Interstate 10

Interstate 10 marker

Interstate 10
Route information
Length: 2,460.34 mi[1] (3,959.53 km)
Existed: 1957 – present
Major junctions
West end: SR 1 in Santa Monica, CA
 

I-5 in Los Angeles, CA
I-17 in Phoenix, AZ
I-25 in Las Cruces, NM
I-35 in San Antonio, TX
I-45 in Houston, TX
I-55 near New Orleans, LA
I-65 in Mobile, AL

I-75 near Lake City, FL
East end: I-95 in Jacksonville, FL
Highway system

Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Main • Auxiliary • Business

Interstate 10 (I-10) is the fourth longest interstate highway after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway in the United States, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) in Santa Monica, California to Interstate 95 in Jacksonville, Florida. I-10 intersects with nine of the 10 primary north–south interstates (all except I-85) and also with the major Interstate routes I-17, I-19 and I-20.

Contents

Route description

Lengths
  mi km
CA 242.54[2] 390.33
AZ 392.33[2] 631.39
NM 164.27[2] 264.37
TX 879[2] 1418
LA 274.42[2][3] 441.64
MS 77.19[2] 124.23
AL 66.31[2] 106.72
FL 362.26[4] 583.00
2460 3959
This sign in Santa Monica, California indicates that I-10 is the Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway.

California

Between its west terminus in Santa Monica, California and the East Los Angeles Interchange it is known as the Santa Monica Freeway. The Santa Monica Freeway is also called the "Rosa Parks Freeway" for the segment beginning at the San Diego Freeway (I-405, locally known as "the 405 freeway," or "the 405") and ending at the Harbor Freeway (I-110 / State Route 110, locally known as "the 110 freeway," or "the 110"), however either name can be used when referring to this stretch of road. The segment between the East Los Angeles Interchange and the city of San Bernardino, California (63 miles, or 101 km, long) is known as the San Bernardino Freeway. Other names exist for I-10. For example, a sign near the western terminus of the highway (in Santa Monica, California) announces it as the Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway. It is known to a considerably lesser degree as the "Veterans Memorial Highway", and it is listed as a Blue Star Memorial Highway.

A stretch in Palm Springs is signed as the Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway as a tribute to the late entertainer who served both as mayor and as a United States Congressman. A second stretch a short distance east in Indio is signed as the Doctor June McCarroll Memorial Freeway. As a nurse with the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1924, Dr. McCarroll was alarmed at the number of head-on traffic collisions on a nearby stretch of then-new U.S. Route 99, today known as State Route 86. She is credited with having a white stripe painted down the middle of Route 99 near Coachella, California to separate the two lanes of traffic.

Arizona

In Arizona, the highway is designated the Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway. The portion through Phoenix is named the Papago Freeway and is a vital piece of the regional freeway system. This designation starts at AZ Loop 101, near 99th Avenue, at which point Loop 101 currently terminates, and runs eastward to the interchange southeast of downtown which is the terminus of I-17.

From the southern terminus of Interstate 17 to the junction with AZ Loop 202, the highway is signed as the Maricopa Freeway. This name holds true as well for I-17 from its southern terminus to its second junction with I-10, north of McDowell Road. From Loop 202 south to I-8's eastern terminus just southeast of Casa Grande, the highway is signed as the "Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway". ADOT also has maps that show it as the Maricopa Freeway, while AAA and other sources show it as the Pima Freeway. The latter's name is used on a stretch of Loop 101 from U.S. 60 to Interstate 17.

Between Interstate 17 in Phoenix and the Interstate 19 interchange in Tucson, I-10 is included in the federally-designated CANAMEX corridor, extending from Mexico City to Edmonton, Alberta.

In Tucson, Arizona, between I-10 mileposts 259 and 260 are interchange ramps connecting I-10 with the northern terminus of Interstate 19 at its km post 100. I-19 leads 100 km south to its termination at the US-Mexico border at Nogales, Arizona (km post 0). Note that distance measurements on Interstate 19 are signed in metric units.

Also in Tucson, all exits between Prince Road and 22nd Street are being reopened after an extensive, three-year improvement project. I-10 has been being widened from six to eight lanes, and seven bridges and underpasses have been built to deal with congestion [2]. Plans are also under way to widen I-10 from Marana north to the I-8 interchange at Casa Grande from 4 lanes to 6 lanes starting in the later half of 2007 and continuing into 2008 and 2009.

New Mexico

Interstate 10 in New Mexico follows the former path of U.S. Route 80 across the state. Only three cities of significant size are located on the interstate: Lordsburg, Deming, and Las Cruces. Most of I-10 in New Mexico, between Exit 24 and Exit 135, is concurrent with U.S. Route 70.

At Lordsburg is the western junction of U.S. Route 70 and a concurrency; the two highways are joined all the way to Las Cruces. Several exits between Lordsburg and Deming are either for former towns (including Separ, Quincy, and Gage) or lack any town at all.

At Deming is the western junction of U.S. Route 180, which also forms a concurrency with I-10 all the way to El Paso. One mile north of Deming on US 180 is New Mexico Route 26 which serves as a short cut to north I-25 and Albuquerque.

I-10/US 70/US 180 continue east to Las Cruces which is the southern end of Interstate 25. Also, US 70 leaves Interstate 10, heading northeast to Alamogordo. I-10/US 180 then turns south to the Texas state line.

Texas

The new IH-10 "Katy Freeway" in Houston, with managed lanes (HOV + EzTag)

In Texas, the speed limit along I-10 from Kerr County to El Paso County is 80 mph (129 km/h), the highest in the nation. However, the night time maximum speed limit remains 65 mph (105 km/h).

From the state line with New Mexico to State Highway 20 in west El Paso, I-10 is bordered by frontage roads Desert South for lanes along I-10 East (actually headed south) and Desert North for lanes along I-10 West (headed north). The interstate then has no frontage roads for nine miles (14 km) but regains them east of downtown and retains them to Clint. In this stretch, the frontage roads are Gateway East for the Eastbound lanes and Gateway West for the Westbound lanes. All four frontage roads are one way streets.

A small portion of I-10 from Loop 1604 to downtown in San Antonio is known as the Northwest Expressway or the McDermott Freeway, while another portion from downtown to Loop 1604 East is called East Expressway or Jose Lopez Freeway.

I-45 and I-10 next to Downtown Houston.

In Houston, from the western suburb of Katy to downtown, I-10 is known as the Katy Freeway. This section was recently widened to as much as 26 lanes (12 mainlanes, 4 lanes of access roads, and 4-6 mid-freeway HOT/HOV lanes, not counting access road turning lanes)[5] and will be one of the widest freeways in the world. The space for said expansion is the right-of-way of the old Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. The section east of downtown Houston is officially known as the East Freeway, although it is widely known by locals as the Baytown East Freeway due to a marketing push by Baytown, one of the largest cities in the Greater Houston Area.

In Beaumont, it is known as IH-10 South, south of Calder Avenue, and IH-10 North, north of Calder Avenue. It is known as IH-10 East from the IH-10 curve to the Neches River, which is Beaumont's and Jefferson County east boundary Line.

Louisiana

In Louisiana, an 18.2-mile (29.3 km) stretch of elevated highway between Lafayette and Baton Rouge is known as the Atchafalaya Swamp Freeway, as it goes over the Atchafalaya River and the adjacent swamps. It crosses the Mississippi River at the Horace Wilkinson Bridge. In Lake Charles, a thirteen mile stretch called I-210 goes through the southern portion of the city. Interstate 12 links Baton Rouge to Slidel and bypasses Interstate 10's long (9.5 miles longer + 3 more miles if you don't use I-610) southward jog through New Orleans by remaining north of Lake Pontchartrain. In New Orleans, a stretch of I-10 from the I-10/I-610 Junction near the Orleans-Jefferson parish line to the U.S. Route 90 / U.S. Route 90 Business Junction is known as the Pontchartrain Expressway. A dip near the I-10/I-610 Junction to travel underneath a railroad track is one of the lowest points in New Orleans, and is highly susceptible to flooding. Pictures of water dozens of feet deep during Hurricane Katrina are commonplace. Near Slidell, the final stretch of I-10 through the Mississippi state line is known as the Stephen Ambrose Memorial Highway.

I-310 and I-510 are parts of what was slated to be I-410 and act as a southern bypass of New Orleans. I-610 is a shortcut from the eastern to western portion of New Orleans avoiding I-10's detour into New Orleans' Central Business District.

Mississippi

Interstate 10 in Mississippi runs from the Louisiana state line to the Alabama state line through Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties on the Gulf Coast. It passes through the northern sections of Gulfport and Biloxi while passing just north of Pascagoula and Bay St. Louis. The highway roughly parallels U.S. Route 90.

The law defining the route of Interstate 10 is Mississippi Code § 65-3-3.

Alabama

I-10 eastbound in downtown Mobile approaching the George Wallace Tunnel.

I-10 crosses from Jackson County, Mississippi and goes through Mobile County in Southwest Alabama. In Mobile, the highway is the southern terminus for Interstate 65. In downtown Mobile, I-10 goes through one of the few road tunnels in Alabama, the George C. Wallace Tunnel under the Mobile River. The eastbound approach is posted at 40 mph (60 km/h) because of the sharp curve approaching the tunnel. The highway then crosses approximately eight miles of the upper part of Mobile Bay on a bridge locals refer to as the Bayway. On the other side of Mobile Bay, the highway goes through the suburban "Eastern Shore" area of Baldwin County before passing through Malbis, Loxley and on to the Perdido River to cross into Florida.

Florida

Most of Interstate 10 in Florida travels through some of the least-populated areas in the state. Consequently, much of I-10 west of Interstate 295 in Jacksonville has only 4 lanes.[6] In Pensacola, an approximately 3-mile (4.8 km) stretch of I-10 was widened to 6 lanes in 2008.[7] In Tallahassee, construction will be complete in June 2009 on a project to widen an approximately 8-mile (13 km) mile stretch of I-10 to six lanes.[8]

In Jacksonville, as in Arizona, I-10 is known as Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway. Throughout much of Florida, Interstate 10 is also known as State Road 8, though it is not signed as such. (Where I-110 in Pensacola, Florida, is known as State Road 8A.)[9]

History

In September 2004, Hurricane Ivan's storm surge pushed up and washed out part of I-10 at the causeway over Escambia Bay near Pensacola, Florida. Westbound lanes had only a couple of sections missing, while eastbound lanes were almost completely gone for a quarter-mile (400m).[10]

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the I-10 Twin Span Bridge, a portion of I-10 between New Orleans and Slidell spanning the eastern end of Lake Pontchartrain, was severely damaged, causing a break in I-10 at that point. Unlike the Escambia Bay Bridge (east of Pensacola, Florida and damaged by Hurricane Ivan) which is a major artery, Interstate 12 is available to bypass New Orleans and taking I-12 to the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway allowed entry and exit to and from the Greater New Orleans area from the East. On October 14, 2005 at 3:00 PM, the eastbound span was reopened to two way traffic. On January 6, 2006 at 6:00 AM, both lanes of the westbound span were reopened to traffic using temporary metal trusses and road panels to replace damaged sections.[11] This restored all four lanes of the I-10 twin spans for normal traffic with a 45 mph (70 km/h) speed limit for the westbound lanes and 60 mph (100 km/h) for the eastbound lanes. Oversized and overweight traffic was prohibited until a new permanent six lane span replaced the two temporarily repaired spans. The eastbound span opened to traffic on July 9, 2009, and the westbound span opened on April 7, 2010, with the old bridge being permanently closed.[12][13] The approaches to the westbound lanes are still to be completed and the old Twin Spans will be demolished in the near future.[14][15]

Future

A three-year construction project is currently underway on Interstate 10 between Causeway Boulevard and the 17th Street Canal in Metairie, Louisiana. The $68.9 million project will add new lanes in both directions and improve the exit and entrance ramps at Causeway and Bonnabel Blvd. The state has recently completed a widening project between Causeway and Clearview Pkwy and between the I-10/I-610 split and Airline Highway (US 61).[1]

A 950-day project is set to begin at the end of 2008 between the I-10 / I-12 split (Exit 159) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Siegen Lane (Exit 163) in Baton Rouge, LA. This will widen the road by an additional lane in each direction.[16]

There are also calls to remove the I-10 Claiborne Expressway in New Orleans and rename I-610 to I-10.[17]. The entire length of the Pontchartrain Expressway would likely be renamed as I-910 or I-49.

Florida and Alabama are currently planning a possible connector that would link Dothan, Alabama, with I-10. Initial plans are calling for making this new highway a toll road, and it could be a reality within five years.[18] As of May 2008, it is unknown which number this new road will be assigned.

Major intersections

Auxiliary routes

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Interstate 10 @ Interstate-Guide.com". Interstate Guide. http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-010.html. Retrieved 2008-02-15. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Federal Highway Administration Route Log and Finder List, Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways as of October 31, 2002
  3. Louisiana Interstate Highway Log
  4. Florida Department of Transportation, GIS data
  5. Texas Department of Transportation, Schematic Layout: IH 10 Katy Frwy, IH 10 at Bunker Hill Road
  6. Interstate 10 East (Jacksonville / Duval County). AA Roads. February 3, 2005. Last accessed November 21, 2006.
  7. Project Descriptions FDOT, Escambia County. Last accessed November 21, 2006.
  8. I-10 ::: Project Description Moving I-10 Forward. FDOT. Last accessed November 21, 2006.
  9. District Three Construction. FDOT. Updated October 19, 2006. Last accessed November 21, 2006.
  10. Aerial Tour Of Panhandle Shows Devastation - Orlando News Story - WESH Orlando
  11. [1]
  12. Duvernay, Adam. New Twin Spans eastbound to open July 9. nola.com, 6 July, 2009. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  13. Kelly, John. "Old I-10 twin spans to close Wednesday". nola.com, April 6, 2010. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
  14. http://www.wdsu.com/mostpopular/23083921/detail.html
  15. Traffic shifts to new bridge Retrieved 11 May 2010
  16. I-10 road widening project spreads to I-12
  17. Claiborne Avenue expressway demolition gets support in report
  18. Dothan to I-10 Connection
Main Interstate Highways (major interstates highlighted)
4 5 8 10 12 15 16 17 19 20 22 24 25 26 27 29 30
35 37 39 40 43 44 45 49 55 57 59 64 65 66 68 69
70 71 72 73 74 75 76 (W) 76 (E) 77 78 79 80 81 82
83 84 (W) 84 (E) 85 86 (W) 86 (E) 87 88 (W) 88 (E) 89 90
91 93 94 95 96 97 99 H-1 H-2 H-3
Unsigned  A-1 A-2 A-3 A-4 PRI-1 PRI-2 PRI-3
Lists  Primary  Main - Intrastate - Suffixed - Future - Gaps
Auxiliary  Main - Future - Unsigned
Other  Standards - Business - Bypassed