US Route 95 (US 95) is a major north–south

US Highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these hi ...

in the western United States. It travels through the states of

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, and

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 ...

, staying inland from the Pacific Coast. US 95 begins in San Luis, Arizona, at the Mexican border, where Calle 1—a short spur—leads to Highway 2 in

San Luis Río Colorado San Luis Río Colorado is a city and also the name of its surrounding municipality in the state of Sonora, Mexico. In the 2020 census, the city had a population of 176,685. The city is the fourth-largest community in the state, and the municip ...

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...

. Its northern terminus is at the Canadian border in

Eastport, Idaho Eastport is an unincorporated community in Boundary County, Idaho, United States. Eastport is located at the Canada–US border along U.S. Route 95, across from Kingsgate, British Columbia and north of Moyie Springs. It is connected to Canada ...

, where it continues north as British Columbia Highway 95.Endpoints of US highways
U.S. Highway 95
an

/ref> Unlike many other US Highways, it has not seen deletion or replacement on most of its length by an encroaching

Interstate Highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

corridor, due to its mostly rural and mountainous course. Because of this, it still travels from border to border and is a primary north–south highway in both Nevada and Idaho. This is one of the few US Routes to cross from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Route description

Arizona

US 95 begins in the United States at the San Luis Port of Entry, which connects it with Mexico. It then follows the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...

northward to

San Luis San Luis (Spanish for "Saint Louis") may refer to: Places Argentina * San Luis Province * San Luis, Argentina, capital of San Luis Province Belize * San Luis, Belize, in Orange Walk District Colombia * San Luis, Antioquia, a town and municipality ...

and on to Yuma, where it goes through town and crosses I-8. As it leaves Yuma, US 95 is an undivided two-lane highway that passes through the

U.S. Army's The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

Yuma Proving Ground. It then travels northward between the proving ground to the west and the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge to the east until Quartzsite. Here, it merges with

I-10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...

and runs

concurrent Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

, heading westward for until the Colorado River, where it enters California, just shy of

Blythe The name Blythe ( or ) derives from Old English ''bliþe'' ("joyous, kind, cheerful, pleasant"; modern ''blithe''), and further back from Proto-Germanic ''*blithiz'' ("gentle, kind"). People * Blythe (given name), including a list of people named ...

. US 95 spends in Arizona.

California

US 95 enters California at Blythe through its concurrency with

. It travels largely parallel to the west bank of the Colorado River until it joins I-40 in Needles. The route then travels north from Goffs to the Nevada state line. The total distance in California is about . It is the only US Highway to enter California but not terminate there.

Nevada

US 95 in Nevada is a divided highway between Cal-Nev-Ari (the SR 163 junction to Laughlin) and Boulder City. It is the longest highway in Nevada, at nearly . It joins at the interchange as a multi-lane divided freeway past SR 173 and as part of the

route of I-11 and US 93 in Boulder City. Upon entering the

Las Vegas Valley The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the Southern Nevada, southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Stat ...

, I-11 ends at

I-215 Interstate 215 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to Interstate 15 (I-15): * Interstate 215 (California), a regional Interstate bypass for I-15 and a connection to I-10 that serves the ...

and SR 564; I-515 begins here in Henderson. It is also concurrent with I-515 and US 93 between

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada *He ...

and

Downtown Las Vegas Downtown Las Vegas (commonly abbreviated as DTLV) is the central business district and historic center of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the original townsite, and the Downtown gaming area was the primary gambling district of Las Vegas prior to the St ...

. It crosses

I-15 I15 may refer to: * Interstate 15, a north–south Interstate Highway in the United States of America * Polikarpov I-15, a Soviet fighter aircraft * I15 (band) "Soulja Girl" is the second single from American rapper Soulja Boy's studio album '' ...

at the Spaghetti Bowl, where I-515 ends and US 93 becomes concurrent with I-15. US 95 continues as a freeway until again becoming a divided highway at Corn Creek Road, northwest of the Las Vegas Valley. Shortly after entering Nye County, US 95 becomes an undivided two-lane highway past the

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

interchange, as it meanders northwestward through the state, roughly paralleling the California state line. Along this route, it runs through the

Amargosa Valley The Amargosa Valley is the valley through which the Amargosa River flows south, in Nye County, southwestern Nevada and Inyo County in the state of California. The south end is alternately called the "Amargosa River Valley'" or the "Tecopa Valley." ...

, serving Beatty before heading north into Goldfield and Tonopah. The highway is concurrent with

US 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast from Bishop, California, to ...

for several miles north of Tonopah, before it then heads north towards

Hawthorne Hawthorne often refers to the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne may also refer to: Places Australia *Hawthorne, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane Canada * Hawthorne Village, Ontario, a suburb of Milton, Ontario United States * Hawt ...

, Schurz (where it meets US 95 ALT, which heads northwest toward

Yerington Yerington is a city in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. The population was 3,048 at the 2010 census. It is the current county seat of Lyon County, with the first county seat having been established at Dayton on November 29, 1861. It is nam ...

Carson City Carson City is an Independent city (United States), independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the List of cities in Nevada, sixth largest ...

—via US 50 west—

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the c ...

—via Ramsey Weeks Cutoff, US 50 east, SR 439 north, and I-80 west—and Fernley) and Fallon. North of Fallon, it meets and runs concurrently with I-80 for , from Exit 83 west of Lovelock to Exit 176 at Winnemucca. It then heads north to the border with

at McDermitt, a distance of .

Oregon

In Oregon, US 95 is an undivided two-lane highway in the sparsely-populated high desert in the

southeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

corner of the state, running completely in rural

Malheur County Malheur County () is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,571. Its county seat is Vale, and its largest city is Ontario. The county was named after the Malheur River, which runs thr ...

. From the Nevada state line at McDermitt, the highway heads north and gradually climbs to its crest at Blue Mountain Pass, at an

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. US 95 descends to Basque Station and Burns Junction at , then eastward down to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

() and up to Jordan Valley (). The highway heads north-northeastward to the

state line, entering southwest of Marsing in

Owyhee County Owyhee County ( ) is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,133. The county seat is Murphy, and its largest city is Homedale. In area it is the second-largest county in Idah ...

. The speed limit on US 95 in Oregon was until March 2016, when it was raised to to match the speed limits set by Nevada and Idaho. US 95 is designated the I.O.N. Highway No. 456 (see

Oregon highways and routes The state highway system of the U.S. state of Oregon is a network of highways that are owned and maintained by the Highway Division of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). Highways and routes The state highway system consists of abo ...

); "I.O.N." stands for Idaho–Oregon–Nevada. This section of highway is a primary commercial route between Boise and northern

, connecting to I-80 at Winnemucca,

. US 95 crosses into the

Mountain Time Zone The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) when standard time ( UTC−07:00) is in effect, and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time ( UTC−06:00). The clo ...

approximately north of

Idaho

US 95 is an undivided two-lane highway during most of its length in Idaho, which is over . US 95 enters Idaho from Oregon in

, about southwest of Boise. It passes through Homedale and 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 ...

before a junction with concurrent

US 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. S ...

and

US 26 U.S. Route 26 (US 26) is an east–west United States highway that runs from Seaside, Oregon to Ogallala, Nebraska. When the U.S. highway system was first defined, it was limited to Nebraska and Wyoming; by the 1950s, it continued into Idaho and ...

, which run together for . As it proceeds north, US 95 crosses

I-84 Interstate 84 may refer to: * Interstate 84 (Oregon–Utah), passing through Idaho, formerly known as Interstate 80N * Interstate 84 (Pennsylvania–Massachusetts) Interstate 84 (I-84) is an Interstate Highway in the Northeaster ...

and

US 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

before going through the

Payette National Forest The Payette National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in central western Idaho, in parts of Valley, Idaho, Adams, and Washington counties. The land area consists of approximately 2.3 million acres (9,300 km2) of federally managed ...

. Immediately after Riggins, the highway re-enters the

Pacific Time Zone The Pacific Time Zone (PT) is a time zone encompassing parts of western Canada, the western United States, and western Mexico. Places in this zone observe standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC−08:00) ...

as it crosses the Salmon River. US 95 follows the descending river, then climbs over White Bird Hill to the Camas Prairie, then descends the Lapwai Canyon to the Clearwater River. In August 2015, milepost 420 was replaced with one reading 419.9 to prevent the sign from being stolen by

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

enthusiasts. US 95 becomes a four-lane divided highway after crossing the river east of Lewiston; it runs concurrent with US 12 for several miles. The highways split as US 12 continues west to Lewiston, and US 95 turns northwest and climbs a steep grade up to the rolling

Palouse The Palouse ( ) is a distinct geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of north central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and, by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primaril ...

. At a junction with

US 195 U.S. Route 195 (US 195) is a north–south United States Highway, of which all but 0.65 miles of its 94.02 miles (1.05 of 151.95 km) are within the state of Washington. The highway starts in rural Idaho north of the city ...

, US 95 proceeds north to

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

as a recently completed divided highway. It becomes an undivided highway in Moscow and continues north to Coeur d'Alene, crossing

I-90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...

. US 95 goes north to

Sandpoint Sandpoint ( Kutenai language: kamanqukuⱡ) is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Bonner County, Idaho. Its population was 8,639 at the 2020 census. Sandpoint's major economic contributors include forest products, light manufacturing, ...

, where it joins with US 2, after which the highways run concurrent until after Bonners Ferry, where US 2 heads east to

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

, and US 95 continues north to

, meeting BC 95 at the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

border, at the Eastport-Kingsgate Border Crossing.

History

US 95 was one of the original

U.S. highways The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...

proposed in the 1925 Bureau of Public Roads numbering plan. Under the original proposal, the highway would only exist in

, from Payette to the Canada–US border north of Eastport. When the plan was adopted by the

American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway design and construction throughout the United St ...

in November 1926, the route of US 95 had been approved south to

Weiser Weiser may refer to: Places * Weiser, Idaho * Weiser State Forest * Weiser Township, North Dakota * Weiser River People * Conrad Weiser (1696–1760), German pioneer * Grethe Weiser (1903–1970), German actress * Johann Conrad Weiser, Sr. (1662� ...

, still existing solely in Idaho. A proposal to extend US 95 south to Winnemucca,

, was considered by AASHO in 1937; however, action was deferred due to sections in Oregon that were incomplete. AASHTO reconsidered the idea at its meeting on June 28, 1939, as part of a larger plan to extend the highway south to

. This plan was adopted at that meeting and became effective on January 1, 1940.

Washington (former)

North of

Lewiston, Idaho Lewiston is a city and the county seat of Nez Perce County, Idaho, United States, in the state's north central region. It is the second-largest city in the northern Idaho region, behind Coeur d'Alene, and ninth-largest in the state. Lewiston is ...

, US 95 entered Washington for , partially concurrent with

U.S. Route 195 U.S. Route 195 (US 195) is a north–south United States Highway, of which all but 0.65 miles of its 94.02 miles (1.05 of 151.95 km) are within the state of Washington. The highway starts in rural Idaho north of the city ...

. The route was moved to a new four-lane divided highway that bypassed

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

in October 1977. The section was replaced by an extension of US 195 and a

spur route A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important road such as a freeway, Interstate Highway, or motorway. A bypass or beltway should not be considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with another or the s ...

created in 1979.

Idaho

In April 2005, the Idaho legislature approved a bill to widen the entire highway from two lanes to four lanes for the entire route starting at the US-Canada port of entry in Eastport, and ending at the border with

in remote

. The contract for the project was awarded to Washington Group International and CH2M Hill. The contract is worth more than $1.2 billion, and is slated to last for more than six years, cover 13 major reconstruction projects, affecting over of the highway's nearly in the state. The major factors in the reconstruction are due to the fact that US 95 is the only route that runs from north to south in western Idaho, starting at Eastport in the north and ending in remote

; as well as safety concerns because there have been numerous accidents and fatalities on the narrow and very dangerous curves. This change started with the reconstruction and improvements made to White Bird Hill. Major projects have been undertaken including on the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation. The first stage was completed in August 2005 from just south of Coeur d'Alene to Fighting Creek Road, and is an upgraded four-lane highway for approximately . The second stage, from Fighting Creek Road to Lake Creek on the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation, was completed in late July-early August 2006 and upgraded a stretch of the highway. The third stage, from Lake Creek to

Worley Worley may refer to: Places * Worley, Idaho, United States * Worley, Kentucky, United States * Worley, West Virginia, United States * Worley Point, Antarctica People * Worley (surname), people with the surname ''Worley'' * Worley baronets * ...

, started mid-to-late 2006 and was completed in 2008. This section is significant, as it is on the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation. The "new" highway bypasses the

Coeur d'Alene Casino The Coeur d’Alene Casino is a Native American gaming Business, enterprise run by the Coeur d'Alene people in Worley, Idaho, United States. The resort includes two hotel towers, the Circling Raven Golf Club, multiple restaurants, and 100,000 squa ...

, the largest business on the reservation, with the old highway becoming an alternate route that will connect the highway to the casino and the more remote regions of the reservation. This project improved a stretch of highway and shortened the length of the highway by about . Also, a nearly stretch was completed in 2007 from just north of Lewiston to south of

Future

Nevada

US 95 is part of a proposed northwestward extension of Interstate 11 (I-11) from Las Vegas. The interstate highway would primarily follow the US 95 corridor through central and northwestern Nevada, extending to I-80 near

and

Sparks Sparks may refer to: Places *Sparks, Georgia * Sparks, Kansas *Sparks, Kentucky *Sparks, Maryland * Sparks, Nebraska *Sparks, Nevada *Sparks, Oklahoma *Sparks, Texas * Sparks, Bell County, Texas * Sparks, West Virginia Books * ''Sparks'' (Raffi ...

via Tonopah. In 2018, the

Nevada Department of Transportation The Nevada Department of Transportation (Nevada DOT or NDOT) is a government agency in the U.S. state of Nevada. NDOT is responsible for maintaining and improving Nevada's highway system, which includes U.S. highways and Interstate highways within ...

had initiated public outreach regarding its long-range planning efforts to narrow down options for the future I-11 corridor.

Major intersections

;Arizona : Calle 1 at the Mexico–US border in

: in Yuma : in Quartzsite. The highways travel concurrently to

Blythe, California Blythe is a city in eastern Riverside County, California, United States. It is in the Palo Verde Valley of the Lower Colorado River Valley region, an agricultural area and part of the Colorado Desert along the Colorado River, approximatel ...

. ;California : in Needles. The highways travel concurrently to west-northwest of Needles. ;Nevada : in Boulder City. The highways travel concurrently to

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. : in

: in Henderson. The highways travel concurrently to Las Vegas. : in Las Vegas : in Tonopah. The highways travel concurrently to Coaldale. : in Fallon. The highways travel concurrently through Fallon. : south-southwest of Lovelock. The highways travel concurrently to Winnemucca. ;Oregon : No major intersections ;Idaho : southeast of

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

. The highways travel concurrently to north-northeast of Parma. : south of Fruitland : south of Fruitland. The highways travel concurrently to Fruitland. : west of Spalding. The highways travel concurrently to Lewiston. : north-northwest of Lewiston : in Coeur d'Alene : in

. The highways travel concurrently to north-northeast of Bonners Ferry. : at the Canada–US border in Eastport

References

External links

Endpoints of U.S. Highway 95

Washington Group/CH2M Hill Join Venture announcement of contract award.

Floodgap Roadgap US 95 Vegas to Blythe
{{Authority control 95 95 95

Route description

Arizona

California

Nevada

Oregon

Idaho

History

Washington (former)

Idaho

Future

Nevada

Major intersections

See also

References

External links