I-17 (AZ)
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Interstate 17 (I-17) is a north–south
Interstate Highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
entirely within the US state of
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
. I-17's southern terminus lies in
Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
, at
I-10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
, and its northern terminus is in Flagstaff, at Milton Road north of
I-40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...
. Most of I-17 is known as the Arizona Veterans Highway. In the Phoenix metropolitan area, it is mostly known as the Black Canyon Freeway, however, the southern are part of the
Maricopa Freeway The Maricopa Freeway is one of the named principle freeways in the Phoenix metropolitan area. It consists of the following segments: *Interstate 17 in Phoenix, from the Durango Curve to The Split (Interstate 10) *Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I- ...
. The portion of the highway south of Cordes Lakes was built along the alignment of State Route 69 (SR 69), while the northern part was built along old SR 79's alignment. The final section of I-17 was completed in 1978. I-17 gains more than in altitude between Phoenix at and Flagstaff at . The highway features several scenic view exits along its route that overlook the many mountains and valleys in northern Arizona.


Route description

I-17 is known as the Black Canyon Freeway from the northern end of the
Phoenix Metropolitan Area The Phoenix Metropolitan Area – also the Valley of the Sun, the Salt River Valley, or Metro Phoenix (known by most locals simply as “the Valley”) – is the largest metropolitan area in the Southwestern United States, centered on the city ...
to a point south of
The Stack The Stack is a colloquialism used to describe the symmetrical, four-level stack interchange in Phoenix, Arizona that facilitates movements between Interstate 17/ U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 10. Description In 2006, the Stack interchange saw an ...
interchange with
I-10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
northwest of
Downtown Phoenix Downtown Phoenix is the central business district (CBD) of the City of Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is located in the heart of the Phoenix metropolitan area or Valley of the Sun. Phoenix, being the county seat of Maricopa County, Ari ...
. (It is accompanied by
frontage road A frontage road (also known as an access road, outer road, service road, feeder road, or parallel road) is a local road running parallel to a higher-speed, limited-access road. A frontage road is often used to provide access to private drivew ...
s for most of this portion, and they carry the Black Canyon ''Highway'' name to distinguish from the ''freeway'' status.) At the Durango Curve southwest of downtown, between the 19th Avenue and Buckeye Road interchanges, it picks up the designation Maricopa Freeway all the way to the southern terminus at the second
I-10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
junction. It is one of the metropolitan area's primary freeways. It has two interchanges with I-10 in Phoenix. I-17 has the unusual distinction of starting at approximately milepost 194 instead of at milepost 0. This is a holdover from Arizona's old system of marking mileposts, where a branching route would continue the milepost numbering of its original host, instead of starting over at zero. I-17 inherited its milepost locations from SR 69, which the freeway replaced between Phoenix and Cordes Junction. SR 69's mileposting was such that it coincided with US 89's mileposting, which was 201.6 where the two routes intersected. When I-17 was constructed, the existing mileposting for SR 69 was retained. File:I-10 and I-17 stack, PHX.jpg, "
The Stack The Stack is a colloquialism used to describe the symmetrical, four-level stack interchange in Phoenix, Arizona that facilitates movements between Interstate 17/ U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 10. Description In 2006, the Stack interchange saw an ...
", intersection of I-10 and I-17. Looking north up I-17, downtown Phoenix. File:Interstate 17 southern terminus in Phoenix.jpg, Southern terminus at
I-10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
in
Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
File:Sedona Red Rocks from I-17.jpg, View of the
Red Rocks of Sedona The Schnebly Hill Formation is a section of red bed deposits found at the Colorado Plateau, near Sedona, Arizona. It is a dark red sandstone, from to thick. It lies between Coconino Sandstone and the older Hermit Formation. It is near the Supa ...
from I-17, just south of Munds Park File:Interstate 17, Arizona.jpg, I-17 near Flagstaff File:I-40 in Arizona towards LA.jpg, Northern terminus at
I-40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...
in Flagstaff


History

The I-17 corridor roughly follows the
Apache Trail The Apache Trail in Arizona was a stagecoach trail that ran through the Superstition Mountains. It was named the Apache Trail after the Apache Indians who originally used this trail to move through the Superstition Mountains. The historic A ...
, a trail that traversed the
Superstition Mountains The Superstition Mountains ( yuf-x-yav, Wi:kchsawa) is a range of mountains in Arizona located to the east of the Phoenix metropolitan area. They are anchored by Superstition Mountain, a large mountain that is a popular recreation destination for ...
used by indigenous peoples of the area as well as
stagecoaches A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...
in the 20th century. The first stagecoach route through Black Canyon was established in 1878 between Cañon (now Black Canyon City) and Prescott. A later highway through White Spar from Wickenburg to Yarnell was improved in 1925 and incorporated into US 89 in 1926. In 1936, SR 69 was established as a state route from Phoenix north to Prescott. The road was completed by 1940 to Prescott. In 1954, a new route north to Flagstaff was established as SR 79. In May 1956, the Black Canyon Highway from Phoenix to Flagstaff was completed, but not to Interstate standards. It was incorporated into the new
Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
, established by the federal government later that year, and designated as part of I-17. The first interchange on the Black Canyon Freeway was built in 1950 west of downtown Phoenix and was extended to Grand Avenue in 1957. The freeway was extended to McDowell Road by 1971 and out of the Phoenix suburbs by 1974, at a cost of $33 million. By 1971, I-17 had been completed from Phoenix northward to Camp Verde where a short stretch had not been completed to standards. The stretch from SR 279 (now SR 260) north to SR 179 was also complete. The largest section yet to be completed was from SR 179 north to Flagstaff. This segment was still just a two-lane roadway, but it did have full traffic interchanges built at crossroads. The portion from I-40 south to the
Flagstaff Municipal Airport Flagstaff Pulliam Airport is south of Flagstaff, Arizona, Flagstaff, in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. The airport is serviced by American Eagle (airline brand), American Eagle and United Express, and is also used for general aviati ...
had been completed by this time. The final section of I-17, near Camp Verde and Montezuma Castle, began construction in February 1977 and opened to traffic in August 1978. In 1993, officials in Arizona proposed an extension of I-17 to connect with
I-15 I15 may refer to: * Interstate 15, a north–south Interstate Highway in the United States of America * Polikarpov I-15, a Soviet fighter aircraft * I15 (band) "Soulja Girl" is the second single from American rapper Soulja Boy's studio album '' ...
in
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
. The existing interchange with Happy Valley Road in Phoenix was converted to a
diverging diamond interchange A diverging diamond interchange (DDI), also called a double crossover diamond interchange (DCD), is a subset of diamond interchange in which the opposing directions of travel on the non-freeway road cross each other on either side of the inte ...
(DDI). The project was finished in the fall of 2020.


Future

Due to increasing weekend traffic on I-17 between the Phoenix area and
northern Arizona Northern Arizona is an unofficial, colloquially-defined region of the U.S. state of Arizona. Generally consisting of Apache, Coconino, Mohave, Navajo, and Gila counties, the region is geographically dominated by the Colorado Plateau, the sout ...
,
ADOT The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT, pronounced "A-Dot") is an Arizona state government agency charged with facilitating mobility within the state. In addition to managing the state's highway system, the agency is also involved with pu ...
plans to widen a section of freeway between
Anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...
and Sunset Point Rest Area. The current span is only four lanes wide and is subject to frequent
traffic jam Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s. When traffic de ...
s on weekends as motorists travel to and from
Sedona Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 10,031. It is within the Coconino National Fo ...
, Flagstaff, or other high country destinations. A third lane will be added in both directions between Anthem and
Black Canyon City Black Canyon City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Yavapai County, Arizona, Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. The population was 2,837 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, up from 2,697 in 2000 ...
, but due to the mountainous topography north of Black Canyon City to Sunset Point, two flex lanes will be added in a separate
carriageway A carriageway (British English) or roadway (North American English) consists of a width of road on which a vehicle is not restricted by any physical barriers or separation to move laterally. A carriageway generally consists of a number of tra ...
next to the existing southbound lanes. The lanes would be allocated depending on peak traffic direction. Gates or a similar mechanism would control access to these lanes. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2022 and work will be completed in 2025.


Exit list


Former business route

State Business Route 17 (also known as SR 17 Bus.) was a former business loop of I-17 that served the west side of
Black Canyon City Black Canyon City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Yavapai County, Arizona, Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. The population was 2,837 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, up from 2,697 in 2000 ...
,
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
. SR 17 Bus. followed Old Black Canyon Highway (formerly SR 69 before I-17 replaced most of the route between
Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
and Cordes Junction) from exit 242 south of town at a diamond interchange to another diamond interchange at exit 244 north of town. The business route was subsequently transferred from state to local maintenance and because of ADOT's policy of not signing business loops on nonstate maintained roadways, the route was decommissioned in 2011. Major intersections


See also

*
Roads and freeways in metropolitan Phoenix The metropolitan area of Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix in the U.S. state of Arizona contains one of the nation's largest and fastest-growing freeway systems, boasting over 1,405 lane miles (2,261 km) as of 2005 (this was before construction on t ...
*
Interstate 19 Interstate 19 (I-19) is a north–south Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Arizona. I-19 travels from Nogales, roughly from the Mexican border, to Tucson, at I-10. The highway also travels through the cities of ...


References


External links


I-17 at ArizonaRoads.com

Google Maps I-17
{{DEFAULTSORT:I17 017 17 17 Transportation in Maricopa County, Arizona Transportation in Yavapai County, Arizona Transportation in Coconino County, Arizona