U.S. Route 93 in Montana

U.S. Highway 93 (US 93) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway in the state of Montana.

This article is about the section of highway in Montana. For the entire length of highway, see U.S. Route 93.

U.S. Route 93
Route information
Maintained by MDT
Length287.919 mi[1] (463.361 km)
Major junctions
South end US-93 at the Idaho state line at Lost Trail Pass
 
North end Hwy 93 at the British Columbia provincial border at Port of Roosville
Location
CountiesRavalli, Missoula, Lake, Flathead, Lincoln
Highway system
  • Montana Highway System
← US 91US 93 Alt. →

Route description
Montana State Line, US 93 at Lost Trail Pass

US 93 enters Montana from Idaho at Lost Trail Pass and travels north descending through the Bitterroot National Forest. The highway continues along the Lewis and Clark Trail into the Bitterroot Valley toward Missoula, passing through Darby and Hamilton. At Lolo, US 12 joins from the west and they run concurrently northeasterly for 7.5 miles (12.1 km), where US 93 heads due north on Reserve Street in Missoula. US 93 then joins I-90 and runs concurrently westward for 5.4 miles (8.7 km) to Wye, where it heads north.

The "Animals' Bridge" on the Flathead Indian Reservation is used by grizzly and black bears.[2]

From Wye, US 93 continues north through the Flathead Indian Reservation, where its signage includes the historic Salish and Kutenai names for towns, rivers, and streams.[3] Portions of this section run along the National Bison Range. North of the reservation, US 93 traverses the western shore of Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River. North of the lake the highway runs through the cities of Kalispell and Whitefish, traveling through the Flathead National Forest and the Stillwater State Forest before reaching its terminus at the Canadian border near Eureka.

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 between Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park. As a result, the road tends to become more congested between Hamilton and Whitefish. A popular bumper sticker in Montana reads, "Pray for me, I drive Hwy 93!"[4]

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-mile (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-mile (43.798 km) concurrency with MT 200).

History

The Lewis and Clark Expedition became the first white men to travel the future US 93 corridor between today's Lost Trail Pass and Lolo in 1805, and Lewis's detachment ventured further north to the future site of Missoula in 1806 on their way to explore the Marias River. When US 93 was established in 1926, the nature of the highway's construction in Montana's mixture of terrain around glacial lakes, through dense forests and over high mountains was a significant challenge given the construction techniques and equipment of the time. On completed sections, animal-vehicle accidents would prove to be a thorn in the side of traveler and engineer alike.

Many stretches have been widened and straightened, or else rerouted in ongoing efforts to improve traffic safety and preserve animals at the same time. Some of the old sections are still in use today, including the original gravel routing from Lost Trail Pass to Sula vía Gibbons Pass and Bitterroot-Bighorn Roads, and old paved sections from Darby to Hamilton, through Missoula via Brooks, Stephens, Orange and West Broadway Streets, through St. Ignatius, north of Ronan to north of Pablo, northeast of Elmo through Dayton, Political Hill Road south of Lakeside, Lakeside Boulevard north of Lakeside, Old US 93 S in Somers, Forest Hill Road north of Somers, and two sections between Whitefish and Eureka.

US 93 is now four-lanes from Hamilton to Evaro, through Arlee, north of Ronan to the south edge of Polson, and north of Somers to the south edge of Whitefish (except a six-block section near the county courthouse in Kalispell).

Significant animal conservation efforts have also been accomplished in several areas of the corridor from Hamilton to Missoula, and from Missoula to Polson (such as the Animal's Bridge north of Evaro pictured here.)

Kalispell Bypass

A new US 93 Alternate (US 93 Alt.) was built to bypass through traffic around downtown Kalispell, Montana, between 2010-2016.[5] Currently, US 93 through Kalispell is Main Street and Sunset Boulevard, a 25 to 45 mph (40 to 70 km/h) arterial. Three segments of the bypass comprising a total of 4.5 miles (7.2 km) were completed and opened to traffic between 2010 and 2013. The remaining three miles (4.8 km) opened on October 28, 2016.[6] 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.

Major intersections

US 93 does not maintain contiguous mileposts across Montana as US 2 does. The state road log defines US 93 over four sections as of the 2013 edition, as determined by the change in milepost numbers.

CountyLocationmi[7]kmExitDestinationsNotes
RavalliLost Trail Pass0.0000.000 US-93 south – SalmonContinuation into Idaho
0.0090.014 MT 43 east – WisdomAccess to Chief Joseph Pass and Gibbons Pass
SulaEast Fork Road (S-472)
Conner26.26542.269 S-473 south (West Fork Road)Access to Painted Rocks State Park, Horse Creek Pass and Nez Perce Pass
Grantsdale42.96769.149 S-531 north (Roaring Lion Road)
44.29271.281 MT 38 east (Skalkaho Highway) – Phillipsburg
Hamilton47.09275.787 S-269 north (Marcus Street) / S-531 south (Main Street)
Woodside51.70983.218 S-373 east (Woodside Cutoff) – Corvallis
​60.84997.927 S-370 east (Bell Crossing)
Stevensville66.486106.999 S-269 south (Stevensville Road)
Florence74.436119.793 S-203 east (Eastside Road)
MissoulaLolo83.239133.960 US 12 west (Lewis and Clark Highway west) – Lewiston IDSouthern end of US 12 concurrency
Missoula90.763
0.000		146.069
0.000
US 12 east / US 93 Bus. north (Lewis and Clark Highway east)		Northern end of US 12 concurrency
4.3567.010I-90 Bus. east / US 93 Bus. south (W. Broadway)Interchange; former US 93 south/US 10/MT 200
5.369
100.867		8.641
162.330		 I-90 / MT 200 east – ButteSouthern end of I-90/MT 200 concurrency; I-90 exit 101
​99.091159.47299Airway BoulevardExit number follows I-90
Wye95.483
0.000		153.665
0.000		 I-90 west – Coeur d'AleneNorthern end of I-90 concurrency; I-90 exit 96
Lake​16.32826.277 S-559 east (Jocko Road)Connects to Seeley Lake via Jocko Canyon, Placid Creek, and Placid Lake Roads
Ravalli27.21543.798 MT 200 west – National Bison Range, Thompson FallsNorthern end of MT 200 concurrency
​41.73867.171 S-212 south – Charlo, Moiese, DixonNational Bison Range visitor center and HQ in Moiese
Ronan46.76175.255 S-211 west (Round Butte Road)Connects to Hot Springs via Sloan Road and Little Bitterroot Road
Polson58.51794.174 MT 35 north – BigforkFlathead Lake east lakeshore route
60.45097.285 S-354 south (Main Street)Access to Kerr Dam
Elmo76.968123.868 MT 28 west – Hot Springs, Plains
Dayton82.271132.402 S-352 west – Proctor, Lake Mary Ronan
FlatheadSomers103.706166.899 MT 82 east – Bigfork
​108.541174.680US 93 Alt. north (Kalispell Bypass)Southern terminus of US 93 Alt.
Kalispell109.190175.724 S-317 north (Willow Glen Drive)De facto southeast bypass
110.955178.565 S-503 south (Airport Road)Serves Kalispell City Airport
112.116180.433 US 2 (Idaho Road) – Libby, Glacier Park
115.029185.121 US 93 Alt. south (Kalispell Bypass) / S-548Northern terminus of US 93 Alt.
​124.609200.539 MT 40 east – Columbia Falls, Glacier Nat'l Park
Whitefish126.977204.350 S-487 north (Baker Street)Access to Whitefish Mountain Resort ski area and Whitefish Lake
​131.577211.753 S-424 south (Twin Bridges Road)
LincolnEureka179.850289.441 MT 37 south – Libby, RexfordAccess to Lake Koocanusa
Roosville Border Crossing186.403299.987Canada–United States border
Hwy 93 north – Elko, Fort SteeleContinuation into British Columbia
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
  1. Montana Department of Transportation (2013). Montana Road Log (PDF). Helena: Montana Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 1, 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Devlin, Vince (October 3, 2010). "Cameras show wildlife use Highway 93 North overpass and tunnels". The Missoulian. Missoula, MT. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  3. Devlin, Vince (October 15, 2013). "Missoula councilors seek tribal elders' help for 'wayfinding' signs". Ravalli Republic. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  4. Montana Department of Transportation. "Frequently Asked Questions About the People's Way Highway Project, US 93: Evaro to Polson". Montana Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 21, 2007.
  5. Montana Department of Transportation. "Kalispell Bypass". Montana Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  6. "Ceremony set to make completion of Kalispell Bypass". Missoula, MT: KPAX-TV. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  7. Montana Department of Transportation (2013), pp. 56–60; Montana Department of Transportation (2013), pp. 109-110; Montana Department of Transportation (2013), p. 11; Montana Department of Transportation (2013), pp. 50–56.
U.S. Route 93
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