| State Route 87 | |||||||
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| Route information | |||||||
| Maintained by ADOT | |||||||
| Length: | 272.66 mi[1] (438.80 km) | ||||||
| Existed: | 1927 – present | ||||||
| Major junctions | |||||||
| South end: | SR 84 near Picacho | ||||||
| SR 202 in Chandler US 60 in Mesa SR 202 in Mesa I-40 in Winslow |
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| North end: | SR 264 near Second Mesa | ||||||
| Highway system | |||||||
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State routes in Arizona
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State Route 87 (SR 87) is a north–south road that travels from SR 84 near Picacho, Arizona northward to SR 264 near Second Mesa.
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The road that becomes Route 87 begins at Second Mesa, Arizona. It becomes a state route when it crosses the reservation boundary line and it ends at Interstate 10 exit 211, just south of Eloy, Arizona in the unincorporated town of Picacho.
Route 87 is known as the Beeline Highway from Payson through Fountain Hills to its terminus at McDowell Road, just north of Mesa. All of this portion of Route 87 is a four-lane highway.
There is a stretch of road where the highway splits, taking different canyons through the Mazatzal Mountains south of Payson, near the junction with SR 188. The old alignment is currently the southbound lanes, while a new alignment was built for the northbound lanes. There is a stretch where the roads cross-over each other because of the difference in elevations of the two canyons.
Once it gets to Mesa, Route 87 is known as Country Club Drive, a major-arterial street, six lanes wide in most sections. It then passes through Chandler where it becomes Arizona Avenue. South of Chandler, at Hunt Highway, Route 87 proceeds southeasterly as a two-lane rural road through the Gila River Indian Community until it reaches Coolidge.
In Coolidge, Route 87 is known as Arizona Blvd. It finally ends 16 miles (26 km) south of Coolidge, near the unincorporated town of Picacho, Arizona. The original southern terminus was 1/2 mile to the north of I-10 at its junction with State Route 84 until 2004 when Route 87 was extended to serve the 1/2 mile decertified SR 84 stretch.
ADOT is currently studying a stretch of I-10 to widen and improve interchanges along its stretch from Tucson to Casa Grande, including the interchange with Route 87. [1]
Route 87 is part of the National Highway System between I-10 and Payson.
Stretches of this road were formerly numbered as State Route 65 and State Route 166.
Notable destinations along Route 87 include the Mogollon Rim and Tonto Natural Bridge.
| Mile[1] | Junction | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SR 264 – Tuba City, Keams Canyon | ||
| I-40 – Flagstaff, Albuquerque | ||
| SR 99 west – Flagstaff | ||
| SR 99 east | ||
| SR 260 west – Camp Verde | ||
| SR 260 east – Heber, Show Low | ||
| SR 188 – Roosevelt, Globe | ||
| SR 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) | ||
| US 60 – Globe, Phoenix | ||
| SR 202 (Santan Freeway) | ||
| SR 587 south to I-10 | ||
| SR 187 south to I-10 – Casa Grande | ||
| SR 387 west to I-10 | ||
| SR 287 east – Florence | ||
| SR 287 west – Casa Grande | ||
| I-10 – Picacho, Tucson, Phoenix |
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