State Route 89 and 89A in Arizona

State Route 89 in Arizona

According to foodezine, State Route 89 is a state route in the U.S. state of Arizona. The road forms a north-south route through the center of the state, from near Wickenburg via Prescott to Ash Fork. State Route 89 is 168 kilometers long.

Travel directions

State Route 89 at the Hell Canyon Bridge.

State Route 89 splits off US 93 10 kilometers northwest of Wickenburg and then heads north through the flat desert to Congress, before heading northeast through the mountains. At Yarnell the road rises from 1,000 to 1,500 metres, with two carriageways, a winding southbound carriageway and a more modern, wider northbound carriageway. After Yarnell, State Route 89 is single-lane again. The road then leads over a plateau for about 30 kilometers, after which a rather winding section follows through the mountains to Prescott. The road rises here to an altitude of almost 1,900 meters.

Prescott is the largest town on the route and the largest city in Arizona that is not on a highway. State Route 89 runs through downtown and joins at grade separations on the east side of downtown with State Route 69, which runs to Interstate 17 to the east. On the north side of Prescott, the road leads through the Granite Dells, with special rock formations.

Near the Prescott Municipal Airport, one crosses State Route 89A, which leads toward Flagstaff. State Route 89 itself heads north, mostly through flat terrain at 1,300 to 1,600 meters. There are still a few small towns on the route, but major roads no longer cross between Prescott and Interstate 40 at Ash Fork. State Route 89 then ends on the east side of Ash Fork on I-40.

History

The road was originally part of US 89 between US 93 at Wickenburg and US 66 (later I-40) at Ash Fork. In 1992, US 89 south of Flagstaff was scrapped, after which this section was renumbered as State Route 89.

The road was originally a major route from Phoenix to Prescott, but the construction of Interstate 17 and the widening of State Route 69 made it the primary route.

In 1954, the Hell Canyon Bridge opened north of Paulden. This bridge was replaced between 2015 and 2016.

The double-lane section at Yarnell was built in or before the 1990s. The road has been extended to a 2×2 divided highway between Prescott and Chino Valley. The grade-separated connection with State Route 89A opened in about 2008 and the widening of the road between Prescott and Chino Valley was completed in 2015.

Traffic intensities

Every day, 2,200 vehicles drive between US 93 and Congress and mostly 1,000 to 1,500 vehicles between Congress and Prescott. In Prescott, this increases to 11,000 vehicles downtown and 24,000 vehicles at the junction with SR-69. After that, 13,000 to 20,000 vehicles will drive between Prescott and Chino Valley. Further north, 3,000 to 4,000 vehicles continue to Ash Fork.

State Route 89A in Arizona

According to bittranslators, State Route 89A is a state route in the U.S. state of Arizona. The road connects Prescott and Flagstaff in the middle of the state. The road is considered one of the most beautiful roads in Arizona, especially the part through the Oak Creek Canyon. The road is 135 kilometers long.

Travel directions

State Route 89A near Sedona.

State Route 89A through Oak Creek Canyon.

State Route 89A begins on the north side of the city of Prescott at a grade-separated junction with State Route 89. The first 7 miles along Prescott Valley is practically a freeway, with 5 grade separated junctions and only one occasional intersection onto a dirt road. After Prescott Valley, the road is single-lane and initially leads through a flat desert area at 1,500 meters. Then begins an ascent through a canyon to an approximately 2,150 meter high mountain pass. This part of the area is high enough to be forested.

From Jerome, the SR-89A descends again via hairpin bends to Clarkdale at 1,100 meters. A short stretch between Clarkdale and Cottonwood is a 2×2 divided highway with roundabouts. Then a 15-mile stretch of flat plateau between Cottonwood and Sedona. This part is equipped with 2×2 lanes. High mountains are already looming around Sedona.

The most spectacular part of the road is between Sedona and Flagstaff, where the road leads through Oak Creek Canyon, a deep gorge. The road leads through Slide Rock State Park here. At the end of the canyon there are hairpin bends and one reaches a 2000 meter high plateau south of Flagstaff. The road then continues through wooded areas to Flagstaff where SR-89A ends at the terminus of Interstate 17.

History

The route was designated State Route 79 in 1927, but at the time it ran only from Prescott to Clarksdale. Prescott is historically one of the state’s most important places, and in the early 20th century it was nearly the same size as Phoenix. In 1929 the road was extended to Sedona, but none of it was paved. In 1930, a dirt road was built between Sedona and Flagstaff. In the early 1930s, the road was upgraded to a gravel road, after which the route was completely asphalted between 1935 and 1938.

The road was originally the thoroughfare between Phoenix and Flagstaff. In 1941 the road was renumbered as US 89A. After Interstate 17 was built between Phoenix and Flagstaff in the 1960s and 1970s, US 89A lost its through-going importance. It became mainly a tourist road. In 1993, US 89 south of Flagstaff was scrapped and the road was renumbered State Route 89A.

A new route has been constructed as a freeway at Prescott and Prescott Valley. This opened to traffic around 2002, although some connections were built later. The connection with the SR-89 opened around 2008. In 2011, the connection with Granite Dells Parkway opened. The connection with Viewpoint Drive opened in 2012.

Traffic intensities

Every day, 20,000 to 28,000 vehicles travel the freeway section between Prescott and Prescott Valley. This then drops to 1,500 to 2,000 vehicles over the mountain pass to Jerome. This rises again to 20,000 vehicles in Cottonwood and 12,000 to 15,000 vehicles between Cottonwood and Sedona. Sedona has a third peak of 26,000 vehicles. 5,000 to 6,000 vehicles per day travel through Oak Creek Canyon and continue on 4,000 vehicles to Flagstaff.