I-10

About I-10

Also known as Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway.

From Santa Monica, CA (SR 1) to Jacksonville, FL (I-95)

Interstate 10 is the southernmost coast-to-coast Interstate, running about 2,460 miles from Santa Monica, California, on the Pacific to Jacksonville, Florida, on the Atlantic. It passes through eight states, crossing the deserts of California and Arizona, the wide spaces of New Mexico and Texas, the bayou country of Louisiana, and the Gulf Coast plain of Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. It is one of the longest routes in the system and the principal east-west freight corridor across the Sun Belt.

The highway links a string of major cities, including Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans, and Jacksonville. Across Texas it makes up by far its longest single-state segment, while in Louisiana it crosses extensive swamp and water on long elevated structures. The terrain ranges from below-sea-level desert near the Salton Sea region to coastal lowlands along the Gulf.

Interstate 10 carries a large family of auxiliary routes that serve its metropolitan areas, including beltways around major Texas cities and spurs that connect to ports and downtowns. As a border-state corridor it also plays a central role in trade between the United States and Mexico through the Texas crossings.

State-by-state mileage

State	Miles
California	242.5
Arizona	392.3
New Mexico	164.3
Texas	881.0
Louisiana	274.4
Mississippi	77.1
Alabama	66.3
Florida	362.3
Total	2,460.2

History

Interstate 10 was designated in 1957 and built in segments over several decades, incorporating and replacing older highways such as portions of U.S. Route 80 and U.S. Route 90 across the South. Difficult segments included the long water crossings in Louisiana and the urban freeways through Los Angeles, Phoenix, Houston, and New Orleans.

Portions of the route carry the honorary name Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway. The corridor has been widely rebuilt and widened, and it remains a focus of major freight and hurricane-evacuation planning along the Gulf Coast.

Major cities and places

Notable features

• Atchafalaya Basin Bridge
• Lake Pontchartrain area crossings
• Bonnet Carre Spillway crossing
• San Gorgonio Pass

Did you know

• It is the southernmost transcontinental Interstate, touching both the Pacific and the Atlantic.
• Its run across Texas is the longest stretch of any single Interstate in one state.
• Portions carry the honorary name Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway.
• The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge in Louisiana is one of the longest bridges in the United States.
• It passes through San Gorgonio Pass near Palm Springs, a major wind-energy area.