State Route 72 (SR-72) 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 In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

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 current alignment is an extension of SR-10. The highway provides access to

Loa ( ), also called loa or loi, are spirits in the African diasporic religion of Haitian Vodou. They have also been incorporated into some revivalist forms of Louisiana Voodoo. Many of the lwa derive their identities in part from deities venerate ...

from

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15, I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of Interstate 695 (Maryland), I-695 in ...

(I-70).

Route description

The highway begins in

and proceeds north towards Fremont and across

Fishlake National Forest Fishlake National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in south central Utah. The namesake for the forest is Fish Lake, the largest freshwater mountain lake in the state. Wildlife Animals that inhabit this forest are elk, shrews, deer, b ...

. The portion across Fishlake National Forest is frequently closed during winter weather. While in the national forest the highway passes by landmarks such as Foy Bench and The Frying Pan. The highway ends where SR-10 begins. This is near the Ivie Creek

Rest Area A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names include motorway servi ...

along I-70. This junction is called Fremont Junction by most maps and the Utah legislature. Aside from the rest area, no permanent structures exist at this location.

History

State Route 121 was created in 1931, connecting SR-24 at

with Fremont. Two years later, the route was renumbered 72 and extended to Fremont Junction on SR-10. State Route 250 was created in 1953 as a connection from SR-24 between Loa and Lyman north to the 90° turn in SR-72, but was given back to the county in 1969.

Utah Department of Transportation The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is an agency of the state government of Utah, United States; it is usually referred to by its initials UDOT (pronounced "you-dot"). UDOT is charged with maintaining the more than of roadway that co ...

State Route History
, accessed July 2007 With the completion of

I-70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the co ...

along SR-10's alignment, most of the old road was relinquished to Sevier County in 1976. Since there was no interchange at Fremont Junction, SR-72 was extended east about two miles (3 km) to the point where I-70 left the SR-10 alignment to cross the

San Rafael Swell The San Rafael Swell is a large geologic feature located in south-central Utah, United States about west of Green River. The San Rafael Swell, measuring approximately , consists of a giant dome-shaped anticline of sandstone, shale, and limeston ...

Highway Resolutions
, updated November 2007, accessed May 2008 (A short piece of old SR-10 west of SR-72 was restored to the state highway system in 1978 as SR-76.

Highway Resolutions
, updated November 2007, accessed May 2008)

Major intersections

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:State Route 072 072 072 072