U.S. Route 95 in Arizona

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Not to be confused with Arizona State Route 95.

This article is about the section of U.S. Route 95 in Arizona. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 95.

U.S. Route 95 marker

U.S. Route 95

Map
US 95 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by ADOT, Yuma County, City of Yuma, City of Somerton and City of San Luis
Length123.36 mi[1] (198.53 km)
Includes overlap of 19.17 miles (30.85 km) with I-10 and I-10 BL
ExistedJune 27, 1960–present
HistoryEstablished as SR 95 in 1936
Major junctions
South endCalle 1 to Fed. 2 at the Mexican border in San Luis
Major intersections
North end I-10 / US 95 at the California state line
Location
CountryUnited States
StateArizona
CountiesYuma, La Paz
Highway system
  • Arizona State Highway System
← SR 93→ SR 95

U.S. Route 95 (US 95) is a major U.S. Highway in the American state of Arizona. Starting at the Mexican border in San Luis, US 95 acts as the main highway north through Gadsden, Somerton and Yuma before arriving in Quartzsite. Between Quartzsite and the California border on the Colorado River in Ehrenberg, US 95 runs entirely concurrent with I-10. Part of US 95 between San Luis and Yuma is maintained by local governments instead of the Arizona Department of Transportation, which maintains the remainder of the route.

US 95 is one of Arizona's younger U.S. Highways, having been established in the state on June 27, 1960. In earlier years, the Arizona section of US 95 was a southern extension of Arizona State Route 95. The route between Quartzsite and San Luis was also the first segment of SR 95 to be commissioned by the Arizona State Highway Department. US 95 used to have major junctions with US 80 in Yuma and US 60/US 70 in Quartzsite, until all three routes were removed from southwestern Arizona between 1969 and 1982.

Route description

U.S. Route 95 (US 95) begins at the

Historic US 80.[3][4]

The Gila River as seen from US 95 near Yuma.

East of I-8 Business, US 95 crosses over the

I-10 Bus. and the southern terminus of SR 95 at Main Street. SR 95 continues north on Central Boulevard to Lake Havasu City which is home to the London Bridge, while US 95 heads left onto Main Street. At I-10 Exit 17, US 95 joins the interstate and runs concurrent with I-10 west out of Quartzsite. US 95 runs entirely concurrent with I-10 past Exit 11 at Dome Rock Road, Exit 5 at Morgantown and a weigh station before entering Ehrenberg. After passing Exit 1 for the Ehrenberg–Parker Highway, both US 95 and I-10 continue across the Colorado River bridge into Blythe, California.[3]

History

U.S. Route 95 was a late addition to Arizona's U.S. Highway system, having been extended into the state around 1960 during the dawn of the Interstate Highway System.[6][7] Though it is a short section of highway, only traveling between Ehrenberg and San Luis at the Mexico–United States border, it also serves as the main north–south highway to the cities of Yuma, San Luis, and Quartzsite.[2] The history of US 95 in Arizona dates back to 1936, when it was first established as Arizona State Route 95 and to a network of territorial era wagon roads.[5][8]

Background

The McPhaul Suspension Bridge carried SR 95, later US 95, across the Gila River between 1936 and 1968.

The history of U.S. Route 95 in Arizona dates back to a network of primitive wagon roads between

Denver, Colorado to construct a new suspension bridge across the Gila River on the county road between Dome and Quartzsite. Construction began the same year and was completed in 1929. The new McPhaul Suspension Bridge not only carried the county road over the river but replaced the older more destruction prone Antelope Hill Highway Bridge upstream. The Antelope Hill Bridge was constantly destroyed by Gila River flooding and had to be reconstructed every time a major flood occurred. This made the county road and the McPhaul Bridge the primary north to south crossing of the Gila River in Yuma County.[9] By 1935, the county road from Dome to Quartzsite was still unpaved.[10]

The road between Dome and Araby had more historical significance, once being a section of the

Los Angeles, California.[17] What had started out as a simple county road between the Colorado River and Quartzsite was now the main highway from Los Angeles to Phoenix.[18]

Establishment of Route 95

Historical SR 95 and US 95 route markers
SR 95 route marker
1927 design
SR 95 route marker
1941 design
SR 95 route marker
1956 design
US 95 route marker
1960 design (Southbound)
US 95 route marker
1960 design (Northbound)
US 95 route marker
1963 design
US 95 route marker
1971 design (used after 1991)

On May 26, 1936, the paved county road through San Luis and Somerton to US 80 in Yuma was taken over by the Arizona State Highway Department and designated as

Yuma Proving Grounds by 1942.[25] During the rest of World War II, no further improvements were made to SR 95 and the highway remained unaltered by war's end in 1946.[26]

Improvement of SR 95 re-commenced on July 29, 1949, when a contract was awarded to two separate private contractors repave part of the highway 35 miles (56 km) north of Yuma.[27] On January 18, 1951, SR 95 was re-routed away from an older routing from US 80 down 10th Street over the Southern Pacific Railroad down a route with many twists and turns to a new alignment from US 80 along 16th Street south of downtown to an intersection with the old alignment. At the time, 16th Street served the old Panther Field airport and the Silver Spur Rodeo Grounds. The new alignment was built by the Johnson Construction Company of Tucson at a cost of $88,168. The older route was handed over to Yuma County.[28] Also by 1951, the remainder of SR 95 between the Yuma Proving Grounds and Quartzite had been fully paved.[29] Due to the very indirect route of SR 95 west of US 80, Yuma County constructed and paved an extension of 16th Street between US 80 and SR 95. The 16th Street extension and shortcut opened on July 8, 1953.[30] On June 27, 1960, U.S. Route 95 was extended into Arizona from Blythe, California to Quartzsite, Arizona via US 60/US 70 through Ehrenberg. US 95 then replaced all of SR 95 between Quartzsite and San Luis. The US 95 extension had been requested by both California and Arizona earlier that year and approved by the American Association of State Highway Officials.[7] On April 21, 1965, US 95 was re-routed on the west side of Yuma between Avenue B and US 80 from its older alignment to a straighter alignment down the western segment of 16th Street.[31] Before 1965, US 95 (and earlier SR 95) had gone a few blocks further north on Avenue B to 1st Street, where it turned south sharing a wrong way concurrency with US 80 down 4th Avenue to 16th Street.[32] In 1968, the McPhaul Bridge was replaced by a newer replacement bridge. Rather than be abandoned to the county, the approaches to the bridge and bridge itself were completely abandoned. Despite the fact it no longer carries traffic, the McPhaul Bridge is still standing today.[9] On August 13, 1981, the historic suspension bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[33]

Later changes

On February 13, 1969, the US 70 designation was removed from the highway between Ehrenberg and Quartzsite and truncated to

US 95 Truck route between the San Luis border crossing and US 95 at the southern end of downtown San Luis.[40][41]

Following the interstate construction, there were no major changes to US 95 until the early 21st Century. Most of US 95 from the north end of downtown San Luis to Araby Road east of Yuma was given up by ADOT in stages. On February 20, 2009, maintenance and ownership of US 95 through Somerton was handed over to the town itself.[42] This was followed by the transfer of US 95 to the city of San Luis from G Street and Juan Sanchez Boulevard to County 22nd Street on March 19, 2010.[43] On July 16, 2010, ADOT gave up ownership of US 95 from 32nd Street to Araby Road to the city of Yuma.[44] Lastly on November 19, 2010, whatever sections of US 95 were still owned by ADOT between Yuma and downtown San Luis were transferred to different local jurisdictions depending on the location of each section.[45] Despite the fact ADOT no longer owns US 95 between Yuma and San Luis, the designation is still recognized along the abandoned route. Today, ADOT maintains a different state highway between Araby Road and San Luis, known as State Route 195.[2] In 2015, US 95 Truck in San Luis was retired from the State Highway System, after US 95 was re-routed through downtown.[46] Between D Street and Urtuzuastegu Street, US 95 was removed from Main Street. Northbound US 95 was re-routed down 1st Avenue and D Street (former US 95 Truck) while southbound US 95 was re-routed down Archibald Street and Urtuzuastegu Street.[2] As of December 31, 2020, the most recent ADOT State Highway System Log no longer lists any section of US 95 between I-8 and San Luis within the state highway inventory, suggesting all of US 95's southernmost section is now locally owned and maintained.[47]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmExitDestinations[3]Notes
YumaSan Luis0.000.00Calle UnoSan Luis Port of Entry; continuation beyond international border with Mexico
0.560.90

 Cesar Chavez Boulevard to SR 195 north		Future SR 195
Historic US 80
)		Former US 80
23.9638.56Southern end of state maintenance
23.96–
24.09		38.56–
38.77
San Diego
I-8 exit 2
24.0938.77Northern end of state maintenance
​29.0846.80Araby RoadSouthern end of state maintenance
BL 10 east (Main Street east) to I-10 east – Parker, Phoenix
Mileposts change to reflect I-10 BL mileage; southern end of I-10 BL concurrency; southern terminus of SR 95; I-10 BL is former US 60 / US 70
17.50
17.54		28.16
28.23
BL 10 ends – Phoenix
Milepost change to reflect I-10 mileage; northern end of I-10 BL concurrency; southern end of I-10 concurrency; western terminus of I-10 BL; I-10 BL is former US 60/ US 70
​11.9919.3011Dome Rock RoadExit numbers follow I-10
Ehrenberg5.879.455Tom Wells Road
0.721.161Ehrenberg, Parker
Colorado River0.000.00Arizona–California line
Los Angeles
Continuation into California
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Roadway Inventory Management Section, Multimodal Planning Division (December 31, 2013). "2013 State Highway System Log" (PDF). Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e Multimodal Planning Division (2015). "State Highway System (ArcGIS)". Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Google (August 2, 2019). "U.S. Route 95 in Arizona" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  4. ^ "Arizona State Transportation Board Meeting Agenda" (PDF). Phoenix: Arizona State Transportation Board. July 20, 2018. pp. 310 to 339. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Keane, Melissa; Bruder, J. Simon (March 2004). "Good Roads Everywhere: A History of Road Building in Arizona" (PDF). Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c Pry, Mark; Andersen, Fred (December 2011). "Arizona Transportation History" (PDF). Technical Report. Arizona Department of Transportation. pp. 61–67. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  7. ^ a b Weingroff, Richard (June 27, 2017). "U.S. 95 and Idaho's North and South Highway". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c Arizona State Highway Department; Public Roads Administration (June 1939). "History of the Arizona State Highway Department" (PDF) (Historic Record). Retrieved July 24, 2019 – via Arizona Memory Project.
  9. ^ a b State of Arizona (October 31, 2004). "Historic Property Inventory Forms – Yuma Bridges" (PDF). Inventory Records. Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  10. ^ Arizona State Highway Department (1935). State Highway Department Road Map of Arizona (PDF) (Map). 1:1,267,200. Cartography by W.M. DeMerse. Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  11. ^ Boggs, Johnny (May 23, 2016). "On the Old Gila Trail". True West Magazine. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  12. ^ Hague, Harlan (7 December 2000). "The Search for a Southern Overland Route to California". California Department of Fish and Wildlife. p. 2. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  13. ^ Weingroff, Richard F. (October 17, 2013). "U.S. Route 80: The Dixie Overland Highway". Highway History. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  14. ISBN 9780978625900
    .
  15. ^ a b Arizona State Highway Department (1928). Map of Arizona (Map). 1:1,267,200. Cartography by W.B. Land. Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 24, 2018 – via AARoads.
  16. ^ Arizona State Highway Department (1927). Arizona State Highway Commission Official State Routes and State Highways of the State of Arizona (Map). 1:1,267,200. Cartography by W.B. Land. Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 24, 2018 – via AARoads.
  17. ^ Weingroff, Richard (June 27, 2017). "U.S. 666: 'Beast of a Highway'?". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  18. ^ A. G. Taylor Printing Company (1931). Arizona Highway Department Condition Map of the State Highway System (Map). 1:1,267,200. Arizona State Highway Department. Retrieved July 27, 2019 – via AARoads.
  19. ^ "U.S. Highway 95: San Luis to Yuma to Quartzsite Highway" (PDF). Arizona's Historic Roads. Arizona Department of Transportation. p. 1.
  20. ^ Arizona State Highway Department (1939). State Highway Department Road Map of Arizona (Map). 1:1,267,200. Cartography by W.M. DeMerse. Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 27, 2019 – via AARoads.
  21. ^ "Office of the Board of Supervisors of Yuma County". The Yuma Weekly Sun and the Yuma Examiner. July 28, 1939. p. 4. Retrieved August 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Yuma–Bouse Highway Bids Are Scheduled". Arizona Republic. December 8, 1939. p. 13. Retrieved August 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Road Board Awards Jobs". Arizona Republic. December 16, 1939. p. 21. Retrieved August 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Arizona State Highway Department (1940). State Highway Department Road Map of Arizona (Map). 1:1,267,200. Cartography by W.M. DeMerse. Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 27, 2019 – via AARoads.
  25. ^ Arizona State Highway Department (1942). State Highway Department Road Map of Arizona (Map). 1:1,267,200. Cartography by W.M. DeMerse. Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 27, 2019 – via AARoads.
  26. ^ Arizona State Highway Department (1946). State Highway Department Road Map of Arizona (Map). 1:1,267,200. Cartography by W.M. DeMerse. Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 27, 2019 – via AARoads.
  27. ^ "Tanner Bid is Low". Arizona Daily Star. July 29, 1949. p. 23. Retrieved August 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "New State Highway". Sun-Advertiser. Yuma, Arizona. January 18, 1951. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ Shell Oil Company; H.M. Gousha Company (1951). Shell Highway Map of Arizona and New Mexico (Map). 1:1,774,080. Chicago: Shell Oil Company. Retrieved April 1, 2015 – via David Rumsey Map Collection.
  30. ^ "New Highway 95!". Yuma Daily Sun. July 8, 1953. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ Arizona State Highway Department (April 21, 1965). "ADOT Right-of-Way Resolution 1965-039". Retrieved May 6, 2015 – via Arizona Highway Data. Reroute portion of US 95 starting at 4th Ave & 16th St west along Yuma 16th St & County 9th St to Avenue B.
  32. ^ "Notice of Public Hearing". Arizona Republic. June 24, 1958. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  34. ^ Arizona State Highway Department (February 13, 1969). "ADOT Right-of-Way Resolution 1969-P-101". Retrieved October 15, 2019 – via Arizona Highway Data. Delete U.S. 70 designation overlapping U.S.60 & 66 from Cal. state ln to jct. U.S. 60 in Globe.
  35. ^ Photogrammetry and Mapping Division (1971). State Highway Department Road Map of Arizona (Map). 1:1,267,200. Arizona State Highway Department. Retrieved October 15, 2019 – via AARoads.
  36. ^ Arizona Department of Transportation (May 24, 1974). "ADOT Right-of-Way Resolution 1974-P-058". Retrieved October 15, 2019 – via Arizona Highway Data. Designation of Business Route 10 given to U.S. 60–70 from west Quartzsite traffic interchange east to east Quartzsite traffic interchange.
  37. ^ Arizona Department of Transportation (1977). ADOT Road Map of Arizona (Map). 1:1,267,200. Phoenix: Arizona Highway Department.
  38. ^ Arizona Department of Transportation (1978). ADOT Road Map of Arizona (Map). 1:1,267,200. Phoenix: Arizona Highway Department.
  39. ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (November 19, 1982). "Route Numbering Committee Agenda" (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 534 – via Wikisource.
  40. ^ Arizona Department of Transportation (November 16, 1984). "ADOT Right-of-Way Resolution 1984-11-A-075". Retrieved October 15, 2019 – via Arizona Highway Data. Establish San Luis streets state highway and designate U.S. 95 Truck Route.
  41. ^ Transportation Planning Division, Data Bureau (December 15, 1998). "1998 State Highway System Log" (PDF). Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  42. ^ Arizona Department of Transportation. "ADOT Right-of-Way Resolution 2009-02-A-010". Retrieved October 15, 2019 – via Arizona Highway Data. Abandon a portion of U.S. Route 95 to the City of Somerton per Intergovernmental Agreement # 05-094 dated May 9, 2006 and amended October 4, 2007: PR: 5–19 & 20–36 pages 586 & 624; 00-01-A-008: Various Townships; Ranges; and Sections.
  43. ^ Arizona Department of Transportation. "ADOT Right-of-Way Resolution 2010-03-A-023". Retrieved October 15, 2019 – via Arizona Highway Data. Disposal by Abandonment to the City of San Luis for a continued public transportation use. 05/19/36 & 05/20/36, pages 586 & 624; 05/26/36, page 634; 10/25/46, page 43; 08/01/47, page 208; 98-05-A-014 dated 05/15/98. T-11S; R-25W; S-1
  44. ^ Arizona Department of Transportation. "ADOT Right-of-Way Resolution 2010-07A". Retrieved October 15, 2019 – via Arizona Highway Data. Abandon portions of Business Route 8 and U.S. Highway 95 to the City of Yuma and the County of Yuma for continued public transportation use. PR: 09-09-27, page 26 & 27; 77-16-A-048, dated 09-16-77; S-Various: T-8 & 9S: R-22 & 23W.
  45. ^ Arizona Department of Transportation (November 19, 2010). "ADOT Right-of-Way Resolution 2010-11-A-087" – via Arizona Highway Data. Abandon to local jurisdictions in accordance with JPA 98–175 from 32nd Street in Yuma south several miles to Co. 22nd Street at San Luis. See Resolution Plats for additional information. PR: 5-19-36, p. 586 & 624; 5-26-36, p. 634; + Various.
  46. ^ Geographic Information System Section, Multimodal Planning Division (December 31, 2015). "2015 State Highway System LogMileage Summaries Booklet" (PDF). Phoenix: Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  47. ^ Geographic Information System Section, Multimodal Planning Division (December 31, 2020). "2020 State Highway System Log" (PDF). Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 12, 2022.

External links

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U.S. Route 95
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