State Route 59 (SR-59) is a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in the U.S. state of

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 highway connects

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

to the

twin cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in statu ...

of Hildale and Colorado City, Arizona. The highway connects to US-89A through Arizona State Route 389. The route was added to the state highway system in 1914, and has had several designations.

Route description

The route begins at the

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 ...

border in Hildale (whose Arizona counterpart is Colorado City). These two towns are largely known for the

Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) is a religious sect of the fundamentalist Mormon denominations whose members practice polygamy. The fundamentalist Mormon movement emerged in the early 20th century, ...

(or the FLDS), a Mormon fundamentalist sect that broke away the mainstream

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The c ...

(or the LDS). The highway proceeds northwest past Hildale (where the street is known as State Street) for nearly 15 miles before beginning a 5-mile (8 km) descent into Hurricane. A

runaway truck ramp A runaway truck ramp, runaway truck lane, escape lane, emergency escape ramp, or truck arrester bed is a traffic device that enables vehicles which are having braking problems to safely stop. It is typically a long, sand- or gravel-filled lane co ...

is located along this descent. The route enters Hurricane on 100 South and proceeds to turn north on Main Street. The route proceeds for a block before terminating at SR-9 (State Street). The northernmost of the route is included in the National Highway System.

History

The road from SR-15 (now SR-9 and SR-17) at La Verkin Junction south to

was added to the state highway system in 1912, and in 1914 it was extended southeast via Big Plain Junction to

. Utah Department of Transportation
Highway Resolutions
, updated September 2007, accessed May 2008 Utah Department of Transportation
Highway Resolutions
, updated November 2007, accessed May 2008 In the 1920s, the entire route was numbered State Route 16. A connection from SR-15 (now SR-9) in Rockville south to SR-16 at Big Plain Junction became a state highway in 1925. In 1927, SR-16 was moved to the Rockville-Arizona route, and the roadway between La Verkin and Big Plain Junctions became part of the new SR-17, which also went southwest from Hurricane to SR-1 ( US-91, now

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 '' ...

). The Hurricane-Big Plain Junction branch was split from SR-17 in 1931, becoming a new State Route 59. The entirety of SR-16 was deleted in 1935, permanently removing the Rockville-Big Plain Junction road from the state highway system; the highway beyond Big Plain Junction to Arizona was also removed, but was re-added in 1941 as part of SR-59, forming the present extent of that route. SR-59 was almost completed relocated in 1962, including a new crossing of the state line; it had ended at the west end of Uzona Avenue, which extends west along the border from Colorado City/ Hildale, but now crosses within the city limits. The connecting State Route 389 in Arizona was not added to that state's state highway system until 1959.Arizona Highway Data: Search Right-of-Way Resolutions
accessed June 2008

Major intersections

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:State Route 059 059 059