State Route 78 (Arizona – New Mexico)

Arizona and New Mexico Route 78

Route 78 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by ADOT & NMDOT
Length: 34.68 mi (55.81 km)
19.47 mi (31.33 km) in Arizona[1]
15.213 mi (24.483 km) in New Mexico[2]
Existed: 1938-1959 – present
Major junctions
West end: US 191 / SR 75 in Three Way, AZ
East end: US 180 near Cliff, NM
Highway system
State routes in Arizona
Unconstructed • Former
State Roads in New Mexico
SR • Minor SR • US
← SR 77 Arizona SR 79 →
← NM 77 New Mexico NM 80 →

Arizona State Route 78 and New Mexico State Road 78 (SR 78) are a pair of adjoining state highways located in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico linking U.S. Route 191 (US 191) and Arizona State Route 75 near Greenlee County Airport to US 180 northwest of Cliff, New Mexico. It is also known in its Arizona stretch as Mule Creek Road.

Contents

Route description

The western terminus of SR 78 is located at a junction with US 191 and SR 75 at Three Way, Arizona near Greenlee County Airport. The highway heads northeast from this intersection along Mule Creek Road. There are a few hairpin turns along this stretch of highway as it follows the surrounding terrain.[1][3] State Road 78 heads eastward through desert, passing through the community of Mule Creek, New Mexico. The road continues eastward until terminating at U.S. Route 180 northwest of Cliff, New Mexico.[4]

History

The highway in Arizona was designated as SR 78 in 1959, but the road had existed prior to it being designated.[5] The road was shown on maps as far back as 1927. Its counterpart in New Mexico was already marked as New Mexico State Road 78 by this time.[6] By 1938, it was still just a gravel road as were many roads in the area including US 666.[7] It would remain a gravel road in 1961, even after becoming a state highway. The other state highways in the area were paved by this time including the majority of its counterpart in New Mexico.[8] By 1971, nearly the entire highway had been paved with the exception of a portion near the New Mexico border.[9]

SR 78 in New Mexico was designated along its current route in the mid-1930s. It was extended to U.S. Route 60 via Mogollon by the mid-1940s and truncated to its present alignment in 1988.[10]

Junction list

State County Location Mile Destinations Notes
Greenlee
 Three Way 0.00 US 191 / SR 75 south – Clifton, Safford
 
 Arizona–New Mexico state line
Grant
   34.68 US 180
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

Arizona portal
New Mexico portal
U.S. Roads portal
  1. ^ a b c Arizona Department of Transportation. "2006 ADOT Highway Log". http://tpd.az.gov/data/reports/2006SHSLog.pdf. Retrieved 2008-04-09. 
  2. ^ a b New Mexico Department of Transportation. "New Mexico Department of Transportation State Road Log". http://www.nmshtd.state.nm.us/upload/images/CHDB/State%20Routes.pdf. Retrieved 2010-12-08. 
  3. ^ Google, Inc. Google Maps – overview map of SR 78 (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=6241903636493900613,32.948182,-109.229900%3B18312605234394260547,33.107420,-109.047540&saddr=AZ-75+%4032.948182,+-109.229900&daddr=AZ-78+%4033.107420,+-109.047540&doflg=ptm&sll=33.0278,-109.13872&sspn=0.198324,0.319977&ie=UTF8&z=12. Retrieved 2008-04-23. 
  4. ^ Google, Inc. Google Maps – Overview map of State Road 78 (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=NM-78+E&daddr=NM-78+E&hl=en&geocode=Faot-QEdaBKA-Q%3BFQCW-QEdlNCD-Q&mra=me&mrcr=0&mrsp=1,0&sz=18&sll=33.134002,-108.800601&sspn=0.002376,0.004823&ie=UTF8&ll=33.113112,-108.83297&spn=0.150971,0.308647&t=h&z=12. Retrieved 2010-12-08. 
  5. ^ Arizona Department of Transportation. "ADOT Right-of-Way Resolution 1959-079". http://www.azhighwaydata.com/resolutions/?resnum=1959-%20-079. Retrieved 2008-05-05. 
  6. ^ Rand McNally (1927). Auto Road Map of Arizona and New Mexico (Map). http://www.arizonaroads.com/maps/index.html. Retrieved 2008-05-05. 
  7. ^ Rand McNally (1938). Road Map of Arizona and New Mexico (Map). http://www.arizonaroads.com/maps/index.html. Retrieved 2008-05-05. 
  8. ^ Rand McNally (1961). Road Map of Arizona (Map). http://www.arizonaroads.com/maps/index.html. Retrieved 2008-05-05. 
  9. ^ Arizona State Highway Department (1971). Road Map of Arizona (Map). http://www.arizonaroads.com/maps/index.html. Retrieved 2008-05-05. 
  10. ^ Rimer, Steve. "New Mexico Highways 76-100". The Unofficial New Mexico Highways Page. http://www.steve-riner.com/nmhighways/NM76-100.htm. Retrieved 8 December 2010. 

External links