Interstate 90 East - Missoula

I-90/U.S. 93-MT 200 line the north side of Missoula from Missoula International Airport (MSO) to Mount Jumbo and Hellgate Canyon. This set of reassurance markers follows the diamond interchange (Exit 99) with Airway Boulevard.

09/01/06

Starting at the separation with U.S. 93 for Reserve Street, the succeeding three exits from I-90 east fall within the Missoula city limits. Growth of the city since this photo was taken is evident on the south side of I-90 as the Canyon Creek Village development now abuts the freeway along this stretch.

09/01/06

Reserve Street carries both U.S. 93 south and the Missoula Business Loop for Interstate 90 away from Exit 101. Business Loop I-90 coincides with U.S. 93 to a folded diamond interchange at Broadway Street, where it turns east to follow old U.S. 10 to the city center.

09/01/06

Exit 101 leaves I-90 east for Reserve Street south and Grant Creek Road north. U.S. 93 constitutes a commercial arterial southward to the Clark Fork river, maintaining at least four lanes through the Orchard Homes area, the Fort Missoula Historic District and U.S. 12. U.S. 12/93 combine for 7.5 to Lolo, where U.S. 12 turns west to Lolo Pass and U.S. 93 continues south to the Ravalli County seat of Hamilton.

09/01/06

MT 200 remains alongside Interstate 90 to bypass Missoula as Mount Sentinel and University Mountain come into view.

09/01/06

Speed limits remain at 75 miles per hour as I-90/MT 200 progress eastward two miles to Orange Street (Exit 104) and three miles to Van Buren Street (Exit 105) through Missoula.

09/01/06

A diamond interchange (Exit 104) joins the north end of Orange Street (U.S. 93 Business) with I-90/MT 200 in one mile.

09/01/06

The spire of the Missoula County Courthouse appears to the southeast of Interstate 90 in the foreground as Mount Dean Stone fronts southern reaches of the street grid at an elevation of 6,204 feet.

09/01/06

Orange Street provides the most direct route from I-90/MT 200 east into the Missoula city center. The street intersects Broadway Street (Business Loop I-90) a half mile south of Exit 104 and doubles as U.S. 93 Business to Stephens Avenue.

09/01/06

U.S. 93 Business (Orange Street) travels 2.3 miles from Exit 104 to U.S. 12 (Brook Street) south of the Rose Park neighborhood. The two routes angle southwest from there by the Missoula County Fairgrounds and Southgate Mall to Reserve Street and U.S. 93.
U.S. 12 follows Brook Street to Higgins Avenue where the route zig zags toward the University of Montana campus and Exit 105, bypassing the city center in the process.

09/01/06

Speed limits drop to 65 miles per hour ahead of the diamond interchange (Exit 105) with U.S. 12 (Van Buren Street) west to the University of Montana campus and eastern reaches of Downtown.

09/01/06

U.S. 12/Business Loop I-90 follow Van Buren Street south to Broadway Street west and the city center. Once at Madison Street, U.S. 12 turns southward toward the University of Montana and a couplet of 5th and 6th Streets west to Higgins Avenue. Higgins Avenue and Broadway Avenue represent U.S. 12 Business.

09/01/06

U.S. 12 combines with Interstate 90 east from Missoula to Garrison and Exit 174. Old U.S. 10-12 and MT 200 parallel the freeway to the immediate south along Broadway Street to Exit 107.

09/01/06

I-90/U.S. 12-MT 200 travel east through Hellgate Canyon between Mount Jumbo to the north and University Mountain to the south. Broadway Street parallels the freeway and the Clark Fork river to the diamond interchange (Exit 107) at East Missoula.

09/01/06

Broadway Street becomes Highway 200 north of Exit 107 as it loops along the former U.S. 10/12 alignment through unincorporated East Missoula. The local through road ties into MT 200 east of Exit 109. Despite the name, MT 200 remains overlapped with Interstate 90, ignoring its former alignment.

09/01/06

I-90/U.S. 12-MT 200 parallel a Montana Rail Link line from Exit 105 east to the crossing of the Clark Fork river.

09/01/06

Woody Mountain comes into view as the freeway leaves East Missoula for West Riverside.

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Bonner lies along MT 200 just east from I-90/U.S. 12. Drummond at MT 1 follows in 45 miles. Butte, the eastbound control city, is 115 miles away.

09/01/06

Interstate 90 spans the Clark Fork river twice by the Bandmann Flats east between East Missoula and West Riverside. The freeway and river parallel one another from St. Regis (Exit 33) to Warm Springs (Exit 201).

09/01/06

The 13.5 mile long overlap with MT 200 on Interstate 90 concludes at West Riverside and Exit 109. The multi state route continues east through nearby Bonner to Lincoln and Great Falls while I-90 bends southward to Drummond and Deer Lodge.

09/01/06

The second crossing over the Clark Fork river along Interstate 90 east of Missoula. The 310 mile long river flows northwest from near Butte to Lake Pend Orielle in northern Idaho. This stretch of I-90 was completed in 1965.

09/01/06

Eastbound I-90/U.S. 12 at Exit 109 and the separation with MT 200. MT 200 is part of a 1,361 mile long route stretching from U.S. 2/95 at Sandpoint, Idaho to U.S. 2 at Northeast Aitkin, Minnesota. The state highway joins Missoula with Great Falls, 160 miles to the northeast.

09/01/06