U.S. Route 89A

U.S. Route 89A marker
U.S. Route 89A
Map
US 89A highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of US 89
Maintained by ADOT and UDOT
Length91.74 mi[1] (147.64 km)
Existed1960–present
Tourist
routes
Fredonia–Vermillion Cliffs Scenic Road[2]
Major junctions
South end US 89 in Bitter Springs, AZ
Major intersections SR 67 in Jacob Lake, AZ
SR 389 in Fredonia, AZ
North end US 89 in Kanab, UT
Location
CountryUnited States
CountiesAZ: Coconino
UT: Kane
Highway system
  • Utah State Highway System
  • Arizona State Highway System

SR-89UT SR-90
SR 89AZ SR 89A

U.S. Route 89A is a 91.74-mile (147.64 km) north–south auxiliary U.S. highway (though its actual direction of travel is more east–west) in southwestern Kane County, Utah and northeastern Coconino County, Arizona in the southwestern United States. The highway is an old routing of U.S. Route 89 from Bitter Springs, Arizona to Kanab, Utah. The state of Arizona has designated this highway the Fredonia-Vermilion Cliffs Scenic Road.[3] The highway is used to access the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park and is known for the Navajo Bridge. Until 2008, the Utah portion was signed State Route 11. The route provides the only direct road connection between the Arizona Strip and the rest of Arizona.

US 89A southeast of Navajo Bridge, June 2009

Route description

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The highway's southern terminus is at U.S. Route 89 south of Page, Arizona. Its northern terminus is in Kanab, Utah, also at US 89. US 89A runs near or through Lee's Ferry, the Navajo Bridge, Vermilion Cliffs, the Kaibab Plateau, and Fredonia, Arizona. The eastern portion of the highway runs through part of the Navajo Nation. From Jacob Lake, Arizona State Route 67 (AZ 67) branches off south, leading to the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. US 89A then continues north to the neighboring cities of Fredonia, Arizona and Kanab, Utah. The Utah portion of US 89A is defined by Utah Code Annotated §72-4-114.[4]

History

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Navajo Bridges over Marble Canyon along US 89A, June 2009

This was part of mainline US 89 until the construction of Glen Canyon Dam. In 1960, US 89 was moved to a new, more northerly route and the old route became US 89A.

The Utah segment of US 89A was first commissioned as part of Utah State Route 11. This highway ran from Nephi to the Arizona state line near Kanab. This route is still drivable as the modern US 89A, US 89, and Utah SR-132. With the establishment of the United States highway system in 1926, most of SR-11 was used for the routing of US 89 through southern Utah; the internal designation used by state agencies remained SR-11.[5] In 1969, as part of a series of changes to state routes, the portion north of Sevier Junction (I-70 and US 89 near Joseph) was transferred to other routes, removing the only part of State Route 11 that was signed with the state designation. It is also during this time that a new alignment for US 89 was constructed to serve the Glen Canyon Dam, with SR-11 being now signed as US 89A south of Kanab and US 89 to the north. As part of the 1977 Utah state route renumbering to conform signage and legislative definitions, SR-11 was truncated to what is now signed US 89A.[5] The route was signed SR-11, with "TO US 89A" at the northern terminus in Kanab and a "TO US 89" at the Arizona state line. In 2008, however, SR-11 was deleted after a bill in the Utah legislature was passed to restore U.S. Route 89A in Utah.[6]

From 1941 to 1992, there was a discontinuous southern portion US 89A running from Flagstaff to Prescott, Arizona, now designated Arizona State Route 89A.

Stone House at the Vermilion Cliffs, near Cliff Dwellers Lodge, Arizona

Junction list

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StateCountyLocation[7]mi[8][9]kmDestinationsNotes
ArizonaCoconinoBitter Springs0.0000.000 US 89 – Page, FlagstaffSouthern terminus; milepost 524
Jacob Lake55.2388.88
SR 67 south – North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park
Milepost 579
Fredonia85.07136.91

SR 389 west to I-15 – Colorado City, Hurricane
Milepost 609
 88.88
0.000
143.04
0.000
Arizona–Utah state line
UtahKaneKanab2.9454.740 US 89 – Panguitch, Big Water, Salt Lake City, Page (Arizona)Northern terminus; highway continues as US-89 north (100 E north)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Summing AZ and UT Mileage logs used as sources in the Major intersections section
  2. ^ Arizona Department of Transportation (2014). "Arizona Parkways, Historic and Scenic Roads" (PDF). Phoenix: Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  3. ^ "Scenic Roads". Arizona Department of Transportation.
  4. ^ Utah State Legislature. "Utah Code". Archived from the original on July 11, 2008. Retrieved March 22, 2008 – via Wayback Machine.
  5. ^ a b "Highway Resolutions - Route 11" (PDF). Utah Department of Transportation. September 2007. Retrieved February 3, 2008.
  6. ^ "H.B. 61 Bill Documents - 2008 General Session". Utah State Legislature.
  7. ^ Utah Road and Recreation Atlas (Map). 1:170000. Benchmark Maps. 2002. p. 82. § G3. ISBN 0-929591-74-7.
  8. ^ "Highway Reference Information - Route 11" (pdf). Utah Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 3, 2008.
  9. ^ Arizona Department of Transportation. "2006 ADOT Highway Log" (PDF). Archived from the original (pdf) on June 25, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2008.
[edit]
KML is from Wikidata
Browse numbered routes
SR 8989A SR 89A
SR-1011 SR-12
US 8989A SR-90