U.S. Route 90

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U.S. Route 90
Length: 1,633[1] mi (2,628.1 km)
Formed: 1926[1]
West end: I-10/SH 54 at Van Horn, TX
Major
junctions:		 I-35 at San Antonio, TX
I-45 at Houston, TX
I-10 at New Orleans, LA
US 11 at New Orleans, LA
US 49 at Gulfport, MS
I-65 at Mobile, AL
I-110 at Pensacola, FL
I-75 at Lake City, FL
US 1 in Jacksonville, Florida
East end: SR A1A/SR 212 at Jacksonville Beach, FL
United States Numbered Highways
List - Bannered - Divided - Replaced

U.S. Route 90 is an east-west United States highway. Despite the "0" in its route number, US 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route; it has always ended at Van Horn, Texas. A short-lived northward extension to US 62/180 near Pine Springs, Texas lasted less than a year, and the signs on that segment were likely never changed.

On August 29, 2005, a number of the highway's bridges in Mississippi and Louisiana were destroyed or damaged due to Hurricane Katrina, including the Bay St. Louis Bridge, the Biloxi Bridge, and the Fort Pike Bridge. US 90 has seven exits on Interstate 10 in the State of Florida. It also includes part of the DeSoto Trail between Tallahassee and Lake City.

As of 2004, the highway's eastern terminus is in Jacksonville Beach, Florida at an intersection with State Road A1A three blocks from the Atlantic Ocean. Its western terminus is in Van Horn, Texas at an intersection with Interstate 10 and State Highway 54. U.S. 90 formerly terminated at its junction with U.S. 80, however the western segments of that highway have been decommissioned in favor of Interstate 10 and Interstate 20.[2]

Contents

[edit] Route description

[edit] Texas

Major cities

In 1991, the construction on a four- to six-lane freeway was completed along a new routing for US 90 and it was designated the Crosby Freeway. This segment ran from just inside Beltway 8 to east of the town of Crosby. Construction began in 2006 to extend the freeway westward to the intersection of Interstate 10 (East Freeway) and the East Loop. The extension will have six lanes for its entire length.[3]

U.S. Highway 90 Alternate in Texas has an eastern terminus in Houston. Its western terminus is west of Seguin, near San Antonio. While the main line of US 90 parallels Interstate 10, passing through Luling, Alternate US 90 veers to the south to serve Gonzales, Hallettsville, Rosenberg, Richmond, Sugar Land, Stafford, and Missouri City. From there, the route parallels US 59 towards Houston, where Alternate US 90 is a major arterial route.

[edit] Louisiana

Main article: U.S. Route 90 in Louisiana
US 90 (foreground) crossing Bayou des Allemands at the town of Des Allemands in Louisiana
US 90 (foreground) crossing Bayou des Allemands at the town of Des Allemands in Louisiana

Note: Entering Louisiana from the east, U.S. 90 follows a similar path as Interstate 10 through Slidell and into New Orleans. In New Orleans, U.S. 90 and I-10 part ways: I-10 goes to Baton Rouge, while U.S. 90 takes a southern turn, passing through the Houma-Thibodaux area, Morgan City, Franklin, and New Iberia before reaching Lafayette. The portion of U.S. 90 from New Orleans to Lafayette is designated to become the corridor for I-49. In Lafayette, U.S. 90 again mets up with I-10, and the two highways run side by side through Lake Charles and into Texas.

[edit] Mississippi

Prior to Hurricane Katrina, Mississippi's portion of Highway 90 was entirely four-laned except for a very short segment at the state's west end leading to the old Pearl River Bridge into Louisiana. That segment of old highway is obviated for most purposes by an extension of the four-lane roadway from its divorce with Hwy 90 to the I-10 just east of the much newer Pearl Bridge.

Before Katrina, the 26-mile (42 km) stretch of 90 running from the St. Louis Bay Bridge at the west end to the Biloxi Bay Bridge at the east was one of the most scenic roadways in the South, offering beautiful views of the Gulf of Mexico on its south side and lovely mansions - some antebellum - on its north. The median featured many old, stately oak trees, a good number of which survived the blow.

Many segments and important bridges were heavily damaged or destroyed in the August 2005 hurricane. With the opening of two lanes of the Biloxi Bay Bridge on November 1, 2007[4], the entire route is now restored. However, reconstruction projects continue on much of the highway and lane closures are not rare. Substantial completion of all Highway 90 Katrina-related road work in this state is expected by the end of 2008.

As of January 4, 2008, major construction on the St. Louis Bay Bridge is complete and all traffic lanes are now open. [5] Motorists should exercise caution as crews continue work to complete bridge lighting, signage and the pedestrian/bicycle lane running alongside the east-bound traffic lanes.

'US Highway 90 Project History' recounts in some detail this roadway's colorful past in Mississippi, dating back to the early 20th century when it was part of the Old Spanish Trail. The pdf document is available at the 'Project Updates' page of the MS Department of Transportation's website (www.gomdot.com)

[edit] Alabama

Main article: U.S. Route 90 in Alabama

Among the outstanding features of U.S. Highway 90 in Alabama is its trek across Mobile Bay and across the Cochrane-Africatown USA Bridge. Until the early part of the 21st century, the highway routed through downtown Mobile, then under the Mobile River via the Bankhead Tunnel. That routing is now U.S. Route 98. At the east end of Mobile Bay, U.S. 98 turns south for the scenic drive to and along the Alabama Gulf Coast, while Highway 90 takes the more direct route over Mobile Bay toward Pensacola, Florida.

[edit] Florida

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In the State of Florida, U.S. 90 shifts south in Escambia County towards Pensacola while Alternate U.S. 90 stay to the north of the city. This is also known as Nine Mile Road and is heavily traveled. After Hurricane Ivan destroyed the I-10 Bridge in Northwest Florida, traffic jams on this road could be as long as 2 hours trying to cross the Escambia bridge between Santa Rosa and Escambia counties.

[edit] History

[edit] Hurricane Katrina

The U.S. 90 bridge between Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi and Pass Christian, Mississippi, as well as the bridge between Biloxi, Mississippi and Ocean Springs, Mississippi were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.During the storm the St. Louis Bay bridge was under water and destroyed. Portions of Highway 90 were damaged along the Battleship Parkway on Mobile Bay in Baldwin County, AL. Sections of the highway in Harrison County, Mississippi, including other bridges and much of the roadbed, were damaged or destroyed. Both the Rigolets Bridge and the Chef Menteur Bridge across Chef Menteur Pass in New Orleans East were damaged, but have since been reopened. Some sections of the highway in New Orleans, Louisiana were unpassable under flood waters for weeks due to the general flooding of that city; see Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans. The Crescent City Connection bridge over the Mississippi River in New Orleans, also known as Business U.S. 90, remained intact and was the only usable route out of that city in the immediate aftermath of the storm until the section of Leake Avenue/River Road between New Orleans and Metairie was able to be cleared of heavy debris, but was blocked off by Jefferson Parish and Gretna law enforcement officials in a politically controversial move to prevent the looting and general anarchy on the East Bank from spreading to the relatively intact West Bank of the Mississippi River

New US 90 bridge between Biloxi and Ocean Springs under construction
New US 90 bridge between Biloxi and Ocean Springs under construction

In mid-2006, construction began on the replacement for the Bay St. Louis bridge.[6] It was completed on January 4, 2008 and includes four traffic lanes plus emergency shoulders and a bicycle/pedestrian path. It also stands 85 feet (26 m) high at its highest point. Two-way traffic resumed on the eastbound lanes of the bridge on May 17, 2007 after an afternoon ceremony[7], effectively ending the temporary ferry service. The remaining half of the bridge opened to traffic on January 4, 2008.[8]

On June 6, 2006, a $338.6 million contract was let for the Biloxi-Ocean Springs replacement. The bridge will be 95 feet (29 m) tall at its highest point and will carry six traffic lanes, eight-foot inside and ten-foot outside shoulders, and a bicycle/pedestrian path. To many area residents' and leaders' delight, the bridge's westbound lanes opened to two-way traffic after a ceremony and parade on November 1, 2007, two weeks ahead of schedule. [9] Total bridge construction, including the opening of all six lanes of traffic, are scheduled to be completed by April 2008. [10]

The 1929 vintage bridge carrying Highway 90 over Chef Menteur Pass was repaired and opened to traffic on August 11, 2006 after it was closed after the storm.

[edit] Future

In Louisiana, current plans call for parts of U.S. 90 to be upgraded to interstate standards from Lafayette to just west of New Orleans and designate it Interstate 49. The stretch of U.S. 90 to be upgraded to I-49 stretches from the West Bank Expressway (U.S. 90 Business near Westwego, Louisiana to just north of downtown Lafayette, where U.S. 90 splits from U.S. Route 167 (the two highways converge in downtown Lafayette). The stretch of U.S. 167 from U.S. 90 to I-10 will also be upgraded to I-49. Construction is still several years away. As of March 2008, due to a one billion dollar surplus in the Louisiana state budget, the legislature approved a bill which proposed capacity improvements on U.S. 90 in the Lafayette Area. U.S. 90 is currently six-laned from I-10 to Pinhook Road. The plan calls for six-lanes from Pinhook to the suburb of Broussard. The lanes are expected to be opened in two years.

[edit] Major intersections

[edit] See also

[edit] Related routes

[edit] Bannered and suffixed routes

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Droz, Robert V. U.S. Highways : From US 1 to (US 830). URL accessed 22:46, 20 February 2006 (UTC).
  2. ^ Endpoints of US highways
  3. ^ The Spokes. Oscar Slotboom, Houston Freeways, houstonfreeways.com. Last Accessed 2008-01-27.
  4. ^ Two Lanes of Biloxi Bay Bridge Reopens WLOX-TV Biloxi, Accessed 31 Oct, 2007.
  5. ^ Bay of St. Louis Bridge Opened to Four-Lane Traffic Today MS Dept. of Transportation
  6. ^ Work Underway To Rebuild Bay St. Louis Bridge WLOX-TV Biloxi-Gulfport, Mississippi. Posted April 12 2006. Accessed 13 December 2006.
  7. ^ Section of Katrina-Damaged Hwy 90 Bridge reopens WWL-TV New Orleans, posted 17 May, 2007. Accessed 27 May, 2007.
  8. ^ Reconstruction of The Bay St. Louis Bridge. Mississippi Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
  9. ^ LaFontaine, Ryan; Baker, Margaret; Perez, Mary and Newsom, Michael. Parade marks first vehicles to cross Biloxi Bay Bridge. Posted by The Sun Herald online November 1, 2007. Retrieved November 11, 2007
  10. ^ Mississippi Department of Transportation. U.S. 90 Bridge at Biloxi Retrieved November 11, 2007.

[edit] External links

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