Canceled U.S. 789

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U.S. 789 was a designation proposed for the Canada to Mexico Highway. The Canada-to-Mexico Highway Association advocated for this new highway to run from Nogales, Arizona, north to Sweetgrass, Montana dating back to at least 1946. A meeting held by the Canada-to-Mexico Highway Association in Billings, Montana in June 1950 suggested U.S. 777 for the corridor. John E. Wiley, Assistant Secretary of the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) responded on July 24, 1950:

With regard to an appropriate number for your route, I am not of the opinion that 777 would be acceptable. The number should be consistent with the system already established. The numbers 85 through 87 (north and south routes) are already assigned and this proposal will fall in between them. It does appear then, that a number of three digits such as 387 or even 787 would be more fitting. The 77 basic route is considerably east of that area and therefore would be out of place.

The Montana State Highway Department joined other states along the Canada to Mexico Highway formally requesting for the designation of U.S. 789 to AASHO on November 20, 1950. These requests were declined. Montana again submitted to AASHO on February 29, 1952 for U.S. 789 along the same route. However correspondence from AASHO to the Montana on October 14, 1952 indicated that petitions from other states along the route were not received. Without all states involved in the request, it could not be considered by AASHO. Furthermore AASHO denied the request because the bulk of the new route was to follow existing U.S. highway.

The canceled route of U.S. 789 within the Equality State was commissioned in 1954 as Wyoming Highway 789. Since it was not to be U.S. 789, the individual state departments of transportation assigned 789 as a multi state highway (MSR) along the Canada to Mexico Highway. The route began at the International Border in Nogales, Arizona, then traveled north along U.S. 89 through Tucson to Florence. Arizona State Route 789 then turned east along U.S. 60-70 to Globe, then followed U.S. 60 northeast to SR 61 and U.S. 666. U.S. 666 and SR 789 turned north to meet U.S. 66 (Interstate 40), which carried both routes to Gallup, New Mexico. State Road 789 continued north with U.S. 666 through Farmington into Cortez, Colorado. U.S. 160 and State Highway 789 turned east to serve Durango.

Within Durango, SH 789 turned north again, this time via U.S. 550. SH 789 followed U.S. 50 northwest from Montrose to Grand Junction, then turned east again alongside via U.S. 6-24 (Interstate 70). Resuming a northward heading at Rifle, SH 789 followed SH 13 to the Wyoming state line ahead of Baggs.

Wyoming Highway 789 runs north from Baggs to an overlap with I-80/U.S. 30 east from Creston to Rawlins. WY 789 then combines with U.S. 287 north to Lamont and west to Lander. Shifting northeast, WY 789 continues 25 miles to Riverton, where it joins U.S. 26 for a 22 mile long concurrency to Shoshoni. U.S. 26 heads east alongside U.S. 20 to Casper while WY 789 joins U.S. 20 north through Wind River Canyon to Thermopolis and U.S. 16 at Worland. U.S. 16/20 and WY 789 overlap 39 miles north from there to U.S. 14 at Greybull. The four routes turn west five miles to the south end of U.S. 310.

The remainder of WY 789 combines with U.S. 310 north from U.S. 14/16/20 near Greyball to U.S. 14 ALT at Lovell and west to Cowley and Deaver. WY 789 ends at the Montana state line just north of Frannie. MSR formerly continued with U.S. 310 in Montana to Laurel. MT 789 turned east via U.S. 10-212 (Interstate 90) into Billings, where the highway combined with U.S. 87 north to Great Falls. MT 789 overlayed U.S. 91 (Interstate 15) north from Great Falls to the Canadian border at Sweetgrass.

Per research from Matt Salek, Multi State Highway was designated in 1954 as the Canada to Mexico Highway. An excerpt from the 1976 book The High Road at the Colorado State Library adds:

There was also a route from Dallas to Canada via Denver called the D.C.D. This followed the Great North and South Highway through Colorado, but reports indicate interest in this road lagged somewhat by the time it reached Montana. Years later, interest in a continuous north and south route was rekindled. A concerted drive resulted in signing U.S. 789 [now SH 789] which runs through far Western Colorado. This route was originally promoted as a Canada-to-Mexico Highway, running from Nogales, Arizona, to Sweet Grass, Montana.

MSR 789 appeared on the 1954 Wyoming Highway Map, but not the 1955 Colorado Highway Map. The 1972 and 1980 maps produced by the Colorado Department of Highways (predecessor to the Colorado Department of Transportation) referenced SH 789 as the "Mexico-Canada Highway." Within the Centennial State, SH 789 was not exclusively used on any stretch of highway. Instead it was routed concurrently with existing routes such as SH 13, U.S. 550, etc.



    Page Updated 06-02-2023.

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