Utah State Route 12

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State Route 12
A Journey Through Time Scenic Byway
Defined by Utah Code §72-4-107, maintained by UDOT
Length: 122.863 mi[1] (197.729 km)
Formed: 1914 [2]
West end: US-89 near Panguitch
Major
junctions:		 SR-63 near Tropic
East end: SR-24 near Torrey
State Routes in Utah
< SR-10 SR-13 >
SR12, as seen from the Head of the Rocks overlook.
SR12, as seen from the Head of the Rocks overlook.

State Route 12 or Scenic Byway 12 (SR-12), also known as "Highway 12 — A Journey Through Time Scenic Byway", is a state highway designated an All-American Road located in Garfield County and Wayne County, Utah, USA.

Contents

[edit] Route description

Proceeding west to east for 122 miles (nearly 200 km), the highway starts south of Panguitch at an intersection with US-89, crosses part of Dixie National Forest and Bryce Canyon National Park, continues through the small towns of Tropic, Cannonville, and Henrieville. It crosses various parts of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GS-ENM), continues northeast through Escalante and over the Escalante River, then north through more of GS-ENM, Boulder, the Aquarius Plateau, Grover, ending in Torrey at an intersection with SR-24, five miles west of Capitol Reef National Park. The 30 mile long portion of the highway that ascends and descends Boulder Mountain on the Aquarius Plateau is known as Boulder Mountain Highway.[1]

[edit] Traffic volume

The Average Daily Traffic (AADT) on SR-12 is at its greatest at its western junction with US-89, where the count for 2005 was 2,430. At its other end, at the junction with SR-24, the traffic bottoms out at 435. [3]

[edit] History

SR-12 was commissioned in 1912, running from the current western terminus to Tropic. In 1923, it was extended to Bryce Canyon. In 1969, a section of SR-54 from Tropic to the Dixie National Forest boundary at Boulder was transferred to SR-12 and the section from Tropic to Bryce Canyon National Park designated a stub. In 1975, the Bryce Canyon stub was redesignated SR-63. In 1985, the Utah Transportation Commission proposed extending SR-12 to the current eastern terminus; this was approved in 1986. In 1998, Escalante was added to the official route definition.[2]

[edit] Major intersections

County Location Mile Roads intersected Notes
Garfield Bryce Canyon Junction 0.000[1] US-89 – Kanab, Panguitch Western terminus
Bryce Canyon 2.766 SR-63 south
Wayne Torrey 122.863 SR-24 – Loa, Hanksville Eastern terminus

[edit] See also

[edit] Gallery

SR12 goes north up the canyon in the upper left of the photo after crossing the Escalante River.
The canyons after the Escalante River.
Red Canyon, in Utah's Dixie National Forest, is near the western end of Route 12.
An overlook from the eastern portion of Highway 12.
Calf Creek Canyon runs near Route 12.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c UDOT Highway Reference, SR-12
  2. ^ a b UDOT Highway Resolutions, SR-12
  3. ^ UDOT Traffic Counts, page 6

[edit] External links

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