Wickenburg) is currently the shortest and most direct route between Las Vegas and Phoenix, two of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. Upgrades of US 60 and US 93 to expressway status are scheduled between Las Vegas and Phoenix.[20] Most recently, in the 2012Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, theUnited States Congress officially designated a new Interstate freeway corridor between the two cities asInterstate 11,[21] which would mostly or completely replace US 93 in Arizona.
A newU.S. Route 93 Alternate was built tobypass through traffic around downtownKalispell,Montana, from 2010 to 2016.[22] Currently, US 93 through Kalispell is Main Street and Sunset Boulevard, a 25 to 45 mph (40 to 72 km/h) arterial. Three segments of the bypass comprising a total of 4.5 miles (7.2 km) were completed and opened to traffic from 2010 to 2013. The remaining 3 miles (4.8 km) opened October 28, 2016.[23] The southwest 3.2-mile (5.1 km) segment of the bypass is currently only two lanes, and is slated for expansion to four lanes with two additional grade-separated interchanges when funding permits.
US 60 inWickenburg
I-40 east-northeast ofKingman. The highways travel concurrently to Kingman.
US 95 fromBoulder City to Las Vegas. The highways travel concurrently to Las Vegas.
I-215 inHenderson
I-15 from Las Vegas to North Las Vegas. The highways travels concurrently to northeast ofNorth Las Vegas.
US 6 /US 50 inMajors Place. The highways travel concurrently toEly.
I-80 /US 93 Alt. inWells
US 30 east ofFiler. The highways travel concurrently toTwin Falls.
I-84 north of Twin Falls
US 26 inShoshone. The highways travel concurrently toArco.
US 20 inCarey. The highways travel concurrently to Arco.
US 12 inLolo. The highways travel concurrently toMissoula.
I-90 in Missoula. The highways travel concurrently toWye.
US 2 inKalispellHighway 93 at theCanada–United States border north ofEureka U.S. Route 93 Business | |
|---|---|
| Location | Boulder City, Nevada |
| Existed | 2019–present |
U.S. Route 93 Business (US 93 Bus.) is abusiness route of US 93 inClark County,Nevada. The route provides access toLake Mead and downtownBoulder City fromInterstate 11 (I-11). The route was originally part of mainline US 93 before it was realigned around Boulder City along I-11.
 U.S. Route 93 Alternate | |
|---|---|
| Location | Lages Station–Wells, Nevada |
U.S. Route 93 Alternate (US 93 ALT) is an alternate route of US 93 in northeasternNevada. The southern terminus is atLages Station in northernWhite Pine County, where it separates from US 93. The route continues north toWest Wendover where it joinsInterstate 80 (I-80). US 93 ALT follows I-80 west toWells, where it terminates at an interchange with US 93.
US 93 ALT provides a shortcut from central Nevada toSalt Lake City,Utah via eastbound I-80.
U.S. Highway 93 Business | |
|---|---|
| Location | Twin Falls, Idaho |
| Length | 8.110 mi (13.052 km) |
U.S. Route 93 Business (US 93 Bus.) is a 8.110-mile (13.052 km)business route of US 93 inTwin Falls County,Idaho. The route provides access to downtownTwin Falls. A majority of the route isconcurrent withU.S. Route 30. The route was originally part of mainline US 93 before it was realigned around most of Twin Falls.[citation needed]
 U.S. Highway 93 Alternate | |
|---|---|
| Location | Kalispell, Montana |
U.S. Route 93 Alternate inMontana is analternate route ofUS 93 that bypasses the central business district of the city ofKalispell.
U.S. Highway 93 Alternate | |
|---|---|
| Location | Shoshone–Challis, Idaho |
| Existed | 1926–1977 |
Between 1926 and 1977 a road betweenShoshone, Idaho, andChallis, Idaho, was also labeledUS 93 Alternate. This stretch of road is now designated as part of US 93. The pre-1977 routing of 93 between those points is now designated asIdaho State Highway 75.
US 93 (Highway 93) features in the title track fromMontana Cafe, a studio album by American country music artistHank Williams Jr., released byWarner Bros. Records in July 1986.
US 93 is referenced in the song "Killer Road" byIowa blues band The Unidynes from their 1996 album Once in a Blue Room.
Metal bandAvenged Sevenfold included the stretch of US 93 betweenKingman andWickenburg, inArizona, in the music video for their song, "Dear God". Many clips of the highway, and landmarks along the stretch of highway, are portrayed from the band's tour bus in the video.
(The crossing) opened in October 2010.
Routes initalics are no longer a part of the system. Highlighted routes are considered main routes of the system. |
| Browse numbered routes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
← US 91 | MT | → I-94 | ||
