State Highway 55 (SH-55) is an
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
highway from
Marsing to
New Meadows, connecting with
US-95 at both ends.
From Marsing it travels east to
Nampa,
Meridian
Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to
Science
* Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon
* ...
, and
Eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
, then north to
Horseshoe Bend Horseshoe Bend may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Horseshoe Bend, New South Wales, an inner city suburb in the City of Maitland in the Hunter Region
* Horseshoe Bend Station, a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in the Alice Sprin ...
. SH-55 then climbs the
Payette River
The Payette River () is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 3, 2011 river in southwestern Idaho and is a major tributary of the Snake River.
Its headwaters originate ...
to Banks, then its north fork to the
Long Valley, through the towns of
Cascade
Cascade, Cascades or Cascading may refer to:
Science and technology Science
*Cascade waterfalls, or series of waterfalls
* Cascade, the CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense (a protein complex)
* Cascade (grape), a type of fruit
* Bioc ...
and
McCall. After descending a narrow canyon to Meadows, SH-55 terminates in
New Meadows at the junction with
US-95.
Route description
In the southwest corner of Idaho, State Highway 55 starts at the junction with
US-95, approximately west of
Marsing. The highway heads eastward as it travels through Marsing, crosses the
Snake River
The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake ...
and the
Snake River Valley AVA
The Snake River Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area that encompasses an area in Southwestern Idaho and two counties in eastern Oregon. The Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Producers Commission and the Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor f ...
. The highway continues east to
Nampa (mostly as Karcher Road), where it meets
Interstate 84 and
The highway is
cosigned with those routes as it heads eastward to
Meridian
Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to
Science
* Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon
* ...
. SH-55 turns northward at Eagle Road and crosses the
Boise River
The Boise River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. , accessed May 3, 2011 tributary of the Snake River in the Northwestern United States. It drains a rugged portion of the Sawtooth Range in sou ...
near
Eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
. The junction with
SH-44 is in
Eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
, where the routes are briefly cosigned.
East of Eagle, SH-55 turns northward and climbs to the Spring Valley and over the
Spring Valley Summit, at above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
, then descends on ''Horseshoe Bend Hill'' into
Horseshoe Bend Horseshoe Bend may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Horseshoe Bend, New South Wales, an inner city suburb in the City of Maitland in the Hunter Region
* Horseshoe Bend Station, a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in the Alice Sprin ...
. The new multi-lane grade was completed in late 1991;
the old curvier road is to the west, long plagued by landslides and closures.
North of Horseshoe Bend, the highway ascends the
Payette River
The Payette River () is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 3, 2011 river in southwestern Idaho and is a major tributary of the Snake River.
Its headwaters originate ...
and passes through several recreational areas, which offer rafting, fishing, and camping activities. SH-55 continues north, through the small communities of
Banks
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Becaus ...
and
Smiths Ferry, then crosses the river via the Rainbow Bridge (built in 1933), originally known as the North Fork Bridge.
SH-55 then climbs Round Valley Creek to Round Valley, and continues northward through the extended Long Valley of
Valley County to the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of
Cascade
Cascade, Cascades or Cascading may refer to:
Science and technology Science
*Cascade waterfalls, or series of waterfalls
* Cascade, the CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense (a protein complex)
* Cascade (grape), a type of fruit
* Bioc ...
. It ascends a brief summit at at ''Little Donner''
web-cam, then descends to follow the east shore of
Cascade Reservoir. The route continues northward to
Donnelly, the turnoff for
Tamarack Resort
Tamarack Resort is a four-season destination resort in the western United States. Located in west central Idaho in Valley County, it is miles north of Boise on the west shore of Lake Cascade, southwest of the small town of Donnelly.
When i ...
, located to the southwest, on the western shore of the reservoir. SH-55 continues north through the valley to
McCall, at the south shore of Payette Lake, the host of many scenic, recreational, and winter activities.
Meeting the south shore of Payette Lake, State Highway 55 turns westward as Lake Street through McCall and its west "Lardo" area. West of town, the road climbs to the Red Ridge, where it reaches its maximum elevation of at the
Adams County line, also known as ''Goose Creek Summit''
web-cam, immediately northeast of the
Little Ski Hill
The Little Ski Hill is a modest ski area in the western United States, located in west central Idaho, two miles (3 km) west of McCall. Adjacent to Highway 55, immediately west of the county line in Adams County, it was formerly known as the "Pa ...
. further is the turnoff for the
Brundage Mountain
Brundage Mountain Resort is an alpine ski area in the western United States, located in west central Idaho in the Payette National Forest. Brundage first opened in November 1961 and is northwest of McCall, a twenty-minute drive in average winte ...
ski area
A ski area is the terrain and supporting infrastructure where skiing and other snow sports take place. Such sports include alpine and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, tubing, sledding, etc. Ski areas may stand alone or be part of a ski resort.
...
, north on Goose Lake Road. SH-55 then enters a narrow and twisty canyon, rapidly descending with Little Goose Creek to Meadows, then to its northern terminus, the junction with
US-95 in
New Meadows at in Meadows Valley.
State Highway 55, from Eagle north to
US-95 in New Meadows, is the Payette River Scenic Byway, part of the
National Scenic Byways Program
A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The program was established by Co ...
.
History
The original State Highway 55 ran from
US-2 in
Colburn to what is now State Highway 200. This highway was decommissioned in October 1955, and is now Colburn-Culver Road.
The current route was designated as State Highway 55 in September 1967, replacing former State Highway 72 and former State Highway 15.
Idaho State Highway 72 has since been reassigned to another road.
State Highway 55 was originally routed through downtown
Boise
Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area's ...
, and followed the old alignment of
State Highway 44 down State Street and 23rd Street to Fairview Avenue. From there it turned westward with
US-20,
US-26 and
US-30. The highway continued westward on the Boise Connector then
Interstate 180N (now
Interstate 184
Interstate 184 (I-184) is a short auxiliary Interstate Highway in Boise, Idaho, United States. It is a spur route of I-84 that connects the freeway to Downtown Boise, terminating at US Highway 20 (US 20) and US 26.
Route ...
), and continued west along
Interstate 80N (now
Interstate 84), where it followed its present alignment toward
Nampa.
Prior to the 1990s, the eastern junction with SH-44 in Eagle was a quarter-mile (0.4 km) east at Horsehoe Bend Road, which was SH-55.
In late 2006, the route was realigned away from downtown
Nampa when a new interchange, Interchange #33 along
Interstate 84 was opened and provided a more direct connection to State Highway 55 from the Interstate. The segments of SH-55 following the former Nampa Boulevard (now Northside Boulevard) and Caldwell Boulevard (now Business Route 84) through
Nampa have been decommissioned favoring the more direct routing. From there the highway followed its current alignment from that point to
Marsing and its southern terminus at
US-95.
Major intersections
See also
*
List of state highways in Idaho
The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is responsible for the establishment and classification of a state highway network, including of roads that are classified as Interstate Highways, U.S. Highways, and state highways within the state of Id ...
*
List of highways numbered 55
The following highways are numbered 55:
International
* European route E55
* Arab Mashreq route M55
Argentina
* San Luis Provincial Route 55
Australia
* Carnarvon Highway
* Castlereagh Highway
* Karoonda Highway
Belgium
* N55 road (Belgiu ...
References
External links
Visit Idaho: Payette River Scenic Byway– Historic road map (1937) – Idaho, Montana, Wyoming – Texaco (Rand McNally)
*
Idaho highway map (1956)– Shell (H.M. Gousha)
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055
Transportation in Owyhee County, Idaho
Transportation in Canyon County, Idaho
Transportation in Ada County, Idaho
Transportation in Boise County, Idaho
Transportation in Valley County, Idaho
Transportation in Adams County, Idaho