'Interstate 90' (abbreviated 'I-90') is the longest
interstate highway in the United States at nearly 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers). It is the northernmost east-to-west, coast-to-coast interstate. Its western terminus is in
Seattle, Washington, at 4th Avenue S. next to
Qwest Field, and its eastern terminus is in
Boston, Massachusetts, at
Route 1A near
Logan International Airport. It crosses the
Continental Divide just east of
Butte, Montana.
From the
Wisconsin/
Illinois border east, the majority of I-90 is tolled, along the following
toll roads (several of which predate the Interstate system): the
Northwest Tollway,
Chicago Skyway,
Indiana Toll Road,
Ohio Turnpike,
New York State Thruway, and the
Massachusetts Turnpike, including the
Ted Williams Tunnel. It is free through downtown
Chicago, northeastern
Ohio and
Pennsylvania, and through brief sections near
Buffalo and
Albany, New York.
Route description
|-
|
WA
|296.92
|477.85
|-
|
ID
|73.55
|118.37
|-
|
MT
|551.68
|887.84
|-
|
WY
|208.8
|336.03
|-
|
SD
|412.76
|664.27
|-
|
MN
|275.7
|443.70
|-
|
WI
|187.14
|301.84
|-
|
IL
|123.89
|199.38
|-
|
IN
|156.28
|251.51
|-
|
OH
|244.75
|393.89
|-
|
PA
|46.4
|74.67
|-
|
NY
|385.48
|620.37
|-
|
MA
|135.72
|218.42
|-
|Total
|3099.07
|4958.51
|}
Washington
Main articles: Interstate 90 in Washington
In 2003, the
Seattle terminus was re-engineered to better accommodate traffic from the two nearby sports stadiums. I-90 westbound still ends at its previous location next to
Qwest Field, but eastbound begins about 1/4 mile (0.4 km) south at
Edgar Martinez Drive near the roof shed of
Safeco Field at an interchange with 4th Avenue S.
I-90 incorporates two of the longest
floating bridges in the world, the
Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge and the
Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge, which cross
Lake Washington from
Seattle to
Mercer Island, Washington. They are the second and fifth longest such bridges, respectively.
Sixty miles east of Bellevue I-90 traverses the Cascade Mountain Snoqualmie Pass, elevation 3,022 feet.
Since 1980, I-90 from Seattle to Thorp, WA, was designated the
Mountains To Sound Greenway to protect its outstanding scenic and cultural resources.
[1]
'Washington Law Defining Route'
The Washington section of I-90 is defined in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW 47.17.140).
[2]
Major cities
Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs. |
|---|
★ 'Seattle, Washington'
★ 'Ellensburg, Washington'
★ 'Spokane, Washington'
★ 'Coeur d'Alene, Idaho'
★ 'Missoula, Montana'
★ 'Butte, Montana'
★ Bozeman, Montana
★ 'Billings, Montana'
★ 'Sheridan, Wyoming'
★ 'Gillette, Wyoming'
★ 'Rapid City, South Dakota'
★ 'Sioux Falls, South Dakota'
★ 'Albert Lea, Minnesota'
★ 'La Crosse, Wisconsin'
★ 'Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin'
★ 'Madison, Wisconsin'
★ 'Janesville, Wisconsin'
★ Beloit, Wisconsin
★ 'Rockford, Illinois'
★ 'Chicago, Illinois'
★ Gary, Indiana
★ South Bend, Indiana
★ 'Toledo, Ohio'
★ 'Cleveland, Ohio'
★ 'Erie, Pennsylvania'
★ 'Buffalo, New York'
★ Rochester, New York (bypassed)
★ Syracuse, New York
★ Utica, New York
★ Schenectady, New York
★ 'Albany, New York'
★ Pittsfield, Massachusetts (bypassed)
★ Springfield, Massachusetts (bypassed)
★ Worcester, Massachusetts (bypassed)
★ 'Boston, Massachusetts' |
Idaho
Main articles: Interstate 90 in Idaho
The small town of
Wallace, Idaho still prides itself on having what was the last stop light on I-90. Its downtown has many historical buildings, which would have been wiped out by the original planned route of the freeway, so in
1976, city leaders had the downtown placed on the
National Register of Historic Places. As a result, the federal government was forced at great expense to reroute the freeway to the northern edge of downtown and elevate it. That section of I-90 opened in September
1991. A bicycle path is routed beneath part of that segment.
Montana
Main articles: Interstate 90 in Montana
Until
1995 in
Montana near the Idaho border, I-90 was not a divided highway for a few stretches, having only a narrow paved
median. From
1995 until
1999, the speed limit in Montana was "reasonable and prudent"; it is now 75 mph (120 km/h). On the I-90, at Exit 00 (right on the MT/ID border) is the Lookout Pass Ski Area, and one exit east of there is the Hiawatha Trail (rails-to-trails).
Wyoming
Main articles: Interstate 90 in Wyoming
At the
Montana border I-90 is a four-lane divided highway with a grass median. At
Buffalo, Wyoming (if travelling eastward from the north) it diverges from I-25 with a more east-west orientation.
South Dakota
The South Dakota section of I-90 is defined at South Dakota Codified Laws § 31-4-184.
[3]
Near
Sturgis, South Dakota at the Wyoming border I-90 is a four lane divided highway with a grass median. In the
Sioux Falls area, I-90 intersects I-29 and continues east a short distance to
Minnesota. I-90 is the largest east-west thoroughfare in South Dakota.
Minnesota
The Minnesota section of I-90 is defined as Route 391 in Minnesota Statutes § 161.12(3).
[4]
I-90 crosses southern Minnesota from the South Dakota border near
Sioux Falls to the
Mississippi River near
LaCrosse, Wisconsin. On most of its length in the state, it is close to the
Iowa border and fairly parallel with it. In
southeast Minnesota, it curves north to
Rochester.
Wisconsin
Main articles: Interstate 90 in Wisconsin
I-90 crosses Wisconsin from Minnesota to Illinois in a generally southeasterly direction. It joins I-94 in
Tomah and I-39 in
Portage. I-94 separates from I-90 at
Madison.
I-39/90/94 from just south of Portage to Madison is the longest concurrency of three interstate highways in the United States.
Illinois
Main articles: Interstate 90 in Illinois
In the state of
Illinois, Interstate 90 enters Illinois north of
Rockford oriented north-south joined with
Interstate 39. It then runs east-southeast directly to the city of
Chicago. From Rockford to
Interstate 294 the road is tolled and called the
Northwest Tollway. In
Chicagoland, I-90 is known by three names from
O'Hare International Airport to the
Indiana state line. The
Kennedy Expressway runs from O'Hare to
Interstate 290 and the
Chicago Loop. I-90 continues running south of the Loop on part of the
Dan Ryan Expressway, and then southeast onto the tolled
Chicago Skyway into Indiana.
Indiana
Main articles: Indiana Toll Road
In the state of Indiana, Interstate 90 enters from Illinois at the
Chicago Skyway. It then runs to the concurrency of Interstates
80/
94 east of
Interstate 65, where I-80 leaves I-94 and joins with I-90. The combined I-80/90 route runs east across northern Indiana and near the southern border of
Michigan to the Ohio state line.
As part of the Toll Road, I-80/90 passes to the north of
South Bend and
Elkhart. It also passes north of
Angola at
Interstate 69.
Ohio
The Indiana Toll Road turns into the
Ohio Turnpike as it crosses the border. I-90 follows the Ohio Turnpike
until
Elyria (west of
Cleveland), where it turns north to follow a route near the shores of
Lake Erie.
In
Cleveland, Interstate 90 serves as the
Innerbelt at the confluence of the northern termini of Interstates
71 and
77. One of the most peculiar and hazardous stretches of Interstate 90 is the section of highway passing through
downtown, known locally as
Dead Man's Curve. Here, the road takes a nearly 90-degree turn
[5]. While there are plenty of large signs and flashing lights alerting motorists to this turn, there have still been a large number of accidents due to inattentive motorists. There are plans to realign the freeway along a shallower curve within the next decade, as part of a larger project to improve the highway system in Cleveland.
[6]
Pennsylvania
Main articles: Interstate 90 in Pennsylvania
I-90 goes from the Ohio state line through
Erie, Pennsylvania, and then leaves Pennyslvania for New York.
While not an interstate, a portion of
Pennsylvania Route 5 in Erie has recently been named
Pennsylvania Route 290. The purpose is to encourage travelers to use this stretch of Erie's 12th Street as a loop, connecting
Interstate 79 and 90 to the Bayfront Connector and downtown Erie.
New York
Main articles: Interstate 90 in New York
I-90 becomes the
New York State Thruway upon entering New York. It follows the
Lake Erie coast until Buffalo, where it joins the old
Water Level Route until
Albany. There, it takes a short detour before joining the
New York State Thruway Berkshire Connector.
I-90 metric sign for NY Thruway Exit 35
Almost all of the
New York portion of the road is a
toll road, comprising the east-west portion of the
New York State Thruway mainline and part of the Berkshire Connector, operated by the New York State Thruway Authority. It was originally constructed as part of the Thruway project in the middle
1950s and received its current designation as Interstate 90 in
1958. "I-90" (operated by
NYSDOT) carries Interstate 90 between the two; however, the Berkshire Section directly connects to the mainline (at Thruway interchange 21A) 6.5 miles (10.5 km) west of the point where I-90 joins it (at Thruway interchange B1).
The
mileposts and
exit numbers on the
New York State Thruway mainline originate at the
New York City line and increase northward along
Interstate 87 and westward along Interstate 90. As a result,
mileposts and
exit numbers on the I-90 section of the
Thruway mainline increase from east to west, contrary to modern practices where numbers increase from the west or south. The NYSDOT-maintained portion in between, known to locals as "Freebie 90," does number its mileage and exits in the traditional west-to-east method. (Ironically, "Freebie 90" is oriented geographically north-south for most of its length, so the exit numbers seem to increase from north to south.) Exit and milepost numbering starts over again when the Berkshire Section of the Thruway begins, with exit and mile numbers preceded by the letter B (Exit B1, Exit B2, Mile B1, Mile B2, and so on).
There once were two
metric-only signs on the westbound
New York State Thruway around
Syracuse, which is about 100 miles (161 km) from
Canada. The NYS Thruway Authority decided to test metric signage, which may have included (briefly) an 88 km/h speed limit sign, on the Thruway. There was also a sign displaying the distance to the
Interstate 81 interchange in
kilometers in
Dewitt. These signs are now displayed in just miles.
I-90 is the only Interstate having a complete set of nine
spur routes (190, 290, 390...890, 990) within one state, which is in
New York. (Interstate 80 has a complete set in different states.) In addition,
I-990, a short spur route near
Buffalo, New York not directly connected to I-90, is the highest number given to an Interstate.
I-790 in Utica used to have a completely direct connection with the I-90 at Thruway interchange 31. Various road redesign projects over the years have eventually lead to this direct connection being partially severed. Traffic ''exiting'' the Thruway must use two different surface streets to reach I-790. However, it is still possible to travel from I-790 directly ''onto'' the Thruway. I-790 has some other oddities: no exit numbers, no
reassurance markers, and it runs concurrent with
New York State Route 5 for its entire length.
The New York section of I-90 west of the
Berkshire section of the
New York Thruway is defined as Interstate Route 504 in New York Highway Law § 340-a.
[7]
Massachusetts
Main articles: Massachusetts Turnpike
I-90 in Massachusetts runs along the pre-Interstate era
Massachusetts Turnpike which opened on May 15, 1957 from West Stockbridge at the New York state border to Massachusetts Route 128.
The "Boston Extension" opened in September of 1964 from the original terminus at Route 128 to the Allston/Brighton Tolls
The full Boston Extension opened on February 18, 1965 continuing from the Allston/Brighton Tolls to I-93 in Downtown Boston. The new extension added 12 miles to the MassPike's original 123.
I-90 was extended again as part of the
Big Dig from its terminus at I-93 to Boston's
Logan International Airport and a terminus of
Route 1A in
January 2003 via tunnels under the Fort Point Channel and the
Ted Williams Tunnel under Boston Harbor. This extended I-90 by an additional 1.3 miles (2.1 km), shifting the eastern terminus to
Route 1A.
Turnpike Doubles are permitted to travel between exit 11 and through the New York state border.
Austin, Minnesota Business Loop.
History
I-90 made heavy use of existing
roads. The
Massachusetts Turnpike,
New York State Thruway,
Ohio Turnpike,
Indiana Toll Road,
Chicago Skyway, and
Northwest Tollway all predate I-90 and were used for parts of its route. This also means that substantial portions of the route are not precisely to
interstate standards, but they are usually close.
Major intersections
★
Interstate 5 in
Seattle, Washington
★
Interstate 405 in
Bellevue, Washington
★
Interstate 82 in
Ellensburg, Washington
★
Interstate 15 in
Butte, Montana; joined for 7.65 miles (12.31 km)
★
Interstate 94 in
Billings, Montana
★
Interstate 25 in
Buffalo, Wyoming
★
Interstate 29 in
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
★
Interstate 35 in
Albert Lea, Minnesota
★
Interstate 94 in
Tomah, Wisconsin; joined for 91.76 miles (147.67 km) until
Madison, Wisconsin.
★
Interstate 39 in
Portage, Wisconsin; joined for about 95 miles (152 km) until
Rockford, Illinois.
★
Interstate 43 in
Beloit, Wisconsin
★
Interstate 94 in
Chicago, Illinois; joined for 16.71 miles (26.89 km)
★
Interstate 55 in
Chicago, Illinois
★
Interstate 65 in
Gary, Indiana
★
Interstate 94 in
Lake Station, Indiana
★
Interstate 80 in
Lake Station, Indiana; joined for 278.40 miles (448.04 km) until
Lorain, Ohio.
★
Interstate 69 in
Fremont, Indiana
★
Interstate 75 in
Toledo, Ohio
★
Interstate 71 in
Cleveland, Ohio
★
Interstate 77 in
Cleveland, Ohio
★
Interstate 271 in
Willoughby, Ohio
★
Interstate 79 in
Erie, Pennsylvania
★
Interstate 86 in
Erie, Pennsylvania
★
Interstate 81 in
Syracuse, New York
★
Interstate 88 in
Rotterdam, New York
★
Interstate 87 in
Albany, New York
★
Interstate 91 in
West Springfield, Massachusetts
★
Interstate 291 in
Chicopee, Massachusetts
★
Interstate 84 in
Sturbridge, Massachusetts
★
Interstate 395 in
Auburn, Massachusetts
★
Interstate 495 in
Hopkinton, Massachusetts
★
Interstate 95 in
Weston, Massachusetts [8]
★
Interstate 93 in
Boston, Massachusetts [9]
Auxiliary routes
★
Rapid City, South Dakota -
I-190
★
Chicago, Illinois -
I-190 (provides a direct route to
O'Hare International Airport),
I-290
★
Cleveland, Ohio -
I-490
★
Buffalo, New York -
I-190,
I-290,
I-990
★
Rochester, New York -
I-390,
I-490,
I-590 (not directly connected)
★
Syracuse, New York -
I-690
★
Utica, New York -
I-790
★
Schenectady, New York -
I-890
★ Spur to
I-495 in
Marlborough, Massachusetts -
I-290
★ Spur to
Leominster, Massachusetts -
I-190
I-90 is the only interstate to have a complete set of auxiliary routes within a single state, that being
New York.
References
1. Mountains To Sound Greenway (Washington)
2.
RCW 47.17.140 State route No. 90 — American Veterans Memorial Highway
3. South Dakota Codified Laws
4. 161.12, Minnesota Statutes 2006
5. Cleveland, Ohio Google Maps satellite view
6. Cleveland Urban Core Projects
7. (Title Forthcoming)
8. Map
9. Map
External links
★
Illinois Highway Ends: I-90
★
Indiana Highway Ends: I-90
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