State Route 59 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Route information | ||||
Defined by Utah Code §72-4-113 | ||||
Maintained by UDOT | ||||
Length: | 22.206 mi[1] (35.737 km) | |||
Existed: | 1914 as a state highway; 1931 as SR-59 – present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end: | SR 389 in Hildale/Colorado City, AZ | |||
North end: | SR-9 in Hurricane | |||
Highway system | ||||
State highways in Utah
|
State Route 59 (SR-59) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Utah. The highway connects Hurricane to the twin cities of Hildale and Colorado City, Arizona. The highway connects to US-89A through Arizona State Route 389. The route was added to the state highway system in 1914, and has had several designations.
Contents |
The route begins at the Arizona border in Hildale (whose Arizona counterpart is Colorado City). These two towns are largely known for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or the FLDS), a Mormon fundamentalist sect that broke away the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or the LDS).[2] The highway proceeds northwest past Hildale (where the street is known as State Street) for nearly fifteen miles before beginning a five-mile (8 km) descent into Hurricane. A truck escape ramp is located along this descent.[2] The route enters Hurricane on 100 South and proceeds to turn north on Main Street. The route proceeds for a block before terminating at SR-9 (State Street).[3]
The road from SR-15 (now SR-9 and SR-17) at La Verkin Junction south to Hurricane was added to the state highway system in 1912, and in 1914 it was extended southeast via Big Plain Junction to Arizona.[4][5] In the 1920s, the entire route was numbered State Route 16.[6] A connection from SR-15 (now SR-9) in Rockville south to SR-16 at Big Plain Junction became a state highway in 1925.[7] In 1927, SR-16 was moved to the Rockville-Arizona route, and the roadway between La Verkin and Big Plain Junctions became part of the new SR-17, which also went southwest from Hurricane to SR-1 (US-91, now I-15).[8] The Hurricane-Big Plain Junction branch was split from SR-17 in 1931, becoming a new State Route 59.[9] The entirety of SR-16 was deleted in 1935, permanently removing the Rockville-Big Plain Junction road from the state highway system;[10] the highway beyond Big Plain Junction to Arizona was also removed, but was re-added in 1941 as part of SR-59, forming the present extent of that route.[11] SR-59 was almost completed relocated in 1962, including a new crossing of the state line; it had ended at the west end of Uzona Avenue, which extends west along the border from Colorado City/Hildale, but now crosses within the city limits.[5] The connecting State Route 389 in Arizona was not added to that state's state highway system until 1959.[12]
County | Location[13] | Mile[1] | Junction | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Washington |
Hildale | 0.000 | SR 389 east – Colorado City, Fredonia | Southern terminus |
Hurricane | 22.206 | SR-9 (State Street) – La Verkin | Northern terminus | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |