| U.S. Route 395 | |
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| Route information | |
| Auxiliary route of US 95 | |
| Length: | 1,305 mi (2,100 km) |
| Existed: | 1926 – present |
| Major junctions | |
| South end: | I-15 in Hesperia, CA |
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US 6 in Bishop, CA |
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| North end: | BC 395 at US-Canada border near Laurier, WA |
| Highway system | |
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United States Numbered Highways |
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U.S. Route 395 is a U.S. Route in the western United States. The southern terminus of the route is in the Mojave Desert at Interstate 15 near Hesperia. The northern terminus is at the Canadian border near Laurier, where the road becomes Highway 395 upon entering British Columbia. At one time, the route extended south to San Diego. [1] I-15 replaced the stretch of 395 that ran from San Diego to Hesperia. Old 395 can be seen along I-15 in many locations before it branches off at Hesperia to head North.
The route runs through the U.S. states of California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. US 395 runs along the east side of the Sierra Nevada in the Owens Valley and crosses through the Modoc Plateau along its routing.
The route started out as a spur of U.S. Route 195 and ran north from Spokane.[2] As a result, the route never intersects its parent, U.S. Route 95; it maintains a connection through US 195. US 395 developed into a parallel of its parent route when extended south in the early 1930s.[3] US 395 stays west of its parent route, which runs through Arizona, Nevada, and Idaho.
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US-395 begins in the Mojave Desert community of Hesperia at the junction with Interstate 15. The highway proceeds north across the Mojave Desert crossing Route 58 at Kramer Junction just east of the town of Boron. Several large solar generating fields are sited at Kramer Junction. The highway continues north until merging with Route 14, which formerly was the south end of a concurrent run with U.S. Route 6. From here to Bishop the highway follows the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. For most of this run the highway is also routed through the Owens Valley.
After Bishop the scenery dramatically changes as the highway ascends the Sierra Nevada, serving the ski resort town of Mammoth Lakes, California and Mammoth Mountain as well as Mono Lake and June Lake. The highway exits California at Topaz Lake to serve the Reno, Nevada metropolitan area.
The highway returns to California just north of Reno. This northern piece also follows the Sierra Nevada. It passes through the towns of Susanville and Alturas, also serves several points of interest along this portion, such as the Hallelujah Junction, Honey Lake, and the Modoc Plateau.
U.S. 395 in Nevada is a major highway, the majority of which is now or is scheduled to be upgraded to Interstate Highway standards. The portion from Carson City to Reno is also designated as Interstate 580 but is not signed as such, except on mile markers (US 395 mileposts can be seen alongside Virginia Street from Lemmon Valley to Mount Rose Highway). The highway follows the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada from state line to state line.
U.S. 395 enters Nevada at Topaz Lake then descends to Carson Valley where it becomes the main streets of Gardnerville, Minden and Carson City. In Reno the highway is designated the Martin Luther King, Jr. Freeway. The highway returns to California just north of Reno at Bordertown.
US 395 enters Oregon at New Pine Creek, then heads north to Lakeview. At Lakeview, it overlaps Oregon Route 140 for five miles (8 km), then continues north to Valley Falls. At Valley Falls, it turns northeast through Wagontire to Riley. Near Riley, US 395 overlaps US 20 through Hines and Burns. Approximately two miles northeast of Burns, US 395 turns north through Seneca and Canyon City to John Day. At John Day, it overlaps US 26 and heads west to Mount Vernon. At Mount Vernon, US 395 turns north through Long Creek and Pilot Rock to Pendleton. At Pendleton, it overlaps Interstate 84 and US 30 west to Stanfield. At Stanfield, US 395 turns north through Hermiston to Umatilla. East of Umatilla, it overlaps US 730 and heads west to Interstate 82. It then overlaps I-82 to the Washington state line at the Columbia River.
US-395 enters Washington with I-82 over the Columbia River. At exit 113, US 395 splits from I-82, entering the Tri-Cities area. After departing the freeway, it passes residential areas south of Kennewick. After that there is a stoplight at 27th Avenue. The next major intersection is at 10th next to Fred Meyer, then at West Kennewick Avenue, followed by the intersections at West Clearwater Avenue and North Yelm Street, then heads toward the Columbia River. It then passes over the Columbia River as the Blue Bridge with a view of the Cable Bridge (WA-397) to the east as it proceeds toward I-182/US-12. The Blue Bridge has frequent traffic backups, especially during rush hour. US 395 joins I-182 for a short distance to Pasco, where it separates from the freeway. Past I-182, it passes the Tri-Cities Airport before resuming a north/south direction at the Oregon Avenue interchange. Outside of Pasco, US 395 crosses through farmland and little towns until it combines with I-90 at the town of Ritzville. From there it goes to Spokane and merges with US-2 as they enter the city. The concurrent highways meet U.S. Route 195 at its northern terminus. US 2 & US 395 split from I-90 at the Division Street exit.
US 395 currently runs north on Division Street to travel through Spokane. WSDOT is constructing the US 395 North Spokane Corridor, which is a completely new freeway that will run from I-90 (around the Thor/Freya exit) northward to the existing US 395 north of Wandermere. Construction on the new freeway began between Wandermere and Francis in 2003. The freeway will take many years to complete due to funding issues. When the North Spokane Corridor is complete, US 395 will move to the new alignment while US 2 will stay on Division Street.
US-395 (along with US-2) proceed north through Spokane as Division Street to the north edge of the city where they split (US-2 heading Northeast to Idaho). US-395 then proceeds north through the towns of Deer Park, Clayton, Chewelah, Colville and Kettle Falls to the Canadian border.
US Highway 395 once extended to downtown San Diego. This part of the highway is now the alignments of Interstate 15 from Hesperia to Devore and Interstate 215 from Devore to Temecula where it meets Interstate 15 again. From Temecula the old route follows Interstate 15 again to east of Fallbrook where the original US 395 still exists as a frontage road. "Old US 395" can be followed from north of State Route 76 through Escondido where it meets Interstate 15 again. Finally, State Route 163, the old routing of US 395, splits off Interstate 15 at the south end of Miramar and follows the Cabrillo Freeway into downtown San Diego.
In 1926, US 395 was a spur of U.S. Route 195. It started in Spokane and ran northwest to British Columbia.[2] As a result, it never intersected its parent, U.S. Route 95; US 195 always provided the connection. US 395 developed into a parallel of its parent route when it was extended south in the 1930s.[3]
Originally, US 395 didn't overlap with Interstate 82, or Interstate 84. US 395 went north from Pendleton to Cold Springs Junction, currently Oregon 37. From there, US 395 overlapped with US 730 and US 410 (until it became US 12), passing through Wallula to enter Pasco from the southeast. The overlap with Interstate 84 and rerouting through Hermiston was made in the 1960s. The overlap with Interstate 82 and rerouting through Kennewick was made in the 1980s.
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