North Dakota Highways

In the U.S. state of North Dakota, Interstate 94 runs east–west through the central portion of the state.

The route enters from North Dakota at Beach and immediately heads east, passing Dickinson, Bismarck and Jamestown before entering Fargo and finally exiting the state.

The route passes to the south of Theodore Roosevelt National Park's southern unit. Access to the Northern unit is possible by taking US 85 north from Belfield.

The route crosses from Mountain Time Zone (UTC-7) into Central Time Zone (UTC-6) at the Stark/Morton County line and vice versa.

The route has a 75 miles per hour (121 km/h) posted speed limit between Montana State Line and Mandan near mile marker 152. A 60 miles per hour (97 km/h)posted speed limit between Mandan Near Mile marker 152 and Bismarck mile marker 160. 75 miles per hour (121 km/h) posted speed limit between Bismarck mile marker 160 and West Fargo near exit 346. 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) posted speed limit between West Fargo near exit 346 and West Fargo mile marker 347. 55 miles per hour (89 km/h) posted speed limit between West Fargo mile marker 347 to the Minnesota State Line.

Interstate 94 has two lanes in each direction through most of the state, 3 lanes in each direction in the Bismarck/Mandan area from Exit 155 to Exit 156, and from the 45th Street exit (Exit 348) to the Red River (Minnesota state line) in Fargo.

The route enters at Beach and passes through the Badlands near Medora (near the Theodore Roosevelt National Park (South Unit)). A public rest area about seven miles (11 km) 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 Theodore Roosevelt 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. Throughout the state, the route generally travels relatively straight east and west following both the railroad route and the former route of US Highway 10 (called "The Old Red Trail"), where its western terminus is at Exit 343 in West Fargo.

The highway intersects with the Enchanted Highway 11 miles west of Dickinson at Exit 72. (The small green mile signs on the side of the road initialize at zero on the Montana border). At New Salem, it passes Salem Sue, a 38 foot high sculpture of a Holstein cow and is clearly visible from I-94 on the south side of the road. A drive up the road to Sue will take you to a vantage point where you can see a panoramic landscape for many miles. Between Mandan and Bismarck, I-94 crosses the Missouri River with a view of the Northern Pacific/BNSF Railroad Bridge on the South side of the road. At Jamestown, it passes the world's largest sculpture of an unnamed buffalo (actually bison), which is 28 feet tall and is visible from I-94 on the north side of the road.

At approximately mile marker 275 on the westbound lanes between Jamestown and Valley City, you will see a small green sign marking a continental divide. The rivers that are west of this divide flow South into the Atlantic Ocean at the Gulf of Mexico, while the rivers that are east of the divide flow North into the Arctic Ocean. The James River, that flows through Jamestown, feeds into the Atlantic Ocean, while the Sheyenne River, that flows through Valley City (36 miles east of Jamestown), feeds into the Arctic Ocean. The terrain at the divide is almost indistinguishable from the surrounding terrain, but it allows travelers to reflect upon an interesting aspect of the geography of North Dakota.

Interstate 94 roughly follows a BNSF railway route across North Dakota.

Interstate 94 roughly parallels another North Dakota four-lane highway, US 2, which is approximately 100 miles to the north.