State Route 238, also known as SR 238, is an east–west state highway in central Arizona.

Route description

While the mile markers indicate a start in

Gila Bend Gila Bend (; O'odham: Hila Wi:n), founded in 1872, is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The town is named for an approximately 90-degree bend in the Gila River, which is near the community's current location. As of the 2020 cen ...

, the highway is not actually part of the State Highway System until west of the Maricopa/Pinal County line near the Goodyear neighborhood of Mobile, at Mile Marker 24. The road west of this point is actually a county route. This stretch of road is known as Maricopa Road (except for a brief portion signed as Smith Enke Road within the city of Maricopa) and serves as a direct route between the two towns as well as an access road for the Sonoran Desert National Monument. It was originally a dirt road from Gila Bend to Maricopa, it was upgraded to a state highway to serve a proposed hazardous waste management facility west of Mobile. The official State Highway map shows this road terminating at Maricopa at the junction with State Route 347. Since its upgrade to a paved highway, this road has become a common shortcut for residents of the southern part of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area travelling to Yuma and San Diego. Some road maps show a continuation of the route eastbound; after briefly overlapping a short southbound stretch of State Route 347 (also, confusingly, known as Maricopa Road or the John Wayne Parkway), the highway beelines southeast to its eastern terminus at

Casa Grande , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = Casa Grande-Casa Grande Union High School-1920-2.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = Historic Casa Grande Union High School which now serves as the ...

; this stretch of the highway is known as the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway. According to ADOT, this section of road is not currently commissione

Virtually the entire road follows the Union Pacific Railroad's

Sunset Route The Sunset Route is a main line of the Union Pacific Railroad running between Southern California and New Orleans, Louisiana. The name traces its origins to the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway, a Southern Pacific Railway subsidiary ...

, with brief detours at the Maricopa and Casa Grande townsites. Arizona Route 238 End Marker

Junction list

The highway begins on Maricopa Road, MP 24.

References

External links

{{Attached KML, display=title,inline
SR 238 at Arizona Roads

238 __NOTOC__ Year 238 ( CCXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pius and Pontianus (or, less frequently, year 991 ''Ab ...

Transportation in Maricopa County, Arizona Transportation in Pinal County, Arizona