| U.S. Route 93 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by ADOT | ||||
| Length: | 200.13 mi[1] (322.08 km) Includes I-40 overlap of 22.83 miles (36.74 km) |
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| Existed: | 1935: (As US 466) 1951: extended to Kingman; 1965 Extended to US 89 at Congress Junction; 1992: Extended to Wickenburg – present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end: | US 60 in Wickenburg | |||
| I-40 in Kingman | ||||
| North end: | US 93 at Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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United States Numbered Highways State routes in Arizona
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In the U.S. state of Arizona, U.S. Route 93 is a U.S. Highway that begins in Wickenburg and heads north to the Nevada border at the Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge.
As part of a proposal by municipal leaders in Nevada and Arizona, the highway could be replaced by Interstate 11.
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The southern terminus of US 93 is located at a junction with US 60 in Wickenburg, a small town about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Phoenix. It heads towards the northwest from this junction to an intersection with SR 89 northwest of Wickenburg. SR 89 heads north to Prescott while US 93 continues its northwesterly heading, as a largely two-lane highway with passing lanes every few miles. US 93 continues to the northwest to a junction with SR 71 at a diamond interchange southwest of Congress. As it continues to the northwest, the highway is known as the Joshua Tree Forest Parkway.
The highway widens to four lanes at the Santa Maria River and continues towards the northwest to a junction with SR 97 prior to passing through the town of Wikieup. On the way, it passes the tiny settlement of Nothing, Arizona and crosses Burro Creek over a steel arch bridge about 390 feet over the creek.
After passing through Wikieup, US 93 curves towards the north to merge with I-40 at exit 71 (narrowing back to a two-lane highway with passing lanes every few miles; construction is underway as of the fall of 2009 to convert this stretch to four lanes).
After US 93 and I-40 merge, they share the same alignment heading west until they reach Kingman. The two split in Kingman with I-40 heading towards the southwest towards California and US 93 heading towards the northwest towards Las Vegas.
Northwest of Kingman, US 93 has an interchange with SR 68. US 93 continues as a four-lane route towards the northwest and as it nears the Nevada border, it reaches the Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge over the Black Canyon and crosses next to the Hoover Dam.
US 93 continues into Nevada to the cities of Boulder City, Henderson and Las Vegas.[1][2]
The route between Kingman and Hoover Dam first became part of the state highway system in 1934 when it was designated as SR 69.[3] At the time, Hoover Dam was still under construction and the highway did not link to Nevada. The dam was completed the following year in 1935 enabling traffic to cross over the top of the dam.[4] In that year, US 466 was designated over SR 69 from Kingman to Hoover Dam. US 93 was extended south from (then) US 91 at Glendale NV in 1951. [5]
In 1965, Arizona proposed for an extension of US 93 from Kingman to Ash Fork, overlapping US 66, and then south to Phoenix. This proposal was protested by the towns of Aguila and Wickenburg that argued that US 93 should pass through their towns rather than the proposed alignment to the east. The town of Wickenburg contested that a direct routing between Phoenix and Kingman would be 100 miles (161 km) shorter than the routing through Ash Fork and that it would provide a necessary connection between Phoenix, the state capital, and the northwestern part of the state.[5]
Until 1992, US 93 ended a short distance north of Wickenburg, Arizona at a junction with U.S. Route 89. When US 89 was decommissioned in the area, the US 93 designation was carried on into Wickenburg.
US 93 (with US 60 to the southeast of Wickenburg) is the shortest route (currently estimated to take an average of five hours) between the fast-growing cities of Las Vegas and Phoenix, two of the largest cities in the Southwest (and is an officially designated portion of the CANAMEX Corridor). Upgrades of US 60 and US 93 to four-lane expressway status are scheduled between Las Vegas and Phoenix; as of the fall of 2009, most sections north of the Santa Maria River are already at four-lane expressway status (with some of the newest portions presumably built to Interstate standards) with construction ongoing. This routing is part of a proposed Interstate 11 which could potentially connect Interstate 10 west of Phoenix with Interstate 515 southeast of Las Vegas.
A segment of this new highway consists of a new route across the Colorado River called the Hoover Dam Bypass. The new crossing is the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, the first so-called concrete-steel composite arch bridge built in the United States. The bridge is 1,900 feet (579 m) with a 1,080-foot (329 m) main span. The roadway is 840 feet (256 m) above the river.
The bypass replaced the old section of U.S. 93 that approached and crossed directly over Hoover Dam, which was inadequate by modern standards, because there was one narrow lane in each direction, including several hairpin turns, many dangerous curves, and poor sight distances. Also, in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, truck traffic over the Hoover Dam had been diverted south to a river crossing near Laughlin, Nevada, in an effort to safeguard the dam from hazardous spills or explosions.
| County | Location[1] | Mile | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maricopa | Wickenburg | 0.00 | US 60 (Wickenburg Way) – Los Angeles, Quartzsite, Phoenix | |
| Yavapai | 6.04 | SR 89 north – Congress, Yarnell, Prescott | ||
| 16.75 | SR 71 – Quartzsite, Prescott | Interchange | ||
| 44.44 | SR 97 – Bagdad, Hillside | |||
| Mohave | 59.03 | Burro Creek Bridge over Burro Creek | ||
| 106.80 | I-40 east – Flagstaff | Interchange; south end of I-40 overlap | ||
| Blake Ranch Road | Interchange (exit 66) | |||
| DW Ranch Road | Interchange (exit 59) | |||
| Kingman | SR 66 east (Andy Devine Avenue) – Kingman Airport | Interchange (exit 53) | ||
| Stockton Hill Road | Interchange (exit 51) | |||
| 129.65 | I-40 west / Beale Street – Los Angeles | Interchange; north end of I-40 overlap | ||
| 133.68 | SR 68 west – Bullhead City, Laughlin | Interchange (exit 67) | ||
| Kingman Wash Access Road – Hoover Dam | Interchange (exit 2); former US 93 north | |||
| 200.13 | Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge over the Colorado River (Nevada state line) | |||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | ||||
| U.S. Route 93 | ||
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| Previous state: Terminus |
Arizona | Next state: Nevada |