U.S. Route 93 in Idaho

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U.S. Highway 93

US 93 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by ITD
Length350.819 mi[1] (564.588 km)
Existed1926–present
Major junctions
South end US 93 at the Nevada state line near Jackpot
Major intersections US 30 in Twin Falls
I-84 near Twin Falls
US 26 from Shoshone to Arco
US 20 from Carey to Arco
North end US 93 at the Montana state line at Lost Trail Pass
Location
CountryUnited States
StateIdaho
CountiesTwin Falls, Jerome, Lincoln,
Blaine, Butte, Custer, Lemhi
Highway system
  • Idaho State Highway System
US 91 US 95

U.S. Route 93 (US 93) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the U.S. state of Idaho.

Route description

US 93 enters southern Idaho from Nevada, immediately north of the border casino town of Jackpot. Heading northbound in Twin Falls County, it passes through Rogerson and Hollister towards Twin Falls. West of the city, US-93 turns and runs east–west for a few miles, parallel with US-30. This section is Pole Line Road; the highway returns to its north–south orientation in Twin Falls at the intersection of Pole Line Road and Blue Lakes Boulevard.

North of Twin Falls, US-93 crosses the Snake River Canyon via the Perrine Bridge, 486 feet (148 m) above the water. Approximately 3 miles (5 km) north of the bridge, the highway intersects with Interstate 84 at Exit 173.

Further north in Shoshone, US-93 connects with the southern terminus of State Highway 75, the former route of US-93 to Ketchum and over Galena Summit (8,701 feet (2,652 m) above sea level) to Stanley and Clayton. Present-day US-93 diverts in a northeasterly route to Richfield, Carey, the Craters of the Moon, and Arco. Between Shoshone and Arco, the highway runs concurrently with the east–west US-26, and also with US-20 between Carey and Arco.

From Arco, the highway turns northwest and climbs the Big Lost River valley through Mackay. This section provides views of the Lost River Range to the northeast of the highway, including Borah Peak, the highest point in the state at 12,662 feet (3,859 m). Mackay Dam and reservoir are on the southwest side of the highway. The highway crosses the Willow Creek Summit at 7,161 feet (2,183 m) (web-cam) and later descends into Grand View Canyon and heads into the city of Challis.

US-93 creates the northern terminus of State Highway 75 just south of Challis and takes over as the northern leg of the Salmon River Scenic Byway.[2] It descends with the Salmon River as it winds north around the edge of the Lost River and Lemhi mountain ranges into the city of Salmon at 4,004 feet (1,220 m).

Continuing north, the US-93 runs along portions of the Lewis and Clark Trail. The highway follows the descending northbound river until North Fork at 3,620 feet (1,103 m), where the Salmon River makes a left turn to flow west across the state to Riggins. US-93 continues north, climbing the North Fork of the Salmon River into the Bitterroot Range, passing through the Salmon-Challis National Forest and Gibbonsville. The highway exits Idaho at Lost Trail Pass (web-cam) at 7,014 feet (2,138 m) and enters Montana toward the Bitterroot Valley. West of the highway at the pass is the Lost Trail Powder Mountain ski area, with terrain in both states.

History

US-93 was established in 1926, initially using the modern-day route of SH-75 between Shoshone and Challis. The highway was re-aligned to its modern route via Arco in 1977, replacing an alternative route.[3]

In 2010, the 5.5-mile (8.9 km) Pole Line Road bypass around Twin Falls opened to traffic.[4] US 93 was re-routed to the new bypass, while the old route was signed as US 93 Business.

Gallery

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Twin Falls0.0000.000
US 93 south – Jackpot, Wells
Continuation into Nevada
Godwin38.05061.236
SH-74 east – Twin Falls
41.49866.785

US 93 Bus. north / US 30 (Idaho Byway) – Filer, Twin Falls City Center, Boise
Interchange
Pole Line Road / 4100 NorthInterchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance
Twin Falls49.45579.590Blue Lakes Boulevard south (US 93 Bus. south)
Snake RiverI.B. Perrine Bridge over Snake River Canyon
Jerome53.05685.385 I-84 – Sun Valley, Boise, PocatelloI-84 exit 173
58.70894.481 SH-25 – Jerome, Eden
LincolnShoshone73.195117.796
SH-24 east – Dietrich
Western terminus of SH–24
73.619118.478
US 26 west (South Rail Street) – Gooding
Southern end of US-26 concurrency
73.659118.543
SH-75 north – Sun Valley
Southern terminus of SH–75
BlaineCarey112.972181.811
US 20 west – Picabo
Southern end of US-20 concurrency
ButteArco156.259251.474
US 20 / US 26 east – Idaho Falls
Northern end of US-20/US-26 concurrencies
Custer244.325393.203
SH-75 south – Stanley, Sun Valley
Northern terminus of SH–75
Pahsimeroi RiverBridge
LemhiSalmon304.675490.327
SH-28 south (Sacajawea Historic Byway) – Leadore, Idaho Falls
Northern terminus of SH–28
Lost Trail Pass350.819564.588
US 93 north – Hamilton, Missoula
Continuation into Montana
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Milepoint Log: U.S. Route 93" (PDF). Idaho Transportation Department. January 12, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  2. ^ Idaho Scenic Byways - Salmon River Archived 2012-09-22 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (November 12, 1976). "Route Numbering Committee Agenda" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 2. Retrieved February 14, 2017 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  4. ^ Coltrain, Nick (December 17, 2010). "Bypass opens possibilities on Pole Line; Washington Street brakes for winter". The Times-News. Twin Falls, Idaho. Retrieved February 14, 2017.

External links


U.S. Route 93
Previous state:
Nevada
Idaho Next state:
Montana