US 93 begins at US 60 in Wickenburg, a small town approximately 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Phoenix. Thirty miles (48 km) northwest of Wickenburg, US 93 passes through a large forest of Joshua trees and is thus labeled the Joshua Forest Parkway of Arizona until it reaches Wikieup.
From there, it heads north, eventually merging with Interstate 40 (I-40) to head west to Kingman. US 93 then splits from I-40 in Kingman and heads north to the Hoover Dam. Chloride is located off this highway, and Santa 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 the Federal Highway Administration.[7]
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 towards Missoula, passing through Darby and Hamilton. At Lolo, 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 joins Interstate 90 (I-90) and runs concurrently westward for 5.352 miles (8.613 km) to Wye, where it heads north.
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.[11] Portions of this section run along the CSKT 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 Canada–US border near Eureka. On entering Canada, the roadway becomes British 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 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!"[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 with Montana Highway 200).
History
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US 93's original northern terminus was a few miles west of its current terminus, along the Kootenai 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 to Glendale, Nevada.[5] By 1932, the Nevada Department of Highways had marked the continuation of the highway using the routing of several preexisting state highways.[15]
At the request of the Arizona State Highway Department, the AASHO route numbering committee approved another extension of US 93 in 1935. This shifted the southern terminus south to Kingman, Arizona, by way of Las 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 of Wickenburg, Arizona, at a junction with U.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 of Hoover Dam;[18] the Hoover Dam Bypass replaces a segment of US 93 over the dam that had been closed to truck traffic due to security concerns since the September 11 attacks in 2001.[19] The bypass crosses the Colorado River on a bridge downstream of the dam. The bypass eliminated the permanent truck detour through either Laughlin, Nevada, or Needles, California, that had been in place since 2001.
Future
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 2012 Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, the United States Congress officially designated a new Interstate freeway corridor between the two cities as Interstate 11,[21] which would mostly or completely replace US 93 in Arizona.
A new U.S. Route 93 Alternate was built to bypass through traffic around downtown Kalispell, 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.
I-40 east-northeast of Kingman. I-40 and US 93 travel concurrently to Kingman. I-11/US 93 are proposed to travel concurrently to Phoenix.
I-40 in Kingman. I-11/US 93 are proposed to travel concurrently to Las Vegas, Nevada.
Nevada
US 95 from Boulder City to Las Vegas. The highways travel concurrently to Las Vegas. I-11/US 95 are proposed to travel concurrently to Tonopah and Reno.
U.S. Route 93 Business (US 93 Bus.) is a business route of US 93 in Clark County, Nevada. The route provides access to Lake Mead and downtown Boulder City from Interstate 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 (US 93 ALT) is an alternate route of US 93 in northeastern Nevada. The southern terminus is at Lages Station in northern White Pine County, where it separates from US 93. The route continues north to West Wendover where it joins Interstate 80 (I-80). US 93 ALT follows I-80 west to Wells, where it terminates at an interchange with US 93.
US 93 ALT provides a shortcut from central Nevada to Salt Lake City, Utah via eastbound I-80.
Twin Falls business
North on US 93 Bus (Blue Lakes Boulevard) in Twin Falls, April 2017
U.S. Route 93 Business (US 93 Bus.) is a 8.110-mile (13.052 km) business route of US 93 in Twin Falls County, Idaho. The route provides access to downtown Twin Falls. A majority of the route is concurrent with U.S. Route 30. The route was originally part of mainline US 93 before it was realigned around most of Twin Falls.[citation needed]
Between 1926 and 1977 a road between Shoshone, Idaho, and Challis, Idaho, was also labeled US 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 as Idaho State Highway 75.
US 93 is referenced in the song "Killer Road" by Iowa blues band The Unidynes from their 1996 album Once in a Blue Room.
Metal band Avenged Sevenfold included the stretch of US 93 between Kingman and Wickenburg, in Arizona, 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.
^Illia 2009, p. 18. "After Sept. 11, 2001, more than 2000 trucks a day have been diverted 23 miles [37 km] away from the dam, costing consumers some $30 million annually in added fuel and delays, reports the Nevada Motor Transport Association, a Sparks, Nev.-based group."
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