Interstate 90 in Idaho
Encyclopedia
In the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

, Interstate 90 has a small routing in the panhandle
Idaho Panhandle
The Idaho Panhandle is the northern region of the U.S. State of Idaho that encompasses the ten northernmost counties of Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, Shoshone. Residents of the panhandle refer to the region as North Idaho...

, just under 74 miles (120 km). Traveling east from Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...

, I-90 passes through Post Falls
Post Falls, Idaho
Post Falls is a city in Kootenai County, Idaho, United States near the Idaho state line between Spokane, Washington, and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The population was 17,247 at the 2000 census, and grew to 27,574 people by the 2010 census, making it Idaho's tenth largest city.-History:Post Falls is...

 and Coeur d'Alene
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Coeur d'Alene is the largest city and county seat of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. It is the principal city of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area. Coeur d'Alene has the second largest metropolitan area in the state of Idaho. As of the 2010 census the population of Coeur...

, over Fourth of July Summit
Fourth of July Summit
Fourth of July Summit is a mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of the northwestern United States. It is located in northern Idaho, at an elevation of 3081 feet above sea level on Interstate 90 in central Kootenai County, east of the city of Coeur d'Alene.The summit marks the western end of the...

, and through the Silver Valley before entering Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...

 at Lookout Pass
Lookout Pass
Lookout Pass is a mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of the northwestern United States. The pass, in the Coeur d'Alene Mountains of the Bitterroot Range, is on the border between Idaho and Montana, traversed by Interstate 90 at an elevation of 4710 feet above sea level.Lookout Pass is the...

.

I-90 is a major east-west route and the only freeway in northern Idaho. At 73.9 miles (119 km), I-90 has the third longest stretch of Interstate highway in Idaho. Interstate 84
Interstate 84 (west)
Interstate 84 is an Interstate Highway in the Western United States that runs from Portland, Oregon, to a junction with Interstate 80 near Echo, Utah. The highway originally served as a fork of I-80 to serve the Pacific Northwest, and was originally numbered Interstate 80N.The highway serves and...

 and Interstate 15 are longer. Interstate 86
Interstate 86 (west)
Interstate 86 is an intrastate Interstate Highway, located entirely within the state of Idaho. It runs 63 miles from an intersection with Interstate 84 located approximately 7 miles east of Declo in rural Cassia County, to an intersection with Interstate 15 at Pocatello...

 and Interstate 184
Interstate 184
Interstate 184 is a short Interstate Highway spur route of Interstate 84 located in Idaho. I-184 connects I-84 travelers to downtown Boise. The western terminus of I-184 is with I-84; the eastern terminus 13th Street in downtown Boise, where I-184 empties eastbound traffic onto Myrtle Street and...

 are shorter. I-90 is the only coast-to-coast Interstate in Idaho.

Route description

Interstate 90 enters Idaho and Kootenai County
Kootenai County, Idaho
Kootenai County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. The county was established in 1864, named after Kootenai tribe. The entire county comprises the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 138,494 at the 2010 census...

 just east of the Spokane River
Spokane River
The Spokane River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northern Idaho and eastern Washington in the United States. It drains a low mountainous area east of the Columbia, passing through the city of Spokane, Washington.-Description:...

 bridge near the community of State Line
State Line, Idaho
State Line is a city in Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. The population was 28 at the 2000 census. The city is known for the adult services it provides which attracts business from nearby Spokane, Washington and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.-Geography:...

 (which is the smallest city in Idaho). I-90 proceeds east through Post Falls to Coeur d'Alene. In Coeur d'Alene, which is the Kootenai County seat, I-90 meets U.S. Route 95
U.S. Route 95 in Idaho
In the U.S. state of Idaho, U.S. Route 95 is a north–south highway near the western border of the state, stretching from Oregon to British Columbia for over .-Route description:...

. I-90 turns southeast and passes north of downtown, which is accessible via an Interstate Business Loop, and Lake Coeur d'Alene. I-90 continues east-southeast to Fourth of July Summit
Fourth of July Summit
Fourth of July Summit is a mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of the northwestern United States. It is located in northern Idaho, at an elevation of 3081 feet above sea level on Interstate 90 in central Kootenai County, east of the city of Coeur d'Alene.The summit marks the western end of the...

 (elevation 3081 feet (939 m)) and Cataldo, Idaho
Cataldo, Idaho
Cataldo is an unincorporated community in Kootenai and Shoshone counties in the U.S. state of Idaho. It is located at , at an altitude of 2,139 feet ....

, which is home to the Old Cataldo Mission built in 1853. Shortly after leaving Cataldo, I-90 leaves Kootenai County and enters Shoshone County
Shoshone County, Idaho
Shoshone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. The county was established in 1864, named for the Native American Shoshone tribe. The population was 12,765 at the 2010 census. Shoshone County is commonly referred to as the Silver Valley, due to its century-old mining history...

. The freeway passes through or near the communities of Pinehurst
Pinehurst, Idaho
Pinehurst is a city in Shoshone County, Idaho, United States. The population was 1,619 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Pinehurst is located at ....

, Kellogg
Kellogg, Idaho
Kellogg is a city in the Silver Valley of Shoshone County, Idaho, United States, in the Idaho Panhandle region. The city lies near the Coeur d'Alene National Forest and about east-southeast of Coeur d'Alene along Interstate 90...

, Osburn
Osburn, Idaho
Osburn is a city in Shoshone County, Idaho, United States. The population was 1,555 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Osburn is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land....

, Wallace
Wallace, Idaho
Wallace is a historic city in the Panhandle region of the U.S. state of Idaho and the county seat of Shoshone County in the Silver Valley mining district...

, and Mullan
Mullan, Idaho
Mullan is a city located in a sheltered canyon of the Coeur d'Alene Mountains in Shoshone County in the northern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. The population was 840 at the 2000 census and decreased to 692 at the 2010 census. The city is in the east end of the Silver Valley mining district; the...

. Wallace is the Shoshone county seat. I-90 leaves Shoshone County and Idaho at Lookout Pass
Lookout Pass
Lookout Pass is a mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of the northwestern United States. The pass, in the Coeur d'Alene Mountains of the Bitterroot Range, is on the border between Idaho and Montana, traversed by Interstate 90 at an elevation of 4710 feet above sea level.Lookout Pass is the...

 (elevation 4725 feet (1,440 m)) and enters Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...

.

History

The small town of Wallace
Wallace, Idaho
Wallace is a historic city in the Panhandle region of the U.S. state of Idaho and the county seat of Shoshone County in the Silver Valley mining district...

 in the Silver Valley 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
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

. 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. Before the move to the viaduct I-90 would go from a freeway at the western edge of Wallace before turning to surface streets and following the main arterial through town, upon reaching the eastern edge of the town the became a limited access divided highway once again.

The interstate also was routed along Lake Coeur d'Alene
Lake Coeur d'Alene
Lake Coeur d'Alene is a natural lake in the Idaho Panhandle, located in the vicinity of the city of the same name. It spans long, ranges from 1 to wide and has over of shoreline for boaters and vacationers to explore and enjoy.-Geology and geography:...

 as a surface street before the Veterans Memorial Centennial Bridge
Veterans Memorial Centennial Bridge
The Veterans Memorial Centennial Bridge is a freeway bridge in Idaho, USA. The bridge carries U.S. Interstate 90 over a valley above Bennett Bay, north of Lake Coeur d'Alene....

 was completed in the heights above the lake.

Exit list

County Location Mile #
Exit number
An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit, as well as a sign in the gore....

Destinations Notes
Kootenai
Kootenai County, Idaho
Kootenai County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. The county was established in 1864, named after Kootenai tribe. The entire county comprises the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 138,494 at the 2010 census...

2.08 2 Pleasant View Road
Post Falls
Post Falls, Idaho
Post Falls is a city in Kootenai County, Idaho, United States near the Idaho state line between Spokane, Washington, and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The population was 17,247 at the 2000 census, and grew to 27,574 people by the 2010 census, making it Idaho's tenth largest city.-History:Post Falls is...

4.63 5  – Post Falls City Center
5.45 6  – Post Falls City Center Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
7.13 7
Coeur d'Alene
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Coeur d'Alene is the largest city and county seat of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. It is the principal city of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area. Coeur d'Alene has the second largest metropolitan area in the state of Idaho. As of the 2010 census the population of Coeur...

11.29 11  – Coeur d'Alene City Center
12.04 12
12.56 13 4th Street
13.56 14 15th Street
14.78 15  – Coeur d'Alene City Center
16.88 17 Mullan Trail Road
22.06 22 Lake Coeur d'Alene Scenic Byway
28.38 28 Fourth of July Pass Recreation Area
34.03 34
39.02 39 Old Mission State Park
Old Mission State Park
Old Mission State Park is a state park and National Historic Landmark in northern Idaho, USA. It is also known as the Mission of the Sacred Heart or Cataldo Mission. It contains the church itself, the parish house, and the surrounding property...

40.10 40 Cataldo
Cataldo, Idaho
Cataldo is an unincorporated community in Kootenai and Shoshone counties in the U.S. state of Idaho. It is located at , at an altitude of 2,139 feet ....

Shoshone
Shoshone County, Idaho
Shoshone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. The county was established in 1864, named for the Native American Shoshone tribe. The population was 12,765 at the 2010 census. Shoshone County is commonly referred to as the Silver Valley, due to its century-old mining history...

43.02 43 Kingston
Kingston, Idaho
Kingston is an unincorporated community in Shoshone County, Idaho, United States. Kingston is located along Interstate 90 northwest of Pinehurst. Kingston has a post office with ZIP code 83839....

45.26 45 Pinehurst
Pinehurst, Idaho
Pinehurst is a city in Shoshone County, Idaho, United States. The population was 1,619 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Pinehurst is located at ....

, Smelterville
Smelterville, Idaho
Smelterville is a city in Shoshone County, Idaho, United States. The population was 627 at the 2010 census. Smelterville has recently gained prominence in Shoshone County due to the addition of a Wal-Mart store.-Geography:...

47.69 48 Smelterville
Smelterville, Idaho
Smelterville is a city in Shoshone County, Idaho, United States. The population was 627 at the 2010 census. Smelterville has recently gained prominence in Shoshone County due to the addition of a Wal-Mart store.-Geography:...

, Shoshone County Airport
Kellogg
Kellogg, Idaho
Kellogg is a city in the Silver Valley of Shoshone County, Idaho, United States, in the Idaho Panhandle region. The city lies near the Coeur d'Alene National Forest and about east-southeast of Coeur d'Alene along Interstate 90...

49.72 49 Bunker Avenue – Silver Mountain
Silver Mountain, Idaho
Silver Mountain Resort is a ski resort in the Silver Valley region in the Idaho Panhandle, just south of Kellogg and Interstate 90 in Shoshone County. Originally opened as "Jackass Ski Bowl" in January 1968 on Wardner Peak, it was renamed "Silverhorn" in 1973 following an ownership change...

50.32 50 Hill Street Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
50.55 51 Division Street – Wardner
Wardner, Idaho
Wardner is a city in Shoshone County, Idaho, United States. The population was 188 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Wardner is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all the land....

No westbound entrance
54.19 54 Big Creek
Big Creek, Idaho
Big Creek is an unincorporated community in Shoshone County, Idaho, United States, outside Kellogg. It is home to two large mines: the Crescent and Sunshine mines. The Sunshine mine is one of the largest producers of silver; in its history it produced more silver than the famous Comstock Lode in...

Osburn
Osburn, Idaho
Osburn is a city in Shoshone County, Idaho, United States. The population was 1,555 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Osburn is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land....

57.04 57
59.55 60
Wallace
Wallace, Idaho
Wallace is a historic city in the Panhandle region of the U.S. state of Idaho and the county seat of Shoshone County in the Silver Valley mining district...

60.99 61
61.95 62
64.27 64 Golconda District
65.35 65 Compressor District
66.50 66 Gold Creek Eastbound exit and entrance
67.35 67 Morning District, West Mullan
Mullan
Mullan, Idaho
Mullan is a city located in a sheltered canyon of the Coeur d'Alene Mountains in Shoshone County in the northern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. The population was 840 at the 2000 census and decreased to 692 at the 2010 census. The city is in the east end of the Silver Valley mining district; the...

68.10 68 Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
68.91 69

Related routes

  • Interstate 90 Business (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho)
    Interstate 90 Business (Coeur D'Alene, Idaho)
    Interstate 90 Business is a Business loop of Interstate 90 in Coeur D'Alene. The route links I-90, which bypasses downtown Coeur D'Alene to the north, and downtown Coeur D'Alene. As its Business Loop designation implies, I-90 Business terminates at I-90 at each end.- Route description :I-90...

  • Interstate 90 Business (Mullan, Idaho)
  • Interstate 90 Business (Osburn, Idaho)
  • Interstate 90 Business (Post Falls, Idaho)
    Interstate 90 Business (Post Falls, Idaho)
    Interstate 90 Business is a Business loop of Interstate 90 in Post Falls. The route links I-90, which bypasses downtown Post Falls to the south, and downtown Post Falls. As its Business Loop designation implies, I-90 Business terminates at I-90 at each end....

  • Interstate 90 Business (Wallace, Idaho)
    Interstate 90 Business (Wallace, Idaho)
    Interstate 90 Business is a Business loop of Interstate 90 in Wallace. The route links I-90, which goes north of the city, and downtown Wallace. As its Business Loop designation implies, I-90 Business terminates at I-90 at each end...

  • U.S. Route 10
    U.S. Route 10
    U.S. Route 10 is an east–west United States highway formed in 1926. Though it never became the cross-country highway suggested by the "0" as the last digit of its route number, U.S...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK