Interstate 94 in North Dakota

This article is about the section of Interstate 94 in North Dakota. For the entire route, see Interstate 94.

Interstate 94 marker

Interstate 94
Route information
Maintained by NDDOT
Length: 352.39 mi[1] (567.12 km)
Major junctions
West end: I94 at Montana state line
 
East end: I-94 / US 52 at Minnesota state line
Highway system

North Dakota Highways

ND 89ND 97

Interstate 94 runs east–west through the central portion of the U.S. state of North Dakota.

Route description

The route enters from Montana at Beach and immediately heads east, passing Dickinson, Bismarck, and Jamestown before entering Fargo and finally exiting the state.

The route passes to the south of Theodore Roosevelt National Park's southern unit. Access to the Northern unit is possible by taking US 85 north from Belfield.

The route crosses from Mountain Time Zone (UTC−7) into Central Time Zone (UTC−6) at the Stark/Morton County line and vice versa.

The route has a 75 miles per hour (121 km/h) posted speed limit between the Montana state line and Mandan near mile marker 152; a 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) posted speed limit between Mandan near mile marker 152 and Bismarck mile marker 160; a 75 miles per hour (121 km/h) posted speed limit between Bismarck at mile marker 160 and West Fargo near exit 346; a 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) posted speed limit in West Fargo between exit 346 and mile marker 347; and a 55 miles per hour (89 km/h) posted speed limit between West Fargo at mile marker 347 to the Minnesota state line.

Interstate 94 has two lanes in each direction through most of the state and 3 lanes in each direction in the Bismarck/Mandan area, from Exit 155 to Exit 156, and from the 45th Street exit (Exit 348) to the Red River (Minnesota state line) in Fargo.

Points of interest

The route enters at Beach and passes through the Badlands near Medora (near the Theodore Roosevelt National Park (South Unit)). A public rest area about seven miles (11 km) east of Medora provides an awe-inspiring view, especially at sunset, and an opportunity to hike through some of the scenery on the Painted Canyon Trail. Further east, I-94 provides access to the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, then passes through the cities of Dickinson, Mandan, Bismarck, Jamestown, and Valley City on the way to West Fargo and Fargo, where it leaves the state and crosses into Minnesota. Throughout the state, the route generally travels relatively straight east and west following both the railroad route and the former route of US 10 (called "The Old Red Trail" or less commonly "The National Parks Trail"), where its western terminus is at Exit 343 in West Fargo.

The highway intersects with the Enchanted Highway 11 miles east of Dickinson at Exit 72. (The small green mile signs on the side of the road initialize at zero on the Montana border). At New Salem, it passes Salem Sue, a 38 foot high sculpture of a Holstein cow and is clearly visible from I-94 on the south side of the road. A drive up the road to Sue will take you to a vantage point where you can see a panoramic landscape for many miles. Between Mandan and Bismarck, I-94 crosses the Missouri River with a view of the Northern Pacific/BNSF Railroad Bridge on the South side of the road. At Steele, it passes the world's largest sculpture of a sand hill crane (named Sandy), which is 40 feet tall and visible from I-94 on the south side of the road, just to the east of exit 200. At Jamestown, it passes the world's largest sculpture of a buffalo (actually bison) named "Dakota Thunder", which is 28 feet tall and is visible from I-94 on the north side of the road.

At approximately mile marker 275 on the westbound lanes between Jamestown and Valley City, the highway crosses the Laurentian Continental Divide. The rivers that are west of this divide flow South into the Atlantic Ocean at the Gulf of Mexico, while the rivers that are east of the divide flow North into the Arctic Ocean. The James River, that flows through Jamestown, feeds into the Atlantic Ocean, while the Sheyenne River, that flows through Valley City (36 miles east of Jamestown), feeds into the Arctic Ocean.

Continental Divide Sign on I-94 West in North Dakota

In Fargo, a well-known, but unnamed pedestrian bridge crosses over I-94. The bridge was built in 1976, in time for the United States' bicentennial. While providing a unique crossing for the surrounding neighborhoods, the bridge serves as a landmark for commuters and travelers. Westbound, it is one of the first North Dakota landmarks visible from the highway.[2]

History

East bound on Interstate 94, the main highway eastwest through North Dakota.[3]

Through the state, Interstate 94 follows the route once taken by U.S. Highway 10 west from Fargo. This route was originally called "The Old Red Trail". Prairie Public Television in North Dakota produced a documentary about US Highway 10 and the building of I-94 through the state.

Interstate 94 roughly follows the route of the former Northern Pacific Railway mainline (now a BNSF Railway route) across North Dakota. Many of the towns and cities that I-94 serves first grew as railroad towns in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The first section of I-94 completed with Interstate funds (under the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956) was a 12-mile (19 km) section between Jamestown and Valley City, North Dakota in 1958.

Spur routes

Exit list

CountyLocationmi[4]kmExitDestinationsNotes
Golden Valley0.0000.000 I94 west BillingsContinuation into Montana
Beach1.8492.9761 ND 16 BeachRest area just south of exit
7.36811.8587Home on the Range
10.47816.86310Camel Hump Lake, Sentinel Butte
18.45229.69618Buffalo Gap
Billings23.00137.01723West River RoadEastbound exit and westbound entrance
24.31539.13124 I-94 Bus. east Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora
27.24343.84327 I-94 Bus. west Theodore Roosevelt National Park, MedoraWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
32.96353.04932Painted Canyon Visitor Center
36.86159.32236Fryburg
StarkBelfield42.36668.18142 US 85 Watford City, Belfield To North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National ParkInterchange with the Theodore Roosevelt Expressway
51.47682.84351South Heart
56.41490.79056(no name)
Dickinson59.48595.73259 I-94 Bus. east DickinsonTo Dickinson State University
61.47698.93661 ND 22 Killdeer, Dickinson
64.204103.32664 I-94 Bus. west Dickinson
Former rest area[5]
72.253116.28072Gladstone, LeforEnchanted Highway exit
78.901126.97978Taylor
84.885136.60984 ND 8 Richardton, Mott
90.110145.01890(no name)
Morton97.188156.40997Hebron
102.914165.624102Glen Ullin, HebronHalf-cloverleaf exit
108.354174.379108Glen Ullin
110.367177.618110 ND 49 Beulah, Glen Ullin
113.389182.482113(no name)
117.197188.610117(no name)
120.204193.450120(no name)
123.200198.271123Almont
New Salem127.662205.452127 ND 31 north Hazen, New Salem
134.115215.837134Sweet Briar Lake, JudsonScenic View just east of exit on westbound side
140.118225.498140Crown Butte Dam
147.183236.868147 ND 25 / I-94 Bus. east to ND 6 Center, Mandan
Mandan152.329245.150152Sunset Drive MandanScenic View just west of exit on eastbound side
153.988247.820153 ND 1806 (Mandan Avenue)
155.026249.490155 To I-94 Bus. / ND 6 Mandan City CenterWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
156.069251.169156 To I-94 Bus. / Bismarck Expressway (I-194) Bismarck City Center, West Bismarck, East Mandan
Missouri RiverGrant Marsh Bridge
BurleighBismarck157.344253.221157Divide AvenueModified half-cloverleaf interchange
159.419256.560159 US 83 north (ND 1804) Minot, BismarckWest end of US 83 overlap, North Dakota State Capitol
161.439259.811161Bismarck Expressway (I-94 Bus. west) Lincoln
170.519274.424170Menoken
176.501284.051176McKenzie
182.488293.686182 US 83 south / ND 14 north Wing, SterlingEast end of US 83 overlap
190.110305.952190Driscoll
Kidder195.090313.967195(no name)
Steele200.760323.092200 ND 3 north Tuttle, SteeleWest end of ND 3 overlap
205.071330.030205Robinson
Dawson208.702335.873208 ND 3 south DawsonEast end of ND 3 overlap
Tappen214.126344.602214Tappen
217.145349.461217Pettibone
221.733356.845221Crystal Springs
Stutsman228.321367.447228 ND 30 south Streeter
230.288370.613230Medina, Woodworth
233.343375.529233(no name)
Cleveland238.793384.300238Cleveland, Gackle
242.672390.543242Windsor
245.191394.597245(no name)
248.991400.712248(no name)
251.686405.049251Eldridge
256.224412.353256
US 52 Truck west / US 281 Truck north
West end of US 52 Truck/US 281 Truck overlap
Jamestown257.002413.605257 I-94 Bus. east JamestownEastbound exit and westbound entrance; left exit
258.055415.299258 US 52 west / US 281 JamestownEast end of US 52/US 281 Truck Bypass overlap; west end of US 52 overlap
260.125418.631260 I-94 Bus. west Jamestown
262.361422.229262Jamestown Regional Airport, Bloom
269.355433.485269Spiritwood
Barnes272.369438.335272(no name)
276.385444.799276Eckelson, Marion
281.640453.256281Sanborn
283.139455.668283 ND 1 north RogersWest end of ND 1 overlap
288.636464.515288 ND 1 south Verona, OakesEast end of ND 1 overlap
Valley City290.803468.002290 I-94 Bus. east Valley City
292.072470.044292Valley City
294.283473.603294 I-94 Bus. west Valley City
296.741477.558296(no name)
298.746480.785298(no name)
Oriska302.712487.168302 ND 32 Oriska, Fingal
Tower City307.679495.161307Tower City
Cass310.456499.631310(no name)
314.863506.723314 ND 38 Buffalo, Alice
317.846511.524317Ayr
320.837516.337320Embden
322.827519.540322Absaraka
324.821522.749324Wheatland, Chaffee
328.710529.007328Lynchburg
Casselton331.226533.057331 ND 18 Casselton, Leonard
Mapleton338.737545.144338Mapleton
340.717548.331340Kindred
342.721551.556342(no name)
West Fargo343.803553.297343 US 10 / I-94 Bus. east West Fargo, Fargo
346.442557.544346Sheyenne StreetSigned as exits 346A (south) and 346B (north) westbound
347.786559.707347Veterans Boulevard, 9th Street EastSigned as 9th Street East north of I-94 and Veterans Boulevard south of I-94
Fargo348.481560.82634845th Street
349.584562.601349 I-29 / US 81 Grand Forks, Sioux FallsSigned as exits 349A (south) and 349B (north); I-29 exits 63A-B
350.586564.21335025th Street
351.590565.829351
US 81 Bus. (University Drive) Downtown Fargo
352.39567.12 I-94 east / US 52 eastContinuation into Minnesota
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Interstate 94 in North Dakota.
  1. "Route Log and Finder List — Interstate System: Table 1". FHWA. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
  2. Kerzman, Kris. "Throwback Thursday: A brief history of the Interstate 94 walking bridge". INFORUM. The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  3. Galadriel Findlay Watson (2001). North Dakota. Weigl Publishers Inc. p. 5. ISBN 1-930954-53-0.
  4. "Appendix III-09 B: Interchange Numbering on I-94" (PDF). North Dakota Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2008-06-22.
  5. Google (September 3, 2013). "Former Rest Area" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 3, 2013.

Route map: Bing / Google

KML is from Wikidata
Interstate 94
Previous state:
Montana
North Dakota Next state:
Minnesota
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/8/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.