Montana Highway 200

Route map:
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Montana Highway 200 marker

Montana Highway 200

Map
MT 200 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDT
Length706.584 mi[1] (1,137.137 km)
ExistedOctober 1967[2]–present
Tourist
routes		 Lewis and Clark Trail
Major junctions
West end SH-200 at the Idaho state line
Major intersections US 93 from Ravalli to Missoula
I-90 from Wye to Bonner
US 12 from Missoula to Bonner
US 287 near Milford Colony
US 89 from Sun River to Armington
I-15 from Vaughn to Great Falls
US 87 from Great Falls to Grass Range
US 191 from near Hobson to Lewistown
East end ND 200 at the North Dakota state line
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMontana
CountiesSanders, Lake, Missoula, Powell, Lewis and Clark, Cascade, Judith Basin, Fergus, Petroleum, Garfield, McCone, Dawson, Richland
Highway system
← US 191→ US 212

Montana Highway 200 (MT 200) in the U.S. state of Montana is a route running east–west covering the entire state of Montana. From the starting point at ID 200, near Heron, the highway runs east to ND 200 near Fairview. It is part of a chain of state highways numbered 200 that extend from Idaho across Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota, totaling approximately 1,356 miles (2,182 km) long. At 706.272 mi (1,136.635 km),[1] Montana Highway 200 is also the longest route signed as a state highway in the United States. Highway 200 helps to connect many small towns located in central Montana and the vast plains area of eastern Montana, to larger western Montana cities such as Great Falls and Missoula.

Route description[edit]

Highway 200 and US 93 southbound

At its western end at the Idaho state line, MT 200 follows the Clark Fork River at the feet of the Cabinet Mountains eastward for 85 miles (137 km) until it meets the Flathead River at MT 135. It then follows the Flathead River east for 25 miles (40 km) to Dixon where the Flathead River turns north. MT 200 continues east following the Jocko River for 6 miles (10 km) and borders the CSKT Bison Range until it intersects with US 93 at Ravalli. The two highways share a 27-mile (43 km) concurrency and travel south I-90, where they head east into Missoula. MT 200 follows I-90 through Missoula for 14 miles (23 km), with US 93 departing and US 12 joining the route along the way, leaving the interstate near Milltown. The highway runs parallel to the Blackfoot River and is subject to hazardous driving conditions in the winter, particularly due to black ice. From I-90, the road travels 74 miles (119 km) east to Lincoln, and another 39 miles (63 km) where it crosses Rogers Pass on the Continental Divide. It continues east for 21 miles (34 km) to Bowman's Corner where it intersects US 287, and then another 30 miles (48 km) to Sun River where it merges with US 89. The two highways travel for 8 miles (13 km) east to I-15 near Vaughn, where they join the interstate and travel south for 12 miles (19 km) to Great Falls.[1][3]

In Great Falls, MT 200 and US 89 leave I-15, where they become concurrent with MT 3, share a brief concurrency with I-315 (I-15 Business), and merge with US 87, following 10th Avenue South eastward through the city. The four routes of US 87, US 89, MT 3, and MT 200 share a 23-mile (37 km) concurrency from Great Falls to Armington Junction (near Belt), where US 89 heads south and the three remaining routes continue east for 65 miles (105 km). At Eddie's Corner (near Moore), the routes meet US 191 where MT 3 and US 191 share a common alignment to Harlowton. US 87, US 191, and MT 200 share a 14-mile (23 km) concurrency to Lewistown, where US 191 heads north, and US 87/MT 200 continue another 34 miles (55 km) to Grass Range. At Grass Range, MT 200 and US 87 end their 135-mile-long (217 km) concurrency and MT 200 continues east for 98 miles (158 km) to MT 59 in Jordan. MT 200 continues 68 miles (109 km) east to Circle where it intersects MT 13 and MT 200S (an auxiliary route that connects MT 200 with Glendive). It continues 71 miles (114 km) east until it intersects MT 16 and MT 23, where MT 16 and MT 200 head north into Sydney and share a 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) concurrency. MT 200 leaves Sydney and travels northeast for 11 miles (18 km) to Fairview, where it turns east and crosses into North Dakota.[1][3]

MT 200 follows the following MDT corridors:

Corridor Length
(mi) 		Length
(km) 		West end East end Notes
P-6 (C000006)[4] 115.787 186.341 Idaho state line Ravalli
N-5 (C000005)[5] 27.215 43.798 Ravalli Wye US 93 concurrency
I-90 (C000090)[6] 13.881 22.339 Wye Bonner I-90 concurrency
N-24 (C000024)[7] 140.184 225.604 Bonner Sun River
N-3 (C000003)[8] 7.763 12.493 Sun River Vaughn US 89 concurrency
I-15 (C000015)[9] 11.604 18.675 Vaughn Great Falls I-15 concurrency
I-315 (C000315)[10] 0.828 1.333 Great Falls I-315 concurrency
N-60 (C000060)[11] 24.726 39.793 Great Falls Armington US 87 / US 89 / MT 3 concurrency
N-57(C000057)[12] 279.109 449.182 Armington Circle Includes US 87 / US 191 / MT 3 concurrencies
P-51 (C000051)[13] 71.047 114.339 Circle Jct. MT 16 / MT 23 south of Sidney
N-20 (C000020)[14] 14.128 22.737 Jct. MT 16 / MT 23 south of Sydney North Dakota state line Includes MT 16 concurrency


History[edit]

Today's Highway 200 is part of a four-state chain of such routes, but it did not begin that way. It was assembled from other state and federal routes over the years.

The status of the routes and route segments that became Highway 200 in 1937.[15]

  • The section from the Idaho line to Ravalli was the original MT 3.
  • No concurrency from Ravalli to Missoula on US 93 or US 10.
  • The section from Bonner to Sun River was then MT 20, and much was yet to be constructed. The route even followed segments of today's MT 21 to Augusta and future US 287 (then MT 33).
  • No concurrency from Sun River to Grass Range along US 87.
  • The section from Grass Range to Circle was part of the original MT 18.
  • The remainder of MT 18 ran from Circle to Glendive, today's MT 200S.
  • The section from Circle to Sidney was Montana 23, ending at then MT 14.
  • MT 14 ran the rest of the way to Fairview.

By 1941, US 10 Alternate (US 10A) had replaced MT 3 as part of an alternate route from Wye to Spokane via Sandpoint and was now concurrent with US 93 to US 10.

Between 1948 and 1959, many construction projects and route redesignations with concurrencies made MT 20 from Bonner to Sidney the baseline for today's MT 200. MT 23N replaced MT 14 from Sidney to Fairview and MT 20S replaced MT 18 from Circle to Glendive.

In 1960, MT 20 picked up the Sidney to Fairview segment.

By 1969, the entire MT 20 had become MT 200 and included the former US 10A from Idaho to Wye, and following US 10/93 through Missoula. MT 20S became 200S.

Major junctions[edit]

CountyLocationmi[1]kmExitDestinationsNotes
Sanders​0.0000.000
 SH-200 west – Sandpoint		Continuation into Idaho
10.41816.766

 MT 56 north to US 2 – Troy		Southern terminus of MT 56
27.95944.996
 S-472 south (Blue Slide Road)
49.10279.022
 S-471 west (Prospect Creek Road)		Forest Highway 7, seasonal access to Thompson Pass (S-471) and Cooper Pass (FR-7623, Prospect Creek Road)
Thompson Falls49.54479.733
 S-472 north (Blue Slide Road)
​56.01390.144
 S-556 north (Thompson River Road)
Plains76.706123.446
 MT 28 east – Hot Springs, Kalispell, Glacier Park		Western terminus of MT 28
​85.030136.843

 MT 135 south to I-90 – St. Regis		Northern terminus of MT 135
Perma95.617153.881
 S-382 north – Hot Springs
Dixon109.750176.626
 S-212 north – CSKT Bison Range, Moiese, Charlo
LakeRavalli115.787186.341
 US 93 north – Kalispell		Western end of US 93 concurrency
​126.674203.862
 S-559 east (Jocko Road)
MissoulaWye142.057228.619
 S-574 west (Frenchtown Frontage Road)
143.002230.13996
 I-90 west – Coeur d'Alene		Western end of I-90 concurrency; exit numbers follow I-90
​146.610235.94699Airway Boulevard
Missoula148.386238.804101

 I-90 BL east / US 93 south (Reserve Street) – Hamilton		Eastern end of US 93 concurrency
151.449243.734104Orange Street
152.313245.124105

 I-90 BL west / US 12 west (Van Buren Street) / Lewis and Clark Trail		Western end of US 12 concurrency
East Missoula153.938247.739107East Missoula
West Riverside156.883252.479109

 I-90 east / US 12 east – Butte		Eastern end of I-90/US 12 concurrency
Bonner157.962254.215
 S-210 east
Clearwater Junction189.463304.911
 MT 83 north – Seeley Lake, Kalispell, Glacier National Park
Powell​210.306338.455
 MT 141 south – Avon, Helmville
Lewis and Clark​240.582387.179
 S-279 south – Helena
Rogers Pass245.283394.745Continental Divide (elevation 5,610 ft or 1,710 m)
​258.021415.245
 S-434 south – Wolf Creek, Bean Lake
Bowman's Corner266.653429.136 US 287 – Augusta, Wolf Creek
CascadeSimms284.907458.513
 MT 21 west – Augusta
285.105458.832
 S-565 north
Sun River297.067478.083
 US 89 north – Fairfield, Choteau, Glacier National Park		Western end of US 89 concurrency
Vaughn305.042490.918290
 I-15 north / Lewis and Clark Trail – Shelby		Western end of I-15 concurrency; exit numbers follow I-15
​309.140497.513286Manchester
313.018503.754282

 To US 87 north / Northwest Bypass		Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
Great Falls314.997506.939280


 I-15 BL south (Central Avenue West) to US 87 north		Northern terminus of I-15 BL
316.586509.496278
—

 I-15 BL north / I-315 east / MT 3 east (10th Avenue South)

 I-15 south / Lewis and Clark Trail – Helena		Eastern end of I-15 concurrency; western end of I-315/I-15 Bus./ MT 3 concurrency; western terminus of unsigned I-315/I-15 BL/MT 3
316.921510.035014th Street SouthwestExit number follows I-15 Bus. (I-315)
317.414510.828I-315 ends / Fox Farm Road, 6th Street SouthwestEastern terminus of I-315 and concurrency
318.842–
318.927		513.126–
513.263
 I-15 BL north (5th Street South / 6th Street South)		Eastern end of I-15 Bus. concurrency; one-way pair
319.580–
319.660		514.314–
514.443
 US 87 north (14th Street South / 15th Street South) / Lewis and Clark Trail – Black Eagle, Havre		Western end of US 87 concurrency; one-way pair
322.760519.432

 US 87 Byp. north (57th Street South) – Malmstrom AFB
​315.779508.197

 S-228 north / S-227 south – Highwood, Sand Coulee
338.597544.919
 S-331 north – Belt
Armington Junction342.200550.718
 US 89 south – Monarch, White Sulphur Springs		Eastern end of US 89 concurrency
Judith Basin​352.727567.659
 S-427 south – White Sulphur Springs
Geyser363.607585.169
 S-551 north – Geyser
​378.899609.779
 MT 80 north – Stanford, Fort Benton
385.004619.604
 S-541 south
391.951630.784
 S-207 north – Benchland
Moccasin396.968638.858
 S-426 north
​400.744644.935
 S-239 west – Hobson, Utica
FergusEddies Corner406.897654.837

 US 191 south / MT 3 south / Nez Perce Trail – Harlowton		Eastern end of MT 3 concurrency; western end of US 191 concurrency
​421.232677.907
 US 191 north / US 87 Byp. south (Truck Bypass) / Nez Perce Trail		Eastern end of US 191 concurrency
Lewistown421.232677.907


 US 87 Byp. (1st Avenue North; Truck Bypass) to US 191 / S-238 south – Great Falls
​454.758731.862

 US 87 south / MT 19 north – Malta, Billings		Eastern end of US 87 concurrency; southern terminus of MT 19
PetroleumWinnett477.375768.261
 S-244 south – Winnett
​499.215803.409
 S-500 south
Garfield​552.485889.138
 MT 59 south – Miles City
Jordan553.355890.539
 S-245 west – Hell Creek State Park, Airport		Access to Hell Creek State Park via S-543 (jct 280 ft from MT 200)
​558.383898.630
 S-341 north
579.279932.259
 S-462 south
Garfield–McCone
county line		Flowing Well588.930947.791
 MT 24 north – Fort Peck
McCone​607.933978.373
 S-253 south – Brockway
618.423995.255
 S-467 east
Circle619.496996.982
 S-252 west
620.265998.220
 MT 13 north – Wolf Point
​621.309999.900
 MT 200S east – Glendive
DawsonRichey649.1061,044.635 S-254 – Richey, Glendive
Richland​692.3561,114.239

 MT 16 south / MT 23 east / Lewis and Clark Trail – Watford City, Glendive		Western end of MT 16 concurrency
Sidney694.9241,118.372
 MT 16 north – Regina, Culbertson, Airport		Eastern end of MT 16 concurrency
Fairview706.2231,136.556
 S-201 west
​706.5841,137.137
 ND 200 east / Lewis and Clark Trail – Williston		Continuation into North Dakota
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Related route[edit]

Montana Highway 200S marker

Montana Highway 200S

LocationCircle–Glendive
Length45.280 mi[1] (72.871 km)
Existed1967[16]–present

Montana Highway 200S (MT 200S) is a spur route of MT 200 that branches off the main route near Circle and has an interchange with Interstate 94 shortly before terminating at the I-94 business loop in Glendive. MT 200S was originally part of MT 18, renamed MT 20S when MT 23 from Circle to Sidney was renamed MT 20 and received its current name when MT 20 was renamed MT 200.[16] In the state road log, MT 200S picks up the mileposts from route N-57 (C000057) from mileposts 279.109 to 323.472, for a total of 45.280 miles (72.871 km).

Major intersections

CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
McCone​0.0000.000 MT 200 – Circle, Wolf Point, SidneyWestern terminus; highway continues as MT 200 west
DawsonLindsay23.17837.301
 S-467 west
23.96538.568
 S-470 north
West Glendive44.36371.395
 I-94 east – Bismarck		I-94 exit 211; no direct access to I-94 west
45.28072.871

 I-94 BL to I-94 west – Glendive, Miles City		Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Data and Statistics Bureau (2019). Montana Road Log (PDF) (Report). Helena: Montana Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  2. ^ "New Map Changes Route 20". The Havre Daily News. October 18, 1967. p. 4. Retrieved June 19, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ a b Montana Department of Transportation (2019). Montana Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Helena: Montana Department of Transportation. §§ B-1, C-1, C-2, D-2, E-2, E-3, E-4, D-4, C-5, D-5, D-6, D-7, D-8, D-9, D-10, D-11, C-11, C-12. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  4. ^ MDT 2019, pp. 171–175: MP 0.000–115.787
  5. ^ MDT 2019, pp. 57–58: MP 27.215–0.000
  6. ^ MDT 2019, pp. 12–13: MP 95.483–109.364
  7. ^ MDT 2019, pp. 95–98: MP 0.000–140.184
  8. ^ MDT 2019, pp. 52–53: MP 7.975–0.000
  9. ^ MDT 2019, p. 8: MP 289.607–278.063
  10. ^ MDT 2019, p. 25: MP 0.000–0.828
  11. ^ MDT 2019, pp. 119–121: MP 96.145–71.359
  12. ^ MDT 2019, pp. 113–118: MP 0.000–279.109
  13. ^ MDT 2019, p. 218: MP 0.000–71.047
  14. ^ MDT 2019, pp. 89–90: MP 49.605–63.833
  15. ^ Texaco; Rand McNally and Company (1937). Road map: Idaho, Mont., Wyo (Map). Chicago: Rand McNally and Company. Retrieved April 28, 2017 – via David Rumsey Map Library.[full citation needed]
  16. ^ a b "Highway Route Number Changed". The Billings Gazette. October 2, 1967. p. 27. Retrieved June 19, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon

External links[edit]

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