Idaho Transportation

Idaho Guide

• » Idaho Destinations
• » Idaho Cities
• » Idaho Weather / Climate
• » Idaho Tourist Places
• » Idaho Politics
• » Idaho Laws and Government
• » Idaho Immigration Law
• » Idaho History
• » Idaho Geography
• » Idaho Attractions

Idaho Transportation

The state of Idaho offers an array of choices ranging from the traditional road transportation facilities to air transport, water transport etc. The people of Idaho rely heavily on the transportation services provided to fulfill their basic as well as secondary needs and thus, the transportation system plays a huge role in the expansion of economy at the state level. After all, the overall cost of doing business depends on the efficiency with which one can move goods and people from one place to another.

An overview of the entire transportation system in the state provides us with numerical data regarding the various types of services on offer. An example of this would be-

The Road Transportation system which includes 97,000 km of roads coupled with 4,000 bridges. This helps in increasing interstate connectivity to a large extent. As far as rail transport is concerned Idaho’s transportation boasts of nearly 3,037 km of rail lines. Add another 8,000 km of highway and one could get an idea of the enormity of the functionality of the transportation system.

Major Highways of Idaho

• One of the most important aspect of the transportation system in the state of Idaho is that of a freeway connecting the two biggest metropolitan areas namely Boise and Coeur d’Alene situated in the south and north respectively.

• Though the US interstate highway 95 does connect the two together, a lot of repairs and positive changes have been carried out. However, certain areas still need a bit of work to be done. This is shaping up to be a difficult task as the transportation department faces a shortfall of nearly $200 million according to the 2007 report.

•  The interstate highway 84 is of prime importance as well. This is because it successfully links the southeast part of the state to the southwest part, with a little bit of help from Interstate highway 86 and Interstate highway 15.

Air Transportation Services of Idaho-

• Air transportation is one of the most prominent mediums through which the state of Idaho is connected to the rest of the country. All of the major domestic airlines operate from the various airports in Idaho.

• The major airports handling a bigger part of the air traffic include the Boise Airport, which is located in the southwestern Idaho. Another valuable airport in Idaho’s transportation system is the Spokane International Airport which serves the northern part of the state.

• Some of the other airports with scheduled services include the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport along with Lewiston-Nez Perce County Airport. This airport caters to the Lewis-Clark valley and north central Idaho. Idaho Falls Regional Airport and Pocatello Regional Airport are examples of some airports that are not included in ‘major airports of the state’ category but still have an important role to play in connectivity of the state.

Rail based Idaho’s Transportation Services

• Two transcontinental railroads provide transportation services to the people of Idaho. Idaho is connected with cities like Seattle, Chicago, and Portland via the Burlington Northern Santa Fe. This railroad cuts through a lot of counties like Kootenai, Bonner and Boundary etc.

• The Union Pacific railroad on the other hand, crosses southern parts of Idaho and travels between Green River, Utah and caters to the population of Boise, Nampa, Twin Falls and Pocatello etc.

• Amtrak is another major rail service provider. Sadly, its Empire Builder crosses northern parts of Idaho but with a single stop in Sandpoint. There has been a lot of support to improve and extend the services of Amtrak throughout the state to make Idaho’s transportation better.

Water Transportation Services

• Though the state of Idaho does have a coastline bordering the Pacific Ocean, the medium of water transportation remains highly underutilized when compared to other mediums of transportation.

• The port of Lewiston is known to be the farthest inland Pacific port on the western coast.

• The Snake River and the Columbia River are used for travel via barges and this is possible due to the various dam projects undertaken on these two rivers. Barges are mostly used for transporting various goods up to Portland as a lot of ocean-going vessels dock at Portland.

Idaho Transportation Department

List of airports in Idaho

Travel Guides Related Articles

• » Idaho Landmarks