US 287 and 87 in Montana

US 287 in Montana

According to Existingcountries, US 287 is a US Highway in the US state of Montana. The road forms a north-south route through the west of the state, from Yellowstone National Park through Helena to Choteau, where the road ends at US 89. The road is 470 kilometers long.

Travel directions

US 287 in Wyoming enters Montana at West Yellowstone with US 20 and US 191. In West Yellowstone, US 191 and US 287 turn north, US 20 heads south to Idaho Falls. About 14 miles north of West Yellowstone, the two roads split, with US 191 heading north to Bozeman, while US 287 follows a parallel, more westerly route along the Madison River. You pass Hebgen Lake and the surrounding mountains reach over 3300 meters above sea level. The road then follows a mountainous route to the north, through wooded areas. After about 180 kilometers you reach the Interstate 90at Three Forks. The I-90 comes from Butte and goes to Bozeman and Billings. US 287 then continues north, joining US 12 from White Sulfur Springs at Townsend. Both routes then run together along the Canyon Ferry Lake to the capital Helena. In Helena, US 287 merges with Interstate 15 from Butte. US 12 heads west toward Missoula. About 60 kilometers north of Helena, US 287 exits for the last 105 kilometers to Choteau, parallel to the Rocky Mountains. At Choteau, the road ends at US 89.

History

US 287 was added to the US Highways network in 1935. At that time, however, the route did not yet run through Montana. This happened in 1965 when the route was extended from the south side of Yellowstone National Park north to Choteau, and also doubled as I-15 north of the capital Helena.

The road was originally numbered State Highway 191 from West Yellowstone to Three Forks, US 10A (later US 10N) between Three Forks and Helena and US 91, and State Highway 33 between Helena to Choteau. The southern two-thirds of the route was mostly paved in 1935 between West Yellowstone and Wolf Creek, only State Highway 33 was unpaved. This was paved shortly afterwards in 1936-1937, paving the road well before it was numbered US 287.

Since then, there have been minor modifications to US 287. The double numbering with US 91 between Helena and Wolf Creek has been replaced by Interstate 15, this 58 kilometer stretch was later only doubled with US 287. Also, a small portion of US 287 north of Three Forks was widened to three and four lanes around 2005. However, this section does not have segregated lanes.

Traffic intensities

800 to 1,300 vehicles drive daily in southern Montana, rising to 3,400 vehicles around Ennis. North of I-90 at Three Forks, there are 3,500 vehicles and 7,800 vehicles at Helena. The northern part from I-15 to Choteau is very quiet with 350 to 400 vehicles.

US 87 in Montana

According to anycountyprivateschools, US 87 is a US Highway in the US state of Montana. The road forms a more-or-less north-south route through the center of the state, but follows a somewhat illogical route that also includes sections east-west and west-east. The road is partially double-numbered with Interstate 90. The road serves the larger towns of Billings and Great Falls and terminates at US 2 in Havre. The road is 715 kilometers long.

Travel directions

A little south of Wyola, US 87 in Wyoming joins Interstate 90 into Montana. The road is then double-numbered with I-90 as far as Billings for a distance of more than 160 kilometers. Halfway through, at Crow Agency, US 212 from Belle Fourche is added. This route goes through a lonely area with prairies and mountains in the distance. At the center of Billings town, US 87 turns north. I-90 and US 212 then go even further west.

The US 87 then runs over a steppe area to Roundup 80 kilometers to the north. There are no villages or intersecting roads between Billings and Roundup. In Roundup, a village on the Musselshell River, one crosses US 12, which runs from Helena to Miles City. The road then continues north for another 70 kilometers over the lonely steppes, but then turns west at Grass Range. State Route 200 goes here to Glendive, 350 kilometers east. The area then becomes slightly more mountainous, with a small mountain range at Lewiston. In that village one crosses the US 191. The US 87 and US 191 are then double-numbered for about 25 kilometers, after which the US 191 turns off to Bozeman in the south. US 87 then proceeds north of the Little Belt Mountains along to the west. There are a number of villages along the way, but many do not represent them.

About 30 kilometers before Great Falls the US 89 merges from Livingston. Both roads are then double-numbered until the town of Great Falls, where US 89 continues toward Browning and exits US 87 northeast for a 180-kilometer route to Havre. This area also consists mainly of flat prairies with only two larger villages on the road to Havre. One crosses only one paved state route, which runs back to the southeast. In the town of Havre, US 87 terminates at US 2, the north east-west route from Shelby to Glasgow.

History

US 87 was created in 1926. At the time, the route only ran from Rawlins, Wyoming to Piegan on the border with Canada. Until Armington (near Great Falls) there was a US 87E and US 87W at the time. The US 87W is now the US 89. The US 87E later became the US 87. In 1934 the route was shortened to Great Falls and since 1949 US 87 ends in Havre. The southern section between the Wyoming and Billings border was replaced in the 1960s and 1970s by the opening of I-90.

US 87 had already been paved over considerable stretches by 1935, such as from the Wyoming border through Billings to Roundup, between Lewistown and Hobson, between Geyser and Great Falls, and from Great Falls to Havre. In 1936-1937 the rest of the route was asphalted.

The road has undergone little modification since, with small sections on the outskirts of Billings and Great Falls being widened to four lanes, but barely extending beyond urban areas.

The historic bridge over the Missouri River in Great Falls was the 15th Street Bridge, the first of which was built in 1892. This was replaced in 1924 by the current bridge. The bridge over the Yellowstone River in Billings was originally a shared route with US 10. After the removal of US 10 in Montana, the bridge was only used by US 87.

Traffic intensities

Every day, 2,300 to 2,700 vehicles drive between Billings and Roundup and 1,100 to 1,500 vehicles to Lewiston. This increases to 2,400 to 2,800 vehicles to Great Falls and 1,500 to 2,500 vehicles between Great Falls and Havre.