Utah State Route 24

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State Route 24
Capitol Reef Scenic Byway Defined by Utah Code §72-4-108
Length:	163.294 mi[1] (262.796 km)
Formed:	1910 as a state highway;[2] 1927 as SR-24[3]
West end:	US-50 in Salina
Major junctions:	SR-118 in Sigurd SR-62 near Koosharem SR-25 near Fish Lake SR-72 near Loa SR-12 in Torrey SR-95 in Hanksville
East end:	I-70 / US-50 near Green River
State Routes in Utah < SR-23 SR-25 >

State Route 24 (SR-24) is a state highway in south central Utah which runs south from Salina through Sevier County then east through Wayne County and north east through Emery County. A portion of the highway has been designated the Capitol Reef Scenic Byway as part of the Utah Scenic Byways program.

Contents 1 Route description 1.1 Traffic volume 2 History 3 Major Intersections 4 See also 5 References

[edit] Route description

The highway starts at US-50 near Salina and ends at I-70 near Green River, taking a 160 mile scenic route between the Fishlake and Dixie National Forests then through Capitol Reef National Park, along the eastern side of the San Rafael Reef passing Goblin Valley State Park and meeting I-70 again near Green River. Along the way it passes through the small towns of Loa, Lyman, Bicknell, Torrey and Hanksville. The highway traverses an ever drier series of scenic areas starting in the west with the high, forested, mountains of Fishlake National Forest then the red cliffs of the Bicknell, Torrey area before winding through the spectacular Waterpocket Fold in Capitol Reef N.P. to the much drier "moonscape" near Hanksville. The Mars Society established the Mars Desert Research Station just outside of Hanksville, due to its Mars-like terrain. The north easterly section past the San Rafael Reef is open desert with distant views of the Henry and La Sal Mountains.^[1]

[edit] Traffic volume

The Average Daily Traffic (AADT) for SR-24 is at its greatest between Salina and Sigurd, where it varies between 3,085 down to 1,500 at the Junction with SR-118. Past that point, the volume of traffic varies greatly, reaching peaks where the highway coincides with the main streets in the several towns through which it passes. In Loa, the AADT reaches 2,080, in Torrey, it peaks at 1,230. Then the traffic dies down to 295 by the time SR-24 arrives back at I-70.^[4]

[edit] History

SR-24 was commissioned in 1910, running from the Wayne-Piute county line to Hanksville. In 1912, it was extended west to Sigurd. In 1935, it was extended east to Green River. In 1953, the western terminus was designated at the current route of US-89 and the eastern terminus at the current route of I-70. In 1964, it was realigned in the Hanksville area. In 1971, the western terminus was extended north to SR-28 near Sigurd. In 1975, the western terminus was moved north to its current location.^[2]

[edit] Major Intersections

County	Location	Mile	Roads intersected	Notes
Sevier	Salina	0.000[1]	US-50 (Main Street) – Scipio	Western terminus
	Aurora	5.301	SR-260 north
	Sigurd	7.705	SR-259 north to I-70
		8.165	SR-118 south – Richfield
	Glenwood	16.006	SR-119 west – Richfield
	Koosharem	32.310	SR-62 south – Junction
Piute	Fish Lake	39.094	SR-25 north
Wayne	Loa	51.575	SR-72 north to I-70
	Torrey	69.526	SR-12 south – Escalante
	Hanksville	116.484	SR-95 south – Blanding
Emery	Green River	159.811-160.234	I-70 / US-50 – Richfield, Green River
		160.294	Four Corners Mine Road	Eastern terminus

[edit] See also

• List of Utah State Routes

[edit] References