Phoenix metropolitan area arterial roads
Many arterial roads in the Phoenix metropolitan area have the same name in multiple cities or towns. Some roads change names or route numbers across town borders, resulting in occasional confusion. For example, the road known as Apache Boulevard in Tempe continues east as Main Street in neighboring Mesa and then as Apache Trail in Apache Junction. Although Broadway Road maintains the same name through Goodyear, Avondale, Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, and Apache Junction, each town uses a different reference point for address numbers.
Arizona Avenue
Arizona Avenue | |
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Location | Chandler |
Length | 10.6 mi[1] (17.1 km) |
Arizona Avenue is a north–south arterial road in the southeastern part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The highway comprises the portion of Arizona State Route 87 (SR 87) within the city of Chandler. The entire length of Arizona Avenue is part of the National Highway System as a principal arterial.
Arizona Avenue begins at Hunt Highway, which forms the south city limit of Chandler and also the
Baseline Road
Baseline Road is a significant east–west arterial road. This road is so named because it runs along the length of the primary baseline for Arizona as given under the Public Land Survey System.
This line runs east–west from the "zero point" atop a hill near the confluence of the Gila and Salt rivers, on Avondale Boulevard (115th Avenue) at Baseline Road. This site is next to Phoenix Raceway. Avondale Boulevard is laid out atop the north–south base meridian, called the Gila and Salt River meridian.
Due to natural obstructions, Baseline is not continuous. The longest continuous stretch of Baseline Road is approximately 43 miles (69 km). The road is located in Maricopa County and Pinal County. There is also a rural road named Baseline Road in southern La Paz County close to the Colorado River which is located near Arizona's baseline.
Because of the grid plan used by cities in Arizona, the name for the road is applied for non-contiguous sections and is theoretically reserved for future east–west roads built at the same latitude.
Route description
Starting from east, the road begins in Apache Junction in Pinal County, named Baseline Avenue and is a small segment of thoroughfare in a residential neighborhood at the foothills of the
The road reappears on the other side of the Gila River at an orthogonal junction with Perryville Rd. as CR-85 and continues westward through central Buckeye. From there, it continues through farmland in western Maricopa county in various non-continuous segments. The segment of Baseline Road farthest west in Maricopa County is just past 547th Avenue.
Due to the ease of navigation on this extremely long route, as well as the significant number of municipalities that the route encompasses, it is a favorite street for those electing not to use Phoenix's many freeways such as I-10 and US 60.
Landmarks
Notable locations along or near Baseline Road include
Bell Road
Bell Road is a major east–west arterial road in northern metropolitan Phoenix. Bell Road is one of the few roadways to cross the Agua Fria River in the northern part of the metro area, providing a link between the growing suburb of Surprise with Phoenix. As a result, the portion of Bell Road passing through Surprise and Sun City is the busiest arterial road in the state of Arizona.[2]
Route description
The main segment of Bell Road, approximately 31 miles (50 km) in length, begins at the corporate boundaries of Phoenix and Scottsdale at its intersection with Scottsdale Road; east of Scottsdale Road, the roadway curves to the southeast and becomes Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard. Traveling west, the road intersects with
East of 66th Street, Bell Road takes a south-easterly bend and, at its intersection with Scottsdale Road, becomes Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, named in recognition of architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright. This alignment was built in the mid-1970s during the construction of the CAP canal.[3] In this area of Scottsdale, a non-contiguous segment of Bell Road approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) long exists north of Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, which includes an intersection with the eastern leg of State Route 101.
Landmarks
Prominent locations on or near Bell Road include the Scottsdale Municipal Airport, Turf Paradise, The Villas on Bell, Arrowhead Towne Center and the Peoria Sports Complex. Bell Road also forms the boundary of the original town site of Surprise.[4]
Camelback Road
Camelback Road is a prominent street in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
The street stretches continuously for approximately 33 miles from Scottsdale in the east to Litchfield Park in the west, and runs through the city of Phoenix. Scottsdale Fashion Square is located at the corner of Camelback and Scottsdale Roads.[5]
Camelback Road runs directly south of Phoenix's famous Camelback Mountain and the Phoenician Resort. Further west, the upscale Biltmore district of Phoenix is located along Camelback Road, including the Arizona Biltmore Hotel (to the north), Biltmore Fashion Park, as well as one of Phoenix's primary business districts (sometimes called the Camelback Corridor).
In Litchfield Park, Camelback Road passes the historic Wigwam Resort, built in 1918.[6]
West of Litchfield Park, Camelback Road skirts the southern boundary of Luke Air Force Base.
Carefree Highway
Carefree Highway | |
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Location | Peoria–Scottsdale |
Length | 42.2 mi[7] (67.9 km) |
Carefree Highway is an east–west
Carefree Highway begins at Lake Pleasant Parkway in a rural part of the city of Peoria; SR 74 continues west as Lake Pleasant Road toward its western terminus at
Cave Creek Road
Cave Creek Road | |
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Location | Phoenix–Cave Creek |
Length | 31.1 mi[8] (50.1 km) |
Cave Creek Road is an
Cave Creek Road begins at a five-way intersection with north–south Seventh Street and east–west Dunlap Road in the
Central Avenue
Central Avenue extends from
For the most part, Central Avenue marks the "zero" point of east/west addresses in the Phoenix area.
Country Club Drive
Country Club Drive | |
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Location | Mesa |
Length | 7.1 mi[9] (11.4 km) |
Country Club Drive is a north–south arterial road in the southeastern part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The highway comprises the portion of Arizona State Route 87 (SR 87) within the city of Mesa. The entire length of Country Club Drive is part of the National Highway System as a principal arterial.
Country Club Drive begins at the Western Canal at the south city limit of Mesa; SR 87 continues south into the city of
Elliot Road
Elliot Road | |
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Location | Buckeye-Goodyear, Phoenix–Mesa |
Elliot Road is an east–west arterial road in the southeastern part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The highway extends from 44th Street in far southern Phoenix east through Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, and Mesa to Meridian Road at the Maricopa–Pinal county line. Elliot Road is part of the National Highway System as a principal arterial from Interstate 10 (I-10) at the Phoenix–Tempe border east to Arizona State Route 202 (SR 202) in Mesa.
Elliot Road begins at 44th Street in the
Grand Avenue
The portion of U.S. Route 60 that enters Phoenix from the northwest Valley is known as Grand Avenue, a street which slices through west Phoenix at a 45-degree angle. This makes it instantly recognizable on any City of Phoenix map, and it represents the final leg of US 60 into the heart of Phoenix. Although US 60 departs Grand Ave. at an interchange with 27th Avenue, Grand Ave. itself continues southeast towards the intersection of 7th Avenue and Van Buren Street.
As of 2006, Lower Grand Avenue, between Roosevelt Street on the north and Van Buren Street on the south, has been experiencing a renaissance,[10] as art venues, bars, cafes and small businesses have emerged amid the work being done to restore historic properties, including decaying warehouses.
On the first and third Fridays of every month, Grand Avenue hosts cultural events. Some of the venues associated with the Grand Avenue art scene include the Trunk Space, the Lodge Art Parlor, ShopDevious, the Icon Gallery, the Chocolate Factory, the Paisley Violin, La Melgosa Complex: Deus Ex Machina, the Phoenix Fall Space, Stop n' Look & Comet's Corner, the Annex: Soul Invictus, the Lucky Rabbit & Gallery Marsiglia, Lady Luck Tattoo, and other design houses and studios.[citation needed]
As a result of this revitalization the Grand Avenue Merchants Association (GAMA) formed to address a "Grand New Vision" and to bring the Grand Avenue community together with other neighborhood associations to form an arts, culture and small business district with a mind towards adaptive reuse of historical buildings, infill projects and both small business and community based outreach.[citation needed]
In 2011, the City of Phoenix was chosen as one of five U.S. capitals to receive federal design assistance through the
Happy Valley Road
Happy Valley Road | |
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Location | Surprise–Phoenix |
Happy Valley Road is an east–west arterial road in the northern part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The highway extends from 163rd Avenue in Surprise east to Seventh Street in Phoenix. Happy Valley Road is part of the National Highway System as a principal arterial from SR 303 to Interstate 17 (I-17).
Happy Valley Road begins at 163rd Avenue in
Indian School Road
Indian School Road runs continuously east/west for approximately 41 miles with the
Indian School Road was named in territorial days as the road to the Phoenix Indian School (1890–1991) located on the site of the present Steele Indian School Park.[12][13][14]
Landmarks
- Arcadia High School 4703 East. Past students include Steven Spielberg, Lynda Carter and Astronaut Bill Shepherd.
- Carl Hayden Veterans Administration Medical Center, 650 East, named after Arizona's first Representative (1912–27) and US Senator from Arizona (1927–169) succeeded by Barry Goldwater.
- Steele Indian School Park, 300 East. Original site of the KNXV choppers collided during a police chase, and wreckage landed in the park.[15]
- Phoenix Air Haven Airport, 2700-3300 West, was located on the south side of the road from 1945 to 1960. It is now an industrial office complex.[16][17]
- Walmart Supercenter was built with a new structure.[18]
- Verrado High School 20050 West.
Lake Pleasant Parkway
Lake Pleasant Parkway | |
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Location | Peoria |
Lake Pleasant Parkway is an
The principal arterial section of 83rd Avenue begins at Bell Road, which at that intersection forms the border of the cities of Peoria and
Mill Avenue
Mill Avenue is a
At the northern end of the shopping district, the two
History
After the founding of Fort McDowell on the east side of central Arizona's Salt River Valley in 1865,
A substantial addition to the Tempe economy was established in 1877, when Charles T. Hayden, a business man from Connecticut,[21] opened a flour-mill operation that was supplied with water from the Tempe Irrigating Canal. Charles T. Hayden, and his family operated the mill for three full generations, and it was crucial to Tempe's community industry.[20]
Also in 1877, Charles' son Carl Hayden, who was to become a congressman and then senator from Arizona, was born in the Hayden family home, a building which, after spending around 60 years as a restaurant, began restoration to its 1924-era state in 2014.[22]
The Hayden's Ferry
In 1962, the Laird and Dines Drug Store closed after 68 years of operation at the corner of Mill Avenue and Fifth Street. This drug store was one of the original fixtures on the commercial district of Mill Avenue. Tempe's commercial center along Mill Avenue declined during these years.
In 1964, construction of the
Prompted by Tempe's centennial in 1971, Mill Avenue was revitalized into an entertainment and shopping district that attracts people from throughout the Phoenix Valley.[20]
In 1997, the Hayden Flour Mill closed after 123 years of continuous operation. The mill's last operator was Bay State Milling, which had purchased it in 1981. It is significant as the oldest continuously used industrial site in the Salt River Valley.[20]
Theaters
The Valley Art Theater (operated by Harkins Theatres) is located on Mill Avenue as a comfortable single screen theater that typically shows art house and occasionally foreign films. The current building was built in 1938, although it underwent substantial internal renovations in the 1990s.[23]
AMC Centerpoint, an 11-screen complex, is also located on the avenue. It was originally owned by Harkins; however, with the completion of the Tempe Marketplace, which provided a more modern building, Harkins closed it in January 2008.[24] AMC reopened the Centerpoint in April 2014.[25]
Northern Avenue
Northern Avenue | |
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Location | Glendale–Phoenix |
Northern Avenue is an east–west arterial road in the northwestern part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The highway extends from the eastern end of Northern Parkway on the Glendale–El Mirage city line east to Arizona State Route 51 (SR 51) in Phoenix. All of Northern Avenue east of Northern Parkway is part of the National Highway System as a principal arterial.
Northern Avenue begins as an eastward continuation of Northern Parkway between Glendale to the south and El Mirage to the north. As of 2021[update], the transition point between the similarly named highways is Dysart Road. Northern Avenue heads east as a four-lane divided highway with a wide median that is intended to fit the eastward extension of Northern Parkway. East of El Mirage Road, the
Power Road
Power Road | |
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Location | Chandler Heights–Mesa |
Power Road is a north–south arterial road in the southeastern part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The highway extends from Hunt Highway at the Maricopa–Pinal county line in Chandler Heights to the north city limit of Mesa, where the road continues as Bush Highway. Power Road is part of the National Highway System as a principal arterial from Riggs Road in Chandler Heights to Thomas Road in Mesa.
Power Road heads north as a two-lane road from Hunt Highway, which follows the Maricopa–Pinal county line, through unincorporated Chandler Heights, at the north end of which the road intersects Riggs Road. North of Riggs Road, the highway mostly follows the border between the city of Queen Creek to the east and Gilbert to the west. South of Ocotillo Road, Power Road expands to a six-lane divided highway, which crosses Queen Creek south of Queen Creek Road. At Pecos Road, where a rail line passes diagonally through the intersection, the highway leaves Queen Creek and follows the border between Gilbert to the west and Mesa to the east. At Williams Field Road, the carriageways of Power Road temporarily diverge to cross the East Maricopa Floodway; Williams Field Road heads east toward Arizona State University Polytechnic campus and Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport.
North of the airport, Power Road has a
Queen Creek Road
Queen Creek Road | |
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Location | Queen Creek |
Queen Creek Road is an east–west
Queen Creek Road begins as a continuation of John Wayne Parkway as the eastern terminus of
Queen Creek Road is not continuous and later continues another stretch at Ellsworth Road where it continues for another three miles until Meridian Road, where the road continues as Pima Road, and crosses the Maricopa-Pinal county-line.
Riggs Road
Riggs Road | |
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Location | Gila River Indian Community–Queen Creek |
Riggs Road is an east–west arterial road in the southeastern part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The highway extends from Beltline Road in the Gila River Indian Community south of Phoenix east through Sun Lakes, Chandler, and Gilbert to Rittenhouse Road in Queen Creek. Riggs Road is part of the National Highway System as a principal arterial from Interstate 10 (I-10) east to Ellsworth Road in Queens Creek.
Riggs Road begins as a continuation of Beltline Road where the latter highway curves from northwest–southeast to east–west within the Gila River Indian Community. The two-lane highway heads east through open desert and has an intersection with
Rural Road
Rural Road | |
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Location | Chandler–Tempe |
Rural Road is a north–south
Rural Road begins as a four-lane divided highway at Chandler Boulevard in Chandler. At Ray Road, the highway enters Tempe and gains a third southbound lane and a
Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale Road | |
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Location | Tempe–Scottsdale |
Scottsdale Road is a north–south
Scottsdale Road begins and Rural Road ends at Rio Salado Parkway at the north end of the Tempe campus of
Shea Boulevard
Shea Boulevard | |
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Location | Phoenix–Fountain Hills |
Length | 19.54 mi (31.45 km) |
Shea Boulevard is an east–west arterial road in the northeastern part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The highway extends 19.54 miles (31.45 km) from 21st Place in Phoenix east through Scottsdale to Arizona State Route 87 (SR 87) just east of Fountain Hills. Shea Boulevard is part of the National Highway System as a principal arterial from SR 51 east to SR 87 (Beeline Highway).
Shea Boulevard begins at its curve onto 21st Place on the east flank of Stoney Mountain, part of the
Sun Valley Parkway
Sun Valley Parkway is mainly located in Buckeye, with a small portion extending into Surprise, Arizona.
Built in the 1980s, the four-lane divided parkway traverses approximately 30 miles of what was once open desert about 35 miles west of downtown Phoenix. It extends north–south from Interstate 10 at exit 109 (Sun Valley Parkway / Palo Verde Road) in Buckeye, turns after about 12 miles or so to become an east–west road, and leads eastward to Surprise, where the road connects to and becomes Bell Road through Surprise and other West Valley suburbs (and eventually the City of Phoenix itself).
Developments
There are a number of master-planned communities located along this roadway in Buckeye (after no development occurred in the area for several years after the road was built). Currently being built are
See also
- Mill Avenue Bridges
- Tempe Town Lake
References
- ^ Google (June 11, 2023). "Overview map of Arizona Avenue" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
- ^ Turner, Erin (December 15, 2009). "Homeowners offer mixed reactions to El Mirage Road addition". Daily News-Sun. Retrieved January 4, 2010. [dead link]
- ^ "NETR Online • Historic Aerials". Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ "Surprise Original Town Site" (PDF). City of Surprise.
- ^ "Scottsdale Fashion Square | Location". Archived from the original on February 1, 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
- ^ "Home". wigwamresort.com.
- ^ Google (June 8, 2023). "Overview map of Carefree Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ Google (June 8, 2023). "Overview map of Cave Creek Road" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ Google (June 11, 2023). "Overview map of Country Club Drive" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
- ^ Negrete, Lauren (September 2, 2014). "Two Phoenix events combine festivities to promote arts and local business".
- ^ Remillard, Mark (April 18, 2014). "Grand Avenue's new look has business benefits".
- ^ "Untitled Document". Archived from the original on July 10, 2009. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
- ^ "Indian 'Boarding' School Road - Phoenix Magazine". Archived from the original on February 23, 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
- ^ http://www.bradhallart.com/phoenix_streets.htm
- ^ Archived 4 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine[dead link]
- ^ "Airports - old, forgotten, little known and abandoned airports, airfields and landing strips in Phoenix area and the Valley of the Sun, Arizona". Archived from the original on November 20, 2009. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
- ^ "Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Northwest Phoenix area".
- ^ https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=amgLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OVMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6828,2313175&dq=maryvale+mall+phoenix&hl=en [dead link]
- ^ "Republican Runs Street People on Green Ticket" article by Marc Lacey in The New York Times September 6, 2010, accessed September 7, 2010
- ^ a b c d e Sheppard, Chris. "A Rich History". Retrieved November 2, 2008.
- ^ Bio: Charles Trumbull Hayden – Tempe, Arizona Archived March 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Hayden House Rehabilitation | City of Tempe, AZ". www.tempe.gov. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
- ^ "Valley Art Theater | Downtown Tempe, AZ". www.downtowntempe.com. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
- ^ McLellan, Sarah (January 4, 2008). "Harkins to close Centerpoint theater Sunday". Arizona Republic. azcentral.com. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
- ^ Moo, Juliet (September 9, 2014). "AMC Centerpoint a jewel on Mill". The State Press. Retrieved April 28, 2015.