Interstate 94 runs east–west through the central portion of the US state of North Dakota.
Route description
Eastbound, the route enters from Montana at Beach and passes Dickinson, Bismarck, Jamestown, Valley City, and West Fargo before entering Fargo, where it exits the state at the Red River and continues into Minnesota, southeast to Minneapolis. The route passes to the south of Theodore Roosevelt National Park's southern unit; access to the northern unit is by US Highway 85 north from Belfield. Eastbound, I-94 changes time zones at the Stark–Morton county line southwest of Hebron. Mountain time is observed in Stark County and Central time in the rest of the state. The speed limit on I-94 is in rural areas. Between exits 152 and 159 in the Bismarck-Mandan area, the speed limit is. In the West Fargo-Fargo area, the speed limit is between exits 346 and 347, and from exit 347 to the Red River of the North. I-94 has two lanes in each direction through most of the state, expanding briefly to three lanes in each direction in the Bismarck–Mandan area and in Fargo from 45th Street to the Red River.
Points of interest
The route enters at Beach and passes through the Badlands near Medora near and the south unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. A public rest area about east of Medora provides an awe-inspiring view, especially at sunset, and an opportunity to hike through some of the scenery on the Painted Canyon Trail. Further east, I-94 provides access to the north unit of the national park, then passes through the cities of Dickinson, Mandan/Bismarck, Jamestown, and Valley City on the way to West Fargo and Fargo, where it leaves the state and crosses into Minnesota. Through North Dakota, I-94 travels nearly due east-west, generally following both the railroad route and the former route of US 10, where its eastern terminus is at exit 343 in West Fargo. The highway intersects with the Enchanted Highway east of Dickinson at exit 72. At New Salem, it passes Salem Sue, a sculpture of a Holstein cow that is clearly visible on the south side of the highway; the road to Sue allows a vantage point to view a panoramic landscape. Between Mandan and Bismarck, I-94 crosses the Missouri River with a view of the Northern Pacific Railroad Bridge to the south. At Steele, it passes the world's largest sculpture of a Sandhill crane, tall and named "Sandy", on the south side of I-94, just east of exit 200. At Jamestown, it passes the world's largest sculpture of a buffalo named "Dakota Thunder," in height and on the north of the highway. At approximately mile marker 275 on the westbound lanes between Jamestown and Valley City, the highway crosses the Laurentian Continental Divide, at an elevation of above sea level. The rivers that are west of this divide flow south into the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico, while the rivers that are east of the divide flow north into Hudson Bay. The James River, that flows through Jamestown, feeds into the Atlantic Ocean, while the Sheyenne River, that flows through Valley City, feeds into Hudson Bay. In Fargo, a well-known yet unnamed pedestrian bridge crosses over I-94; opened in 1976, in time for the United States' bicentennial. While providing a unique crossing for the surrounding neighborhoods, it serves as a landmark for commuters and travelers. Westbound, it is one of the first North Dakota landmarks visible from the highway.
History
Through the state, I-94 follows the route once taken by US 10 west from Fargo. This route was originally called "The Old Red Trail". I-94 roughly follows the route of the former Northern Pacific Railway mainline across North Dakota. Many of the towns and cities that I-94 serves first grew as railroad towns in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The first section of I-94 completed with Interstate funds was a section between Jamestown and Valley City, North Dakota in 1958.
