This popular Idaho highway is one of America’s most feared roads, according to a new study

Shaun Goodwin
·3 min read
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Idaho Highway 55, a popular road that runs between Eagle and McCall north of Boise, has been named one of the most-feared driving routes in the United States.

A recent survey of 3,000 road trippers found that Idaho 55 is the 23rd-most feared route in America. The study was conducted by Gunther Mitsubishi, a Mitsubishi dealership in Florida.

The twisting road spans about 148 miles from where it starts in east Marsing at the junction with U.S. 95, until it meets up with 95 again at New Meadows. It tracks along the Payette River before plunging into the Idaho Batholith, an extensive range of granite rock formations up to 97 million years old.

“It’s quite a dramatic landscape … and a hazard in terms of the stability of the slopes and the rocky outcrops,” Claudio Berti, state geologist and director of the Idaho Geological Survey, previously told the Idaho Statesman. “It’s a very, very challenging stretch of the road.”

Scheduled improvements for Idaho 55

Idaho 55 has been the subject of scrutiny for many years. The ancient rocky outcrops along the highway are susceptible to crumbling landslides. Even minor seismic activity can send large boulders crashing onto the roadway below.

A one-mile stretch of Idaho 55 near Smiths Ferry is considered particularly deadly. Between 2001 and 2021, there were 154 crashes on the one-mile stretch, over half of which resulted in injuries and several deaths, according to previous Statesman reporting.

Idaho Transportation Department officials call it the “white-knuckle section” of the highway.

The portion of the highway near Smiths Ferry is undergoing a $61.6 million renovation project, intending to ensure hillside stability through erosion control and snow fencing. Wider shoulders and guardrails are also set to be installed.

Since fall 2020, motorists have been limited to a single lane of travel through a project on Idaho 55 north of Smiths Ferry.
Since fall 2020, motorists have been limited to a single lane of travel through a project on Idaho 55 north of Smiths Ferry.

The project’s original cost was $30.8 million, but concerns over possible avalanches and other safety issues ended up doubling the price tag — and delaying completion.

“The adjustments we have made in the field acknowledge how much we put a premium on safety,” ITD spokesperson Vince Tromboli previously told the Statesman. “We want to make sure this road is as safe as possible. And so in the name of ensuring the safety of the traveling public, yeah, we had to spend more money.”

The five most feared roads in the country

While Idaho 55 isn’t for the fainthearted, American road trippers still voted 22 other routes ahead of Idaho’s sole entry. Here are the top five most-feared roads in America, according to the Gunther Mitsubishi study:

  1. U.S. Route 285, New Mexico

  2. State Route 190, California

  3. U.S. Route 90, Texas

  4. State Route 200, Hawaii

  5. U.S. Route 50, Nevada