Interstate 9 is a north-south Interstate highway that runs from Interstate 210 in Los Angeles, California to U.S. Route 26 in Boise, Idaho. It serves as a direct connector and a straightforward route to the two cities as opposed to the curvy, unsettlingly unsafe route of U.S. Route 95 and other state highways that were "efficient" back then.
The Death Valley Pass, located entirely within Death Valley, is a part of the Interstate. It is a scenic route that is one of very few to contain ACs throughout the route because of the sheer heat. It's also regarded to as one of the most scenic parts of the Interstate System.
The desert driving of I-9 is also regarded to as extremely scenic with the mountains and other scenery.
Route Description[]
California[]
Los Angeles[]
Interstate 9 begins at a junction with Interstate 210 in northern Los Angeles, California. Right after its departure from L.A., it enters the Angeles National Forest, where it swerves through the mountains, intersecting California State Route 2 (Angeles Crest Highway) in the process. After leaving the forest, it heads towards the desert.
On The Way to Lancaster[]
Interstate 9, after departing from the forest, proceeds to visit the deserts of California. In the process, it rides through the mountains, alongside with campgrounds and hiking sites. After visiting the deserts, it finally enters Lancaster after intersecting with Pearblossom Highway and California State Route 138 (Fort Tejon Rd.).
Lancaster[]
After entering Lancaster, Interstate 9 intersects with the Walt Disney Freeway (CA-5) and then California State Route 138 (E Palmdale Blvd.). It then proceeds to travel on the far eastern point of the city. It exits the city shortly after.
On The Way to Nevada[]
After leaving the Lancaster area, Interstate 9 enters its second deserted region as it heads towards Death Valley and Nevada. It first crosses Rosamond Lake, which has dried up since then. It then swerves towards California City, a desolate city that was long overdue for an interstate or U.S. Route connector. After passing by the Honda Proving Center of California, it reaches Red Canyon, in which I-9 swerves through the small openings of said canyon, which also brings some of the most scenic views of the Interstate. It then passes by Inyokern and intersects with California State Route 178 (W Inyokern Rd.) and U.S. Route 395. After traveling a few dozen miles ahead, and after intersecting with California State Route 190 (Nadeau Trail), we reach the Death Valley Pass.
The Death Valley Pass[]
The Death Valley Pass is one of the more scenic stretches of the Interstate Highway System. It passes by mountainous areas, and it also has ACs along the way due to Death Valley's notoriously extreme heat. The pass is around 12 miles long. As soon as it leaves Death Valley, it enters Nevada.
Nevada[]
Right after Interstate 9 exits Death Valley, it proceeds to follow a northward direction towards the various forests of Nevada and Interstate 80. As another one of the more scenic routes of Interstate 9, it provides nice views of the Nevada forestry and the desert, which is where most of its praise comes from. Interstate 9's junction with Interstate 80 consists of a Cloverleaf interchange, although it is set to change to a Partial Cloverleaf in the future. After some more deserted expedition, it enters Idaho.
Idaho[]
On The Way to Boise[]
Interstate 9 in Idaho is more of a scenic highway than a city-filled, urban highway. It first ventures through the desert as a four-lane highway before entering the Boise Area.
Boise[]
Once Interstate 9 enters Boise, it runs concurrently with Interstate 84 and then enters the central area of Boise. There, Interstate 9 heads towards Downtown and runs through the city of Boise until ending at a junction with U.S Route 26 (POW-MIA Mem. Hwy.) in Downtown Boise.
History[]
Inception[]
From the inception of the Interstate System until 2063, there has not been a direct route from Los Angeles, CA to Boise, ID via Interstate. That statement changed when Caltrans officially announced the separation of Interstates 7 & 9 and the upgrade of CA-99 to CA-7 in 2057. As Caltrans began to realize the importance of an interstate connecting Los Angeles to Boise, Interstate 9 was officially announced to begin construction about a week after the separation began as opposed to I-7 being announced with the separation.
Construction[]
Interstate 9's construction didn't end up going quickly as promised, but for those conditions, it went well. Interstate 9 began construction on June 4th, 2057 and ended on August 27th, 2063.
Future[]
Plans have recently started going around on a southern extension further into Los Angeles. It is set to be an urban freeway with it mostly being underground in a tunnel. The extension is also said to improve accessibility towards more major parts of L.A. Construction has just begun and is set to end in July of 2074.