Interstate 10
Interstate 10 or
I-10 is the southernmost coast-to-coast
interstate highway in the
United States. It stretches from California Highway 1, or the
Pacific Coast Highway in
Santa Monica, California to
Jacksonville, Florida, ending at
Interstate 95. A sign near the western terminus of the highway, known as the
Santa Monica Freeway in that part of Los Angeles, announces it as "The Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Freeway." Interstate 10's other major name in Southern California is the
San Bernardino Freeway. It is known to a considerably lesser degree as the "Veteran's Memorial Highway" and is listed as a
Blue Star Highway. A stretch in
Palm Springs is signed as the "
Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway" as a tribute to the late entertainer who served both as mayor and as a United States Congressman. A second stretch a few miles east in
Indio is signed as the "Doctor June McCarroll Memorial Freeway." As a nurse with the
Southern Pacific Railroad in the 1920s, Dr. McCarroll was alarmed at the number of head-on traffic collisions on a nearby stretch of then-new
U.S. Highway 99, today known as both
California State Highway 111 and
California State Highway 86 as well as Interstate 10 which replaced it between Indio and Los Angeles. She is credited with painting a white stripe down the middle of 99 near
Coachella in order to separate the two lanes of traffic, the first ever pavement marking of its kind.
I-10 around the north and east sides of downtown Phoenix, Arizona was slated to be named both I-410 and I-10.
I-310 and I-510 are parts of what was slated to be I-410 and act as a southern bypass of New Orleans, Louisiana. I-610 is a shortcut from the eastern to western portion of New Orleans avoiding the I-10's detour into New Orleans' central business district.
I-12 between Baton Rouge and I-59 near the Louisiana/Mississippi state line is actually a shorter route than I-10 between those same points, since I-10 dips to the south to go through New Orleans. Those traveling to or from Baton Rouge who do not wish to detour into New Orleans should leave I-10 and take I-12 for its entire route until it again meets with I-10.
Length
| Miles
| km
|
|
|
| 237
| 381
| California
|
| 392.33
| 631
| Arizona
|
| 160
| 257
| New Mexico
|
| 879
| 1,415
| Texas
|
| 279
| 449
| Louisiana
|
| 77.192
| 124
| Mississippi
|
| 67
| 108
| Alabama
|
| 369
| 594
| Florida
|
|
|
| 2,460
| 3,959
| Total
|
Major Cities Along the Route (from West to East)
- Los Angeles, California
- San Bernardino, California
- Palm Springs, California
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Tucson, Arizona
- Las Cruces, New Mexico
- El Paso, Texas
- San Antonio, Texas
- Houston, Texas
- Lafayette, Louisiana
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Mobile, Alabama
- Pensacola, Florida
- Tallahassee, Florida
- Jacksonville, Florida
Intersections with other Interstates
- Interstate 5 and Interstate 110 in downtown Los Angeles, California
- Interstate 710 in East Los Angeles, California
- Interstate 405 in West Los Angeles, California
- Interstate 15 in Ontario, California
- Interstate 17 in Phoenix, Arizona
- Interstate 8 in Casa Grande, Arizona
- Interstate 19 in Tucson, Arizona
- Interstate 25 in Las Cruces, New Mexico
- Interstate 20 in Kent, Texas
- Interstate 35 in San Antonio, Texas
- Interstate 37 in San Antonio, Texas
- Interstate 45 in Houston, Texas
- Interstate 49 in Lafayette, Louisiana
- Interstate 12 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Interstate 55 in La Place, Louisiana
- Interstate 12 in Alton, Louisiana
- Interstate 59 in Alton, Louisiana
- Interstate 65 in Mobile, Alabama
- Interstate 75 in Lake City, Florida
- Interstate 95 in Jacksonville, Florida
Spur Routes
- Los Angeles, California - I-110, I-210, I-710
- El Paso, Texas - I-110
- San Antonio, Texas - I-410
- Houston, Texas - I-610
- Lake Charles, Louisiana - I-210
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana - I-110
- New Orleans, Louisiana - I-310, I-510, I-610
- Spur to Biloxi, Mississippi - I-110
- Pensacola, Florida - I-110
Reference
- I-610 in New Orleans and the aforementioned I-12 make I-10 one of only two interstates in the country to have two "bypasses" shorter than its normal travel. The other is I-64, which has two shorter "bypasses" in the Hampton Roads area.