US 60, US 70, US 80, US 89, US 280, and AZ 93 in Phoenix

Started by Max Rockatansky, September 13, 2018, 06:22:15 PM

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Max Rockatansky

I was going through some of my older photos I took of the US 80 alignment in Phoenix today; namely the junction of Van Buren Street and Grand Avenue in addition to the 12'0 17th Street underpass.  Put together a small blog article detailing the history of each US Route in Phoenix, what would have been US 280, and AZ 93 within the City.  The only route I couldn't find a clear time frame for decomissioning in downtown Phoenix was AZ 93:

http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2018/09/us-routes-through-phoenix-az.html


The Ghostbuster

It's hard to believe that four US Highways once penatrated the Phoenix area, yet only one does today.

Zonie

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on September 13, 2018, 06:22:15 PM
I was going through some of my older photos I took of the US 80 alignment in Phoenix today; namely the junction of Van Buren Street and Grand Avenue in addition to the 12'0 17th Street underpass.  Put together a small blog article detailing the history of each US Route in Phoenix, what would have been US 280, and AZ 93 within the City.  The only route I couldn't find a clear time frame for decomissioning in downtown Phoenix was AZ 93:

http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2018/09/us-routes-through-phoenix-az.html

Looks like late 1984

http://azhighwaydata.com/resolutions/?resnum=1984-12-A-086

NE2

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on September 13, 2018, 06:47:32 PM
It's hard to believe that four US Highways once penatrated the Phoenix area, yet only one does today.
It's easy to believe. You're weird.
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

US 89

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on September 13, 2018, 06:47:32 PM
It's hard to believe that four US Highways once penatrated the Phoenix area, yet only one does today.

Not uncommon. The same thing happened with Salt Lake City; they originally had US 40, 50, 89, and 91, but only 89 remains.

And look at Los Angeles. They only have 101 today, but in the past they had 6, 60, 66, 70, 91, 99, and 101.

Max Rockatansky

#5
Quote from: Zonie on September 13, 2018, 07:38:36 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on September 13, 2018, 06:22:15 PM
I was going through some of my older photos I took of the US 80 alignment in Phoenix today; namely the junction of Van Buren Street and Grand Avenue in addition to the 12'0 17th Street underpass.  Put together a small blog article detailing the history of each US Route in Phoenix, what would have been US 280, and AZ 93 within the City.  The only route I couldn't find a clear time frame for decomissioning in downtown Phoenix was AZ 93:

http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2018/09/us-routes-through-phoenix-az.html

Looks like late 1984

http://azhighwaydata.com/resolutions/?resnum=1984-12-A-086

Thanks, I had it tracked down to some time in the 1980s but definitely appreciate the date confirmation.  Just wish that I had my old photos of abandoned AZ 93 on the Gila Reservation still.

Quote from: US 89 on September 13, 2018, 09:13:07 PM
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on September 13, 2018, 06:47:32 PM
It's hard to believe that four US Highways once penatrated the Phoenix area, yet only one does today.

Not uncommon. The same thing happened with Salt Lake City; they originally had US 40, 50, 89, and 91, but only 89 remains.

And look at Los Angeles. They only have 101 today, but in the past they had 6, 60, 66, 70, 91, 99, and 101.

Its strange to look at those old maps and seeing how small Phoenix was compared to modern times.  Regarding Phoenix it's not surprised that AZ 93 made it through the city, it was the tact of the time to multiplex as many long US Routes as possible border-to-border or coast-to-coast.  If I recall correct ADOT wanted US 93 to multiplex US 89 all the way to the border but kept getting rejected.

707

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on September 13, 2018, 10:56:15 PM
If I recall correct ADOT wanted US 93 to multiplex US 89 all the way to the border but kept getting rejected.

Yup. Hypocritical AASHTO wouldn't even let US 93 exist south of Kingman without a fight, even though they literally had no issue with the US 60/70 multiplex from Globe to LA or the US 40/50 one from Oakland to San Francisco. Or even US 89 being concurrent with other U.S. Routes until Tucson from Wickenburg. Kind of like how they won't let any state designate a U.S. Route entirely within itself anymore, but they don't force New Jersey to remove US 46.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: 707 on September 14, 2018, 04:24:57 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on September 13, 2018, 10:56:15 PM
If I recall correct ADOT wanted US 93 to multiplex US 89 all the way to the border but kept getting rejected.

Yup. Hypocritical AASHTO wouldn't even let US 93 exist south of Kingman without a fight, even though they literally had no issue with the US 60/70 multiplex from Globe to LA or the US 40/50 one from Oakland to San Francisco. Or even US 89 being concurrent with other U.S. Routes until Tucson from Wickenburg. Kind of like how they won't let any state designate a U.S. Route entirely within itself anymore, but they don't force New Jersey to remove US 46.

The terminus of US 89 ought to be in Wickenburg, ending it at US 180 is weird.  The difference between US 60/70 versus is US 93 is that the extensions in the 1930s typically were goaled with getting US Routes as long as possible even if it meant multiplexes.  There wasn't a viable route south of Kingman for quite some time after US 93 was extended there in 1938.  By the time US 93 was extended in 1965 it was smack dab in the middle of the Interstate era.  It was kind of lucky US 93 was extended at all since the tact was was towards minimizing US Routes for Interstate.  Current AASHTO guidelines require at minimum 300 in-state miles for a route to exist.  That said a lot of older routes are under that 300 mile limit like US 92 and 192. 

The Ghostbuster

I agree that US 89's southern terminus should be at Wickenburg. However, it appears US 89's southern end is going to stay where it is, like it's been since 1992. Also I think US 180 should end in Holbrook, like US 260 once did. The long duplex with Interstate 40 seems unnecessary to me. US 180 from Flagstaff to Valle could be AZ 180.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on September 14, 2018, 06:07:07 PM
I agree that US 89's southern terminus should be at Wickenburg. However, it appears US 89's southern end is going to stay where it is, like it's been since 1992. Also I think US 180 should end in Holbrook, like US 260 once did. The long duplex with Interstate 40 seems unnecessary to me. US 180 from Flagstaff to Valle could be AZ 180.

Oddly US 180 ends co-signed with AZ 64 at the border of Grand Canyon National Park.  I think that the theme was a National Parks Highway considering it touches four of them. 

sparker

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on September 14, 2018, 06:53:48 PM
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on September 14, 2018, 06:07:07 PM
I agree that US 89's southern terminus should be at Wickenburg. However, it appears US 89's southern end is going to stay where it is, like it's been since 1992. Also I think US 180 should end in Holbrook, like US 260 once did. The long duplex with Interstate 40 seems unnecessary to me. US 180 from Flagstaff to Valle could be AZ 180.

Oddly US 180 ends co-signed with AZ 64 at the border of Grand Canyon National Park.  I think that the theme was a National Parks Highway considering it touches four of them. 

At the time (1961) that US 180 was extended over former US 260 to the Grand Canyon, only 2 NP's were along the (extended) route:  Carlsbad Caverns and, of course Grand Canyon itself.  Petrified Forest was a national monument, and Guadalupe wasn't even on anyone's radar back then.  The whole 180 extension was simply to provide a single number from Texas to Grand Canyon for tourist navigational purposes.  But with the completion of I-10, I-17, and I-40, the concept is largely obsolescent except in regards to the relatively few "back roads" enthusiasts.  IMO, US 180 should be truncated in El Paso (or possibly even farther east) and another US route restored to the former US 260 corridor (I would imagine AZDOT would object to US 260, as their longstanding AZ 260 crosses much of the state in the same general area).  Maybe US 660 (a backhanded tribute to the late US 666!).

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: sparker on September 14, 2018, 10:04:01 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on September 14, 2018, 06:53:48 PM
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on September 14, 2018, 06:07:07 PM
I agree that US 89's southern terminus should be at Wickenburg. However, it appears US 89's southern end is going to stay where it is, like it's been since 1992. Also I think US 180 should end in Holbrook, like US 260 once did. The long duplex with Interstate 40 seems unnecessary to me. US 180 from Flagstaff to Valle could be AZ 180.

Oddly US 180 ends co-signed with AZ 64 at the border of Grand Canyon National Park.  I think that the theme was a National Parks Highway considering it touches four of them. 

At the time (1961) that US 180 was extended over former US 260 to the Grand Canyon, only 2 NP's were along the (extended) route:  Carlsbad Caverns and, of course Grand Canyon itself.  Petrified Forest was a national monument, and Guadalupe wasn't even on anyone's radar back then.  The whole 180 extension was simply to provide a single number from Texas to Grand Canyon for tourist navigational purposes.  But with the completion of I-10, I-17, and I-40, the concept is largely obsolescent except in regards to the relatively few "back roads" enthusiasts.  IMO, US 180 should be truncated in El Paso (or possibly even farther east) and another US route restored to the former US 260 corridor (I would imagine AZDOT would object to US 260, as their longstanding AZ 260 crosses much of the state in the same general area).  Maybe US 660 (a backhanded tribute to the late US 666!).

Really there was an easy opportunity missed to get US 80 to El Paso via US 180.  Aside from that I agree with everything else but I would say that I think US 62 is on a way too long multiplex of US 180 to get to El Paso.

Took this photo at the boundary of Grand Canyon National Park in 2016 showing US 180 and AZ 64 signed together:

64AZc by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

This sign assembly was looking north from Valle towards the Grand Canyon National Park boundary:

64AZd by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

sparker

^^^^^^^
I'd get rid of US 180 on the multiplex east of El Paso before I'd truncate US 62, which takes the prize for being the weirdest border-to-border US highway out there! 



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