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U.S. Route 93 in Nevada

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This article is about the section of U.S. Route 93 in Nevada. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 93.
U.S. Route 93 marker
U.S. Route 93
Map
US 93 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NDOT
Length527 mi[1] (848 km)
437.200 mi (703.605 km) separate from other routes[2]
Existed1926–present
Major junctions
South end Future I-11 / US 93 at the Arizona state line on the Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge
Major intersections
North end US 93 at the Idaho state line in Jackpot
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNevada
CountiesClark, Lincoln, White Pine, Elko
Highway system
  • Nevada State Highway System
← SR 88→ US 95

In the U.S. state of Nevada, U.S. Route 93 (US 93) is a major United States Numbered Highway traversing the eastern edge of the state. The highway connects the Las Vegas area to the Great Basin National Park, and provides further connections to Ely and Wells. US 93 also provides the majority of the most direct connection from the major metropolitan areas of Las Vegas and Phoenix (via Boulder City, Kingman and Wickenburg with a final link to Phoenix via US 60) to the Boise, Idaho metropolitan area (with a final connection to Boise via Interstate 84 from Twin Falls, Idaho).

Route description

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Near Interstate 15, looking north in 2006

U.S. Route 93 in Nevada is known as the Great Basin Highway from Interstate 15 in North Las Vegas to Interstate 80 in Wells.[3] It begins at the Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge in Boulder City, concurrent with Interstate 11. U.S. Route 95 joins the two routes from State Route 173 in Boulder City to Interstate 15 in downtown Las Vegas. They run to the Las Vegas Valley, passing through the cities of Henderson, Las Vegas, and North Las Vegas. At the Spaghetti Bowl, US 93 leaves I-11 and merges with Interstate 15. They then head northeast for approximately 21 miles (34 km). At exit 64, US 93 heads northwest toward Alamo.

Signage along the Scenic Byway section of US 93, as seen in 2014

Near Crystal Springs, US 93 curves right while intersecting State Routes 318 and 375. US 93 continues east to mountainous terrain to the town of Caliente. The highway turns left to go north to Pioche. 80 miles (130 km) later, the highway turns left at an intersection with U.S. Routes 6 and 50. From State Route 318 to the US Routes 6 and 50 intersection, the highway is a Nevada Scenic Byway. Near Ely, the three U.S. routes separate. US 6 turns left before the intersection US 50 and 93 separate, heading southwest. US 50 and 93 separate, with route 50 heading northwest towards Austin, Nevada and route 93 heading northeast.

At Lages Station, US 93 turns left, while US 93 Alternate continues straight. In Wells, US 93 intersects Interstate 80. The highway continues into Idaho after passing through Jackpot. Between Ely and Wells, there are no services for 136 miles (219 km).

History

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Establishment

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U.S. Route 93 was not one of the original U.S. highways proposed in the 1925 Bureau of Public Roads plan.[citation needed] However, the revised numbering plan approved by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) on November 11, 1926 established US 93 from the Canada–US border near Eureka, Montana south through Montana and Idaho to a southern terminus at Wells, Nevada.[4] The establishment of the highway was reflected on Nevada's 1927 official highway map.[5] The Nevada section was approximately 70 miles (110 km), commissioned along what was then the northern portion of State Route 13.[6]

AASHO, at its June 8, 1931 meeting, approved a southerly extension of US 93 south to Glendale, Nevada.[4] By 1932, the Nevada Department of Highways had marked the continuation of the highway using the routing of several preexisting state highways as follows:[7]

  • From Wells, US 93 continued southeast along the remainder of SR 13 to its terminus at Lages Station.
  • At Lages Station, the highway turned south, overlapping the southern portion of State Route 24 to Magnuson's Ranch.
  • At Magnuson's Ranch, US 93 followed State Route 2 south for 31.2 miles (50.2 km) to Ely.
  • The highway was then routed concurrently along the entirety of the nearly 250-mile (400 km) State Route 7, running southeast from Ely through Connor's Pass, south through Pioche to Caliente, west to Crystal Springs and then southeast through Alamo and Moapa before terminating at U.S. Route 91/State Route 6 in Glendale.

At the request of the Arizona State Highway Department, the AASHO route numbering committee approved another extension of US 93 in 1935. This shifted the southern terminus south to Kingman, Arizona by way of Las Vegas.[4] However, Nevada officials may not have signed the extension of US 93 right away, since it was not shown on state-published maps until 1939.[4][8][9] The highway was again extended along existing highways:[8][9]

  • From Glendale, US 93 followed US 91/SR 6 southwest 50 miles (80 km) to Las Vegas.
  • In downtown Las Vegas, the route turned southeast and ran concurrent with U.S. Route 466/State Route 5 for 19 miles (31 km) southeast to the town of Alunite (near the present-day Railroad Pass).
  • At Alunite, US 93 and US 466 turned to follow State Route 26 east for 4 miles (6.4 km) into Boulder City.
  • In Boulder City, the combined US Routes dropped SR 26 and gained State Route 42 for the final 6-mile (9.7 km) journey towards Boulder Dam and into Arizona.

The new routing put the Nevada mileage of U.S. Route 93 at approximately 540 miles (870 km). The entire highway within Nevada was paved by 1939.[9]

View south along US 93 just north of Wells

Route changes

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After US 93 was extended to Arizona in the 1930s, the route remained unchanged for many years. A 19-mile (31 km) concurrency with U.S. Route 95 between Las Vegas and Alunite was added in 1940, when that highway was extended through southern Nevada along State Route 5.[10]

The first major shift of US 93 occurred in 1967, when a new highway connection was completed between US 91 (now I-15) and a point 24 miles (39 km) northwest of Glendale. The new alignment was oriented more north–south, shortening the distance between the Las Vegas area and Caliente by 23 miles (37 km). The old section of US 93 northwest of Glendale paralleling the Muddy River remained as State Route 7,[11] and was renumbered in 1976 to State Route 168.

In 1982, a "truck bypass" along the upper reaches of Hemenway Wash, to skirt the central portion of Boulder City and allow a straighter, more steady climb for commercial vehicles, was nearing completion. But by the time this new route opened, it had been signed as mainline US 93, with the old, winding route of US 93 on the Nevada Highway (original SR 26) through town being changed to SR 500. This state highway designation was later dropped and that roadway is now maintained by Boulder City as "Nevada Way". The western end of this 1982 bypass was also later realigned from Colorado Street south to intersect directly at Buchanan Boulevard (in place of a wye intersection with Nevada Way a block to the east at Joshua Street), by using a small portion of abandoned railroad right-of-way. A shopping center now sits where the original truck bypass alignment once ran.

US 93 was realigned again on October 19, 2010, when the Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge over the Black Canyon of the Colorado River opened to vehicular traffic. With that, the highway no longer passes over Hoover Dam, and the state-maintained portion of the replaced route was renamed as Hoover Dam Access Road (SR 172).[12] In 2011, US 93 from Buchanan Boulevard to the Nevada terminus of the Hoover Dam Bypass was expanded to four through lanes with dedicated turn lanes at major intersections to better handle increased traffic loads from the Hoover Dam Bypass until its long-planned companion freeway around Boulder City was completed in 2018.[13]

On August 9, 2018, US 93 was rerouted onto the Boulder City Bypass around the historic town. The most recent previous alignment (1982–2018) through the heart of Boulder City and along Hemenway Wash has now been re-signed as U.S. Route 93 Business.

Major intersections

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Note: Mileposts in Nevada reset at county lines; the start and end mileposts for each county are given in the county column.
CountyLocationmi[14]kmDestinationsNotes
Colorado River0.000.00
 US 93 south – Kingman		Continuation into Arizona; southern end of I-11 concurrency
Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge; Arizona—Nevada state line
Clark
CL 0.00–86.58		Lake Mead NRA to Las VegasUS-93 concurrent with I-11 and US 95
Las Vegas

 I-15 south / US 95 north – Los Angeles, Reno		Northern end of I-11/US 95 concurrency; southern end of I-15 concurrency; I-11/US 95 Exit 76; I-15 Exit 42
Las Vegas to North Las VegasUS 93 overlaps with I-15 (exits 42 to 64)
Garnet52.0383.73
 I-15 north – Salt Lake City		Northern end of I-15 concurrency; Diverging diamond interchange
​
 SR 168 east (Glendale–Moapa Road) – Moapa, Glendale		SR 168 east was former US 93 south
Lincoln
LN 0.00–172.87		Crystal Springs
 SR 318 north – Hiko, Sunnyside, Ely
Caliente
 SR 317 south – Elgin
Panaca
 SR 319 east – Cedar City (Utah)

 SR 816 west (Airport Road)		Serves Lincoln County Airport
​
 SR 320 north (Caselton Mine Road)
​
 SR 321 north – Pioche
Pioche SR 322 – Ursine, Spring Valley State Park
​
 SR 321 south – Pioche
​
 SR 320 south (Caselton Mine Road)
White Pine
WP 0.00–116.69		​
 SR 894 south – Shoshone
Majors Place27.6144.43

 US 6 east / US 50 east – Baker, Delta (Utah)		Southern end of US 6/US 50 concurrency
Ely
 US 6 west – Las Vegas, Tonopah		Northern end of US 6 concurrency
53.4586.02
 US 50 west – Eureka, Austin		Northern end of US 50 concurrency
​
 SR 490 west (Ely Prison Road)		Serves Ely State Prison
Lages Station

 US 93 Alt. north – West Wendover
Elko
EL 0.00–127.54		​
 SR 229 west (Secret Pass Road) – Ruby Valley		Serves Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge
​
 SR 232 south (Clover Valley Road)
Wells

 I-80 / US 93 Alt. south – Salt Lake City, Elko, Reno


 I-80 BL west / SR 223 west (6th Street)
Jackpot127.54205.26
 US 93 north – Twin Falls		Continuation into Idaho
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Special routes

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Overview of US 93 in Nevada" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  2. ^ Nevada Department of Transportation (January 2020). "State Maintained Highways of Nevada: Descriptions and Maps". Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  3. ^ Nevada Department of Transportation (2018). Named Highways of Nevada (Map). Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d "U.S. 93 Reaching For The Border". Highway History. Federal Highway Administration. January 9, 2009. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  5. ^ Highway Map of the State of Nevada (Map). 1 in. = 25 mi. Nevada Department of Highways. 1927. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  6. ^ Highway Map State of Nevada (Map). 1 in. = 25 mi. Nevada Department of Highways. 1929. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  7. ^ Road Map (Map). 1 in. = 20 mi. Nevada Department of Highways. 1932. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  8. ^ a b Official Road Map of the State of Nevada (Map) (1936 ed.). Nevada Department of Highways. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  9. ^ a b c Official Road Map of the State of Nevada (Map) (1939 ed.). Nevada Department of Highways. Archived from the original on December 26, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2009.
  10. ^ Official Road Map of the State of Nevada (Map) (1940 ed.). Nevada Department of Highways. Archived from the original on December 26, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2009.
  11. ^ Official Highway Map of Nevada (Map) (1967 ed.). Nevada State Highway Department. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2009.
  12. ^ Nevada Department of Transportation (January 2012). "2012 Nevada State Maintained Highways, Descriptions, Index and Maps" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 10, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  13. ^ Nevada Department of Transportation. "The Boulder City Bypass". Archived from the original on March 24, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  14. ^ Nevada Department of Transportation (May 2008). Maps of Milepost Location on Nevada's Federal and State Highway System by County.
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U.S. Route 93
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