U.S. Route 90

Template:Infobox U.S. Route 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.

Route description

Texas

Major cities

Beaumont, Texas Houston, Texas Columbus, Texas Weimar, Texas Schulenburg, Texas Flatonia, Texas Waelder, Texas San Antonio, Texas Del Rio, Texas Marathon, Texas Alpine, Texas Van Horn, Texas Slidell, Louisiana New Orleans, Louisiana Lafayette, Louisiana Lake Charles, Louisiana Sulphur, Louisiana Pascagoula, Mississippi Biloxi, Mississippi Gulfport, Mississippi Long Beach, Mississippi Waveland, Mississippi Pearlington, Mississippi Mobile, Alabama Jacksonville, Florida Tallahassee, Florida Pace, Florida Pensacola, Florida

Construction has started on a new section of US 90 from Crosby, Texas to Houston, Texas. The new section will be a six-lane divided freeway that will be known as the Crosby Freeway it will connect US 90 to Interstate 610 and Interstate 10.

U.S. Route 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 U.S. 90 parallels Interstate 10, passing through Luling, Alternate U.S. 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 U.S. 90 is a major arterial route.

Louisiana

Main article: U.S. Route 90 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. 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.

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.

The 26-mile 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. The road is now completely open, with two lanes of the Biloxi Bay Bridge opening on November 1, 2007. Although the road has re-opened, reconstruction projects continue on much of the highway, with substantial completion of all expected by the end of 2008.

Highway 90's colorful history in Mississippi, dating back to the early 20th century, is recounted in some detail by the document 'U.S. Highway 90 Project History', available at the 'Project Updates' page of the Mississippi Department of Transportation's website (www.gomdot.com).

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.

Florida

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.

History

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. Parts of Highway 90 were damaged along the Causeway 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

In mid-2006, construction began on the replacement for the Bay St. Louis bridge. It will have four traffic lanes plus emergency shoulders and a bicycle/pedestrian path. It will also stand 85 feet high at its highest point. Two-way traffic resumed on the bridge on May 17, 2007 after an afternoon ceremony, effectively ending the temporary ferry service. The Mississippi Department of Transportation says all four lanes expected to open by November 2007.

On June 6, 2006, a $338.6 million contract was let for the Biloxi-Ocean Springs replacement. The bridge will be 95 feet tall at its highest point and will carry six traffic lanes, eight-foot inside and ten-foot outside shoulders, and a bicycle/pedestrian path. In his "State of the City" address, Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway said the Mississippi Department of Transportation schedules to have two lanes of the bridge open by November 2007, with all lanes expected to be open by early 2008.

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.

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.

Major intersections

• U.S. Highway 90 Business
• U.S. Highway 11 in New Orleans, Louisiana
• I-10 in New Orleans, Louisiana
• I-510 in New Orleans, Louisiana

See also

Related routes

• U.S. Highway 190
• U.S. Highway 290

Bannered and suffixed routes

• BUS U.S. 90 - Crosby, Texas to Houston, Texas
• BUS U.S. 90 - Orange, Texas
• ALT U.S. 90 - Quincy, Florida to Tallahassee, Florida
• TRUCK U.S. 90 - Lake City, Florida
• ALT U.S. 90 - Jacksonville, Florida
• BUS U.S. 90 - New Orleans, Louisiana

External links

• US-90 Photo Website, by John Preble
• Reconstruction of The Bay Saint Louis Bridge Web site, courtesy Mississippi Department of Transportation
• Biloxi Bridge reconstruction Web site

Browse numbered routes
← US 84	MS	→ US 98
← SR 89	AL	→ SR 91