U.S. Route 89 (US 89) in the U.S. state of
Utah is a north-south
United States Highway spanning more than through the central part of the state, making it the longest road in Utah. Between
Provo and
Brigham City
Brigham City is a city in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 17,899 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Box Elder County. It lies on the western slope of the Wellsville Mountains, a branch of the Wasatch Range at ...
, US-89 serves as a local road, paralleling (and occasionally concurring with)
Interstate 15, but the portions from
Arizona north to Provo and Brigham City northeast to
Wyoming serve separate corridors. The former provides access to several
national park
A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
s and
Arizona, and the latter connects I-15 with
Logan
Logan may refer to:
Places
* Mount Logan (disambiguation)
Australia
* Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
* Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud
* Logan City, local gover ...
, the state's only
Metropolitan Statistical Area not on the Interstate.
When US-89 was established in the state in 1926, the road initially extended north to
US-91 in
Spanish Fork. Following the extension of the former to the
Canada–US border, Interstate 15 was constructed roughly paralleling US-89 to the west and replacing US-91 south of Brigham City. During this process, US-89 was rerouted in southern Utah and northern Arizona, with the old roadway becoming
US-89A.
Route description
Arizona border to I-70
US-89 enters Utah from the south inside the
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, about 7 miles (11 km) north of the
Glen Canyon Dam
Glen Canyon Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Colorado River in northern Arizona, United States, near the town of Page, Arizona, Page. The high dam was built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) from 1956 to 1966 and forms Lake Powe ...
, where it crosses the
Colorado River near
Page, Arizona
Page is a city in Coconino County, Arizona, United States, near the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 7,247.
History
Unlike other cities in the area, Page was founded in 1957 as a housing com ...
. After leaving the recreation area and passing the small town of
Big Water
Big Water is a town in Kane County, Utah, Kane County, Utah, United States. The population was 475 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, up from 417 at the 2000 United States Census, 2000 census. It is located northwest of Page, Arizona ...
, the highway curves west through the
Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument. US-89 stays near the monument's southern boundary, crossing the
East Clark Bench
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from ...
and
The Cockscomb and passing south of the
Vermilion Cliffs of the
Grand Staircase. At the city of
Kanab, US-89 meets the north end of
US-89A, an
alternate route south into Arizona, and abruptly turns north and begins climbing the staircase. Here the Mount Carmel Scenic Byway begins; one of the
Utah Scenic Byways
The legislature in the U.S. state of Utah has designated a system of Utah Scenic Byways in addition to the National Scenic Byway
A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or mor ...
, it stretches north to
SR-12 at
Bryce Canyon Junction.
[ Utah Administrative Code]
Rule R926-7: Scenic Byways
, as in effect on April 1, 2008. Retrieved May 2008 The Vermilion Cliffs are ascended via the canyon carved by
Kanab Creek
Kanab Creek ( ) is one of the many tributaries of the Colorado River. It begins in Kane County, Utah, just south of the drainage divide, watershed to the Great Basin and flows south to the Colorado River.
The stream headwaters arise at at an el ...
. Near the
White Cliffs, US-89 meets
SR-9 at
Mt. Carmel Junction, where travelers can turn to reach
Zion National Park. The final "step" is the
Pink Cliffs
The Pink Cliffs are a series of highly Dissected plateau, dissected cliffs on the Colorado Plateau in Garfield County, Utah, Garfield, Iron County, Utah, Iron, and Kane County, Utah, Kane counties in southwestern Utah, United States. Contrary to ...
, where the highway follows alongside the
Virgin River to the highest point on US-89 in southern Utah and the east end of
SR-14, a summit at
Long Valley Junction (
elevation 7450 feet/2300 m).
[ Google Maps street maps and USGS topographic maps. Retrieved May 2008 vi]
ACME Mapper
/ref>
North from Long Valley Junction, US-89 descends through the valley of the Sevier River, meeting SR-12, a scenic highway that leads to Bryce Canyon National Park, at Bryce Canyon Junction, SR-143 in Panguitch
Panguitch ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Garfield County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,520 at the 2010 census, and was estimated in 2018 to be 1,691. The name Panguitch comes from a Southern Paiute word meaning “Big Fish ...
(which leads to Cedar Breaks National Monument), and SR-20 at Bear Valley Junction. As the highway continues north, the valley narrows significantly into the Circleville Canyon Circleville may refer to a community in the United States:
* Circleville, Indiana
* Circleville, Kansas
* Circleville, Missouri, in Cape Girardeau County
* Circleville, New York
* Circleville, Ohio
* Circleville, Pennsylvania, in Westmoreland ...
before opening out near the town of Circleville. In this part of the valley, the Sevier River is dammed to create the Piute Reservoir, and US-89 meets SR-62 near Kingston
Kingston may refer to:
Places
* List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated:
** Kingston, Jamaica
** Kingston upon Hull, England
** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia
** Kingston, Ontario, Canada
** Kingston upon Thames, ...
. North of Marysvale, the valley again narrows into the Sevier Canyon
Marysvale Canyon (sometimes referred to as Sevier Canyon) is a canyon in Piute and Sevier counties in southwest Utah, United States which runs north from just north of Marysvale north to the town of Sevier.
Description
The canyon is a ste ...
, which carries the river to its confluence with Clear Creek and US-89 to its overlap with Interstate 70, beginning at Sevier
Sevier ( ) is an unincorporated community in southwestern Sevier County, Utah, United States. It lies in the valley of the Sevier River along U.S. Route 89 southwest of the city of Richfield, the county seat of Sevier County. Its elevation is ...
.[
]
I-70 to the Wasatch Front
Although US-89 follows the I-70 freeway from Sevier to Salina, the old alignment can still be driven, and is state-maintained north of Elsinore as SR-258, SR-118 (which overlaps I-70 Business through Richfield), SR-24, and US-50. Both highways stay mainly in the west half of the Sevier River's valley, with the faster I-70/US-89 bypassing the surface road's communities. Just south of Salina, I-70 curves to the east, rising alongside Salina Creek, and US-89 exits into downtown Salina, where it rejoins its pre-freeway alignment. US-50 overlaps US-89 between I-70 and Salina, following I-70 east and a separate alignment northwest from the area; the short Interstate 70 Business also uses this roadway as a business spur
A business route (or business loop, business spur, or city route) in the United States is a short special route connected to a ''parent'' numbered highway at its beginning, then routed through the central business district of a nearby city or ...
from I-70 to the city. North of Salina, US-89 bypasses Redmond ( SR-256 follows the former route through the town) and passes through Centerfield to Gunnison, where it meets SR-28 and finally turns away from the Sevier River.[
At Gunnison, US-89 turns east before curving northeast into the Sanpete Valley, formed by the ]San Pitch River
The San Pitch River, extending , is the primary watercourse of the Sanpete Valley and drains into the Sevier River in southwestern Sanpete. The river is named for the Ute chief Sanpitch, who also gives his name to the San Pitch Mountains and San ...
, a tributary of the Sevier River. Along US-89 in this valley are several small cities: Manti, Ephraim
Ephraim (; he, ''ʾEp̄rayīm'', in pausa: ''ʾEp̄rāyīm'') was, according to the Book of Genesis, the second son of Joseph ben Jacob and Asenath. Asenath was an Ancient Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph as wife, and the daughte ...
, Mount Pleasant, and Fairview. Between Ephraim and Mount Pleasant, US-89 meets the south end of SR-132 at Pigeon Hollow Junction. SR-132 was formerly US-189, connecting US-89 with US-91 in Nephi. Beyond Fairview, where the scenic SR-31 turns east, US-89 climbs out of the valley, reaching a summit at Hill Top
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit.
Terminology
The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not as ...
(elevation 6400 feet/2000 m). Thistle Creek
Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles can also occur all over the planton the stem and on the flat parts of the leave ...
parallels the next leg of the highway, descending through a canyon to the junction with US-6 near the ghost town of Thistle, flooded by a landslide
Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated grade (slope), slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of ...
in 1983. Thistle Creek and Soldier Creek, paralleled by US-89 and US-6, merge near this junction to form Spanish Fork, which the overlapped routes follow northwest through Spanish Fork Canyon
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
into the Utah Valley at Moark Junction. US-89 splits to the north from US-6 there, skirts the west edge of Mapleton Mapleton may refer to:
Places Australia
* Mapleton, Queensland, a rural town and locality in the Sunshine Coast Region
Canada
* Mapleton, New Brunswick, a rural community in Kings County
* Mapleton, Moncton, New Brunswick, a neighborhood
* Mapl ...
, and merges with SR-51 - the old Arrowhead Trail ( US-91) - south of downtown Springville.[
]
Southern Wasatch Front
From Springville north to Salt Lake City, US-89 parallels—and for a distance overlaps— Interstate 15, following the old Arrowhead Trail, once the main highway from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, through several downtowns. Numerous state highways connect US-89 to I-15, including SR-77 in Springville, SR-114 in Provo, SR-52 in Orem, SR-180 and SR-145 in American Fork, and SR-73 in Lehi
Lehi (; he, לח"י – לוחמי חרות ישראל ''Lohamei Herut Israel – Lehi'', "Fighters for the Freedom of Israel – Lehi"), often known pejoratively as the Stern Gang,"This group was known to its friends as LEHI and to its enemie ...
. In Provo, US-89 meets US-189, its only branch, which heads northeast through Provo Canyon to Heber City
Heber City is a city and county seat of Wasatch County, Utah, United States. The population was 11,362 at the time of the 2010 census. It is located 43 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.
History
Heber City was first settled in 1859 by Robert ...
, connecting to I-80 and bypassing Salt Lake City. North of Lehi, US-89 merges with I-15 (at exit 282), which has been built on or near the old road through a gap in the Traverse Mountains (elevation 4800 feet/1500 m) into the Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably Murray, Sandy, South Jordan, West Jordan, and West Valley City; its total po ...
. The routes split in Draper, formerly with a direct interchange north of SR-71
The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" is a Range (aeronautics), long-range, high-altitude, Mach number, Mach 3+ military strategy, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed and manufactured by the American aerospace company Lockheed Corporati ...
, but US-89 traffic must now exit at SR-71 (exit 291), turn east to Factory Outlet Drive, and follow this frontage road to the location of the former split. From here to downtown Salt Lake City
Downtown (also called City Center) is the oldest district in Salt Lake City, Utah. The grid from which the entire city is laid out originates at Temple Square, the location of the Salt Lake Temple.
Location
Downtown Salt Lake City is usually def ...
, US-89 is marked along State Street State Street may refer to:
Streets and locations
*State Street (Chicago), Illinois
* State Street (Portland, Maine)
*State Street (Boston), Massachusetts
*State Street (Ann Arbor), Michigan
* State Street (Albany), New York
*State Street (Manhatta ...
, a major north–south street that ends at the Utah State Capitol
The Utah State Capitol is the house of government for the U.S. state of Utah. The building houses the chambers and offices of the Utah State Legislature, the offices of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, the State Auditor and ...
. After passing through Sandy
Sandy may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Sandy (surname), a list of people
*Sandy (singer), Brazilian singer and actress Sandy Leah Lima (born 1983)
* (Sandy) ...
, Midvale, Murray, Millcreek Township, and South Salt Lake
South Salt Lake is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States and is part of the Salt Lake City Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 23,617 at the 2010 census.
History
Jesse Fox Jr. developed the area South Salt Lake referre ...
, State Street enters Salt Lake City at the intersection with SR-201 (2100 South).
Until 2007, US-89 followed State Street to North Temple (100 North), two blocks from the capitol, but now it turns at 400 South, following the former alignment of SR-186 and SR-176 west and north on 300 West, and rejoining its pre-2007 route at North Temple. In this area, modern US-89 runs for one block with the UTA TRAX Red Line
The Red Line is a light rail line on the TRAX system in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah operated by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA). It originally began operation in December 2001 as the peak-hour-only Sandy/University Line, running from the U ...
in its median before crossing the TRAX line in Main Street's median, then passing the Frank E. Moss United States Courthouse, Pioneer Park, the historic Warehouse District at Pierpont Avenue, Japantown, EnergySolutions Arena, the Arena TRAX station, the Triad Center, and West High School. As it leaves downtown, 300 West curves northwesterly and becomes Beck Street, meeting the modern terminus of SR-186 at Victory Road at the back side of Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...
.
Northern Wasatch Front
US-89 leaves Salt Lake City at exit 312 of 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 '' ...
, where it acts as I-15's frontage roads. Just south of I-15's junction with I-215 Interstate 215 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to Interstate 15 (I-15):
* Interstate 215 (California), a regional Interstate bypass for I-15 and a connection to I-10 that serves the ...
, US-89 splits to the northeast, passing through Bountiful and Woods Cross. A northerly curve onto 500 West removes the highway from Bountiful's Main Street, and it merges with I-15 at exit 317 to bypass Centerville and Farmington
Farmington may refer to:
Places Canada
*Farmington, British Columbia
*Farmington, Nova Scotia (disambiguation)
United States
* Farmington, Arkansas
*Farmington, California
* Farmington, Connecticut
*Farmington, Delaware
* Farmington, Georgia
...
, where the old road (former US-91, but never US-89) is SR-106, through the narrow strip of land that separates Farmington Bay
Farmington may refer to:
Places Canada
*Farmington, British Columbia
*Farmington, Nova Scotia (disambiguation)
United States
*Farmington, Arkansas
*Farmington, California
*Farmington, Connecticut
*Farmington, Delaware
*Farmington, Georgia
*Fa ...
from the Wasatch Mountains. US-89 leaves I-15 at exit 324, where the Legacy Parkway also ends, and proceeds north on a freeway. This portion of US-89 is the only one to include exit numbers based on its mileage, as opposed to the overlapping I-15 or I-70. The freeway ends after US-89 crosses SR-273, the former surface alignment of US-91 in both directions, and heads north as a four-lane road along the Wasatch foothills, to the east of Layton
Layton or The Laytons may refer to:
Places
United States
* Layton, Florida, a city
* Layton, Indiana, an unincorporated community
* Layton Township, Pottawattamie County, Iowa
* Layton, New Jersey, an unincorporated community
* Layton, Pennsyl ...
and Hill Air Force Base
Hill Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force (USAF) base located in northern Utah, just south of the city of Ogden, and bordering the Cities of Layton, Clearfield, Riverdale, Roy, and Sunset with its largest border immediately adjacent to ...
. This portion is planned to be upgraded to freeway status by 2023. After crossing I-84 in Uintah, US-89 enters Ogden, which it traverses via Washington Boulevard, rejoining old US-91 (now SR-26) south of downtown. Beyond Ogden, US-89 continues in a general northerly direction along the thin strip between Willard Bay
Willard Bay is a man-made fresh water reservoir in the Great Salt Lake, in northern Utah. The bay was separated from the Great Salt Lake in 1964, and has since served as a source of irrigation water and recreation for the northern Wasatch Front ...
and the Wasatch Mountains to Brigham City
Brigham City is a city in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 17,899 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Box Elder County. It lies on the western slope of the Wellsville Mountains, a branch of the Wasatch Range at ...
, where it finally turns east away from the I-15 corridor.[
]
Wasatch Front to Idaho border
US-89 meets the current alignment of US-91 in the southern outskirts of Brigham City, turning east for an overlap on the city's southeast bypass. ( SR-13 and SR-90
Strontium-90 () is a radioactive isotope of strontium produced by nuclear fission, with a half-life of 28.8 years. It undergoes β− decay into yttrium-90, with a decay energy of 0.546 MeV. Strontium-90 has applications in medicine and i ...
are the former alignment through Brigham City.) The two routes head east up Box Elder Canyon
Box Elder Canyon is a canyon located within the western slopes of the Wellsville Mountains, a branch of the Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains in the State of Utah, United States.
Description
The valley was created by a prehistoric river, ...
in the southern Wellsville Mountains, finally leaving the valley of the Great Salt Lake
The Great Salt Lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere and the eighth-largest terminal lake in the world. It lies in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah and has a substantial impact upon the local climate, particula ...
into a small valley that contains Mantua Reservoir
Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name.
In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Europ ...
(elevation 5200 feet/1585 m). US-89/US-91 turns north there, bypassing the town of Mantua to the west, and continues to ascend through Dry Canyon to Sardine Summit (elevation 5900 feet/1798 m). Another small valley leads to Wellsville Canyon, where the four-lane roadway again turns east and descends into the Cache Valley
Cache Valley is a valley of northern Utah and southeast Idaho, United States, that includes the Logan metropolitan area. The valley was used by 19th century mountain men and was the site of the 1863 Bear River Massacre. The name, Cache Valley i ...
. In that valley, US-89/US-91 heads northeast, bypassing Wellsville to the east, into downtown Logan
Logan may refer to:
Places
* Mount Logan (disambiguation)
Australia
* Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
* Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud
* Logan City, local gover ...
. US-91 continues northerly from Logan into Idaho, but US-89 splits to the east, beginning a long climb of the Bear River Range through Logan Canyon
Logan Canyon is in the western United States in northeastern Utah, a canyon that cuts its way through the Bear River Mountains, a branch of the Wasatch Range. It is popular for both summer and winter activities, especially rock-climbing, hikin ...
. The ''Logan Canyon Scenic Byway'', a Utah and National Scenic Byway
A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The program was established by Co ...
, begins at Logan and follows US-89 up the canyon, past the access road to the Beaver Mountain
Beaver Mountain is a ski area in the western United States, in northern Utah. First opened in 1939, it is located near the summit of Logan Canyon in the Bear River Mountains, west of Bear Lake and near the border with Idaho. While smaller and ...
ski area, to Garden City and on to the state line.[ ]Bear Lake Summit
Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the N ...
(elevation 7800 ft/2377 m), at the top of the range, is the highest point on US-89 in Utah, from which it descends the east slope via horseshoe curves to Garden City on the shore of Bear Lake (elevation 5900 ft/1798 m). The final segment of US-89 to the Idaho state line follows the lake's west shore, its location constrained by the Bear River Range just to the west.[
]
History
When US-89 was created in 1926, it only went as far north as Spanish Fork, where travelers could continue to Salt Lake City via US-91.American Association of State Highway Officials
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway design and construction throughout the United St ...
, United States Numbered Highways, ''American Highways
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
'', April 1927 The highway was extended north to the Canada–US border near Glacier National Park in the mid-1930s,[ Rand McNally & Company, Texaco Road Map]
Idaho, Montana, Wyoming
1937: note that the current routing is shown to the Utah-Idaho border, but Wyoming's preferred alignment is also labeled; the old US-189 is still present though a dispute between Utah and Idaho on the one side and Wyoming on the other was not settled until 1938. The American Association of State Highway Officials
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway design and construction throughout the United St ...
decided in favor of Utah and Idaho, placing US-89 on or near US-91 between Spanish Fork and Logan
Logan may refer to:
Places
* Mount Logan (disambiguation)
Australia
* Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
* Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud
* Logan City, local gover ...
, where it split northeasterly to Yellowstone National Park. (US-89 only left US-91 twice: between Farmington
Farmington may refer to:
Places Canada
*Farmington, British Columbia
*Farmington, Nova Scotia (disambiguation)
United States
* Farmington, Arkansas
*Farmington, California
* Farmington, Connecticut
*Farmington, Delaware
* Farmington, Georgia
...
and Ogden, where it still travels today, and via an all-weather route from Brigham City
Brigham City is a city in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 17,899 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Box Elder County. It lies on the western slope of the Wellsville Mountains, a branch of the Wasatch Range at ...
into the Cache Valley
Cache Valley is a valley of northern Utah and southeast Idaho, United States, that includes the Logan metropolitan area. The valley was used by 19th century mountain men and was the site of the 1863 Bear River Massacre. The name, Cache Valley i ...
, now SR-38 and SR-30.[ Rand McNallybr>Auto Road Atlas]
1946) Wyoming's preferred routing, which left US-91 at Provo, instead became US-189.Soda Springs Sun
Soda or SODA may refer to:
Chemistry
* Some chemical compounds containing sodium
** Sodium carbonate, washing soda or soda ash
** Sodium bicarbonate, baking soda
** Sodium hydroxide, caustic soda
** Sodium oxide, an alkali metal oxide
* Sod ...
, Road Routing of U.S. 89 Settled, December 15, 1938 Beginning in the 1950s, Interstate 15 was constructed, replacing US-91 for through traffic south of Brigham City, and leading to that route's truncation there in 1974.[ Utah Department of Transportation]
Highway Resolutions
, updated November 2007. Retrieved May 2008: includes scans of correspondence with AASHO On the other hand, US-89 follows independent corridors south of Spanish Fork and north of Logan. It has not been truncated and mostly follows US-91's final alignment, except between Farmington and Ogden (where old US-91 is now I-15, SR-126, and SR-26).
The southern part of US-89, running northerly from Kanab, mostly follows a succession of linear valleys. The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad opened a branch (later the Marysvale Branch) from its main line at Thistle to Manti in 1890, and extended it (through a subsidiary, the Sevier Railway
Sevier ( ) is an unincorporated community in southwestern Sevier County, Utah, United States. It lies in the valley of the Sevier River along U.S. Route 89 southwest of the city of Richfield, the county seat of Sevier County. Its elevatio ...
), to Salina in 1891, Belknap in 1896, and Marysvale in 1900. No rail line ever reached farther south, and so residents of towns such as Junction, Panguitch
Panguitch ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Garfield County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,520 at the 2010 census, and was estimated in 2018 to be 1,691. The name Panguitch comes from a Southern Paiute word meaning “Big Fish ...
, Alton, Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''.
It may refer to:
Places Australia
* Glendale, New South Wales
** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre
*Glendale, Queensland, ...
, and Kanab had to travel north to the railhead at Marysvale. The old county road through Circleville Canyon Circleville may refer to a community in the United States:
* Circleville, Indiana
* Circleville, Kansas
* Circleville, Missouri, in Cape Girardeau County
* Circleville, New York
* Circleville, Ohio
* Circleville, Pennsylvania, in Westmoreland ...
was poorly constructed, with steep grades and a rough surface.[Second Biennial Report of the State Road Commission to the Governor of Utah for the Year 1911 and 1912]
pp. 76, 78 The State Road Commission designated the highway from Nephi east through Salt Creek Canyon
The Salt Creek Canyon massacre occurred on June 4, 1858, when four Danish immigrants were ambushed and killed by unidentified Indians in Salt Creek Canyon, a winding canyon of Salt Creek east of present-day Nephi, in Juab County, Utah.
Massacr ...
and then south through these valleys to Kanab as a state road in or soon after 1910.[ Utah Department of Transportation]
Highway Resolutions
, updated January 2008. Retrieved May 2008 Initially, the route from the summit at Long Valley Junction to Kanab went through Alton and Johnson Canyon, entering Kanab from the east. A more direct route via Long Valley was considered, serving the communities of Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''.
It may refer to:
Places Australia
* Glendale, New South Wales
** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre
*Glendale, Queensland, ...
, Orderville, and Mt. Carmel, but this would have required difficult construction over a mesa covered in loose sand to reach Kanab. In summer 1912, the commission added a branch from Long Valley Junction to Mt. Carmel, allowing these communities access to the state road system, along with a connection west from the junction to Cedar City.[ Several years later, in December 1915, the commission added the Mt. Carmel-Kanab road over the sand hills to the system and began construction of a sand-clay road in 1916.][Fourth Biennial Report, State Road Commission, 1915 and 1916]
p. 163 A connection from Pigeon Hollow Junction north to Thistle was also added in 1912, following the rail line through a canyon and providing another route to Salt Lake City.[ Utah Department of Transportation]
Highway Resolutions
, updated October 2007. Retrieved May 2008
In 1919, the state legislature redefined the state road system to include only a short list given in the law and any federal aid projects. The route from Kanab north was kept, including both approaches to Kanab and the two roads to Nephi and Thistle. In addition, a short extension from Kanab south to Arizona was added. An amendment in 1923 removed most of the original route through Johnson Canyon, but added a second route to Alton from the west, effectively forming a large triangular loop through that town. (The old route from Alton south to Kanab would be re-added to the state road system in 1933 as SR-136.) In the early 1920s, the State Road Commission assigned numbers to several major state roads; the route from Arizona northerly through Kanab and Richfield to Nephi became .[ Rand McNallybr>Auto Road Atlas]
1926 The numbers were officially adopted by the legislature in 1927, with both the main route and the loop through Alton being defined as SR-11; a new followed the branch to Thistle. The Alton loop was removed from SR-11 in 1941, with the south half remaining in the system as part of SR-136. Despite these designations, the majority of SR-11 and all of SR-32 were instead marked as US-89, with the remainder of SR-11 between Pigeon Hollow Junction and Nephi marked as US-189 from about 1930 until 1938.
State Route 1
The following highways are numbered 1.
For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads.
For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads.
For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads.
For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads.
For roads numbered S ...
, which became U.S. Route 91 in 1926, ran north–south through central and northern Utah in the 1920s. State Route 2 left SR-1 at Logan
Logan may refer to:
Places
* Mount Logan (disambiguation)
Australia
* Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
* Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud
* Logan City, local gover ...
and ran east through Logan Canyon
Logan Canyon is in the western United States in northeastern Utah, a canyon that cuts its way through the Bear River Mountains, a branch of the Wasatch Range. It is popular for both summer and winter activities, especially rock-climbing, hikin ...
to Garden City; this had been built with federal aid as a forest road in about 1918.[Fifth Biennial Report, State Road Commission, 1917-1918]
p. 24 The road north from Garden City to Idaho was added to the system in 1921, and became part of State Route 3
The following highways are numbered 3, H-3, PRI-3, AH3, E03 and R3. For roads numbered A3, see A3 roads. For roads numbered M3, see M3. For roads numbered N3, see N3. For roads numbered 3A, see 3A.
International
* Asian Highway 3
* Europea ...
. In 1927, the legislature added State Route 49, an alternate southern entrance to Ogden that left SR-1 at Farmington
Farmington may refer to:
Places Canada
*Farmington, British Columbia
*Farmington, Nova Scotia (disambiguation)
United States
* Farmington, Arkansas
*Farmington, California
* Farmington, Connecticut
*Farmington, Delaware
* Farmington, Georgia
...
and merged with SR-5 ( US-30S) at Uintah. (Present SR-60 was numbered as a branch of SR-49 until 1935.) State Route 69
Route 69, or Highway 69, may refer to:
International
* European route E69
Australia
* Appin Road
Canada
* Alberta Highway 69
* Ontario Highway 69
China
* G69 Expressway
Finland
* Finnish national road 69
India
* National Highway 69 (Ind ...
, stretching from US-191 (now SR-13) just north of Brigham City
Brigham City is a city in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 17,899 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Box Elder County. It lies on the western slope of the Wellsville Mountains, a branch of the Wasatch Range at ...
north and east to US-91 in Logan, became a state highway in 1931. The 1930s extension of US-89 took it north from Thistle along US-50 ( SR-8) to Springville, US-91 (SR-1 and SR-106, later all SR-1) to Farmington, SR-49 to Uintah, US-30S (SR-5) to Ogden, US-91 (SR-1) to Brigham City, SR-69 to Logan, SR-2 to Garden City, and SR-3 to Idaho. US-89 was removed from SR-69 and overlapped with US-91 between Brigham City and Logan in the mid-1950s.[ Utah State Road Commission ( Rand McNally), Utah Official Highway Map, 1956]
In 1957, one year after construction began on the Glen Canyon Dam
Glen Canyon Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Colorado River in northern Arizona, United States, near the town of Page, Arizona, Page. The high dam was built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) from 1956 to 1966 and forms Lake Powe ...
, the legislature designated a new State Route 259, heading east and southeast from SR-11 in Kanab to Arizona en route to the dam and adjacent bridge.[ Utah Department of Transportation]
Highway Resolutions
, updated November 2007. Retrieved May 2008 This replaced about eight miles (13 km) of SR-136 (the original state highway from the 1910s) at its south end,[ Utah Department of Transportation]
Highway Resolutions
, updated November 2007. Retrieved May 2008 but the remainder was a new roadway, through an area not previously served by improved roads. The route passed the dam was initially designated as an alternate route of US-89, but when completed on 20 February 1959, it instead became US-89's mainline, as it was a better route during all weather, and the old route (SR-11 south of Kanab) became U.S. Route 89 Alternate.[ New York Times, New Bridge Spans Canyon of the Colorado Rover, 1 February 1959, p. X23]
Major numbering changes were made in Utah's state highway system in the 1960s and 1970s, beginning with the construction of 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 ...
s and culminating in the 1977 renumbering, where state route numbers concurrent with other types were dropped entirely. However, most of these changes were not visible to the public, as signs continued to display US-89 and other U.S. Routes and Interstates. The following changes were made to state routes related to US-89:[ Utah Department of Transportation]
Highway Resolutions
, updated October 2007. Retrieved May 2008
In particular, SR-11 was cut back to only the roadway south from Kanab, which had become US-89A in 1959.[
]
Major intersections
References
External links
Utah Scenic Byways: Kanab to Mt Carmel and Long Valley Scenic Byway
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Utah
Transportation in Kane County, Utah
Transportation in Garfield County, Utah
Transportation in Piute County, Utah
Transportation in Sevier County, Utah
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Transportation in Utah County, Utah
Transportation in Salt Lake County, Utah
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Transportation in Weber County, Utah
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