Idaho State Highway 55
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| State Highway 55 |
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| Maintained by ITD | |||||||||
| Length: | 148.701 mi[1] (239.311 km) | ||||||||
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| South end: |  US-95 west of Marsing |
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| North end: | US-95 in New Meadows |
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State Highway 55 is an Idaho highway from Marsing to New Meadows. From Marsing it travels east to Meridian, then north to Horseshoe Bend. It then climbs along the North Fork of the Payette River to the town of McCall then ending in New Meadows.
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[edit] Route description
State Highway 55 starts at its southern junction and terminus with US-95 approx 2 miles west of Marsing. The highway heads eastward as it travels through Marsing and the Snake River Valley AVA. The highway continues east to Nampa where it meets Interstate 84 and US-30.
The highway is cosigned with those routes as it heads eastward to Meridian. Highway 55 then turns northward at Eagle Road and crosses the Boise River near Eagle. The highway meets its junction with SH-44 in Eagle and is briefly cosigned with that route as well.
The highway then turns northward to Spring Valley and then over the Spring Valley summit (4242 feet, (1293 m), descending 1600 feet (488 m) to Horseshoe Bend. Here it begins following the Payette River, passing through several recreational areas, including rafting, fishing, and camping activities. Highway 55 continues north, following the North Fork of the Payette River, through the small communities of Banks and Smiths Ferry before crossing the river via the Rainbow Bridge (1933). Highway 55 then climbs Round Valley Creek to Round Valley, and then northward to the extended Long Valley. The highway continues north to the town of Cascade, then climbs a brief summit at 5207 feet (1587 m), then descends to follow the east shore of Cascade Reservior. The route continues northward to Donnelly and McCall, at the south shore of Payette Lake, which is the host of many scenic, recreational, and winter activities. At the lake the highway turns westward, passing over the Red Ridge where it reaches its maximum elevation of 5350 feet (1630 m) above sea level, immediately northeast of the Little Ski Hill. Two miles further is the turnoff for the Brundage Mountain ski area, four miles northward on Goose Lake Road. The highway then enters a narrow canyon, rapidly descending with Little Goose Creek to Meadows, then to its northern terminus, junction with US-95 in New Meadows.[2]
Part of State Highway 55 from Eagle north to US-95 in New Meadows, Idaho is included in the Payette River Scenic Byway, part of the National Scenic Byways Program.[3]
[edit] Major intersections
| County | Location | Mile[2] | Destinations | Notes |
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| Owyhee | 0.00 | US-95 – Homedale, Winnemucca |
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| Marsing | 2.00 |  SH-78 south – Murphy |
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| Canyon | Nampa | 16.15 | BUSINESS ROUTE I-84 | |
| 16.60 |  I-84 – Boise |
Interchange, Begin Cosigning with I-84 | ||
| Ada | Meridian | 29.06 | I-84 – Boise |
Interchange, End of Cosigning with I-84 |
| 33.92 |   US-20 / US-26 – Caldwell, Boise |
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| Eagle | 35.83 |  SH-44 west – Middleton |
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| Eagle | 37.79 | SH-44 east – Boise |
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| Boise | Horseshoe Bend | 57.30 |  SH-52 west – Emmett |
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| Adams | New Meadows | 148.70 | US-95 – Council, Riggins |
[edit] History
This Route has been designated as State Highway 55 since 1969; and replaced former state highway 72 and former state highway 15[4]
State Highway 55 originally routed through downtown Boise Following the old alignment of State Highway 44 down State Street and 23rd St to Fairview St. From there the highway turned Westward along then US-20, US-26 and US-30. The highway continued westward on the Boise Connector Then Interstate 180N, later renumbered as Interstate 184, and continued west on Interstate 80N, now Interstate 84, where it followed its present alignment toward Nampa.[5]
Recently in late 2006. the route was realigned away from downtown Nampa when a new interchange, Interchange #33 along Interstate 84 was opened and provided a more direct connection to State Highway 55 from the interstate. The segments of SH-55 following Nampa Blvd and Caldwell Blvd through Nampa have been decommissioned favoring the more direct routing. From there the highway followed its current alignment from that point to Marsing and its southern terminus at US-95
[edit] References
- ^ Idaho Transportation Department, [1]
- ^ a b ITD (12 2006). State Highway 55 Milepost Log. Retrieved on 2008-04-14.
- ^ USDOT (2007). Payette River Scenic Byway. Retrieved on 2007-10-31.
- ^ RV Droz (10 2006). Idaho Highway 51 to Idaho Highway 75. Retrieved on 2007-10-31.
- ^ US Geological Survey. USGS Map on Terraserver; Boise, Idaho, United States [map]. (1976) Retrieved during 2007.
