State highway in Arizona, United States
State Route 66
(
SR 66
) is a surface road in the
U.S. state
of
Arizona
in
Mohave
and
Coconino
Counties. In 1914, the road was designated "National Old Trails Highway" but in 1926 was re-designated as U.S. Route 66.
[2]
In 1985, U.S. Route 66 was dropped from the highway system. Parts of the highway were either absorbed into
I-40
, turned over to the state (SR 66), or turned over to
Yavapai County
.
Route description
[
edit
]
State Route 66 is a relic of the former
U.S. Route 66 in Arizona
and is the only part of old US 66 in Arizona to have state route markers. Its western terminus is near
Kingman
at exit 52 on
Interstate 40
and its eastern terminus was near
Seligman
at exit 123 on Interstate 40. In 1990, the state turned over the easternmost 16.8 miles (27.0 km) of SR 66 (known as Crookton Rd) to Yavapai County for maintenance.
[3]
State Route 66 tends downward toward the west, with the vegetation becoming more desert-like toward Kingman. The terrain changes at a slower pace than the more direct Interstate 40, making it a scenic alternative at the cost of some time. It still serves communities that the freeway avoids, including
Valentine
and
Peach Springs
; it enters the
Hualapai Indian Reservation
.
History
[
edit
]
U.S. Route 66 in Arizona
[
edit
]
Between the
California
state line and Kingman, the original alignment is now known as Oatman Road and passed through the old mining town of
Oatman
. A later alignment (via
Yucca
) is now Interstate 40. The older alignment passes through the
Black Mountains
complete with numerous hairpin turns. This area is desert.
From Kingman to Seligman, it took a path now followed by modern State Route 66.
East of Seligman and continuing beyond
Flagstaff
, the area is mountainous (not desert) and covered with
pine
forests. Continuing toward the
New Mexico
state line, much of US 66 has been replaced with I-40. Various stretches of the old highway exist as
frontage roads
and
business loops
of I-40.
State route
[
edit
]
In 1984, US 66 was officially removed from the state highway system of Arizona. Most of the old highway had been replaced by I-40, but the portion of the interstate between Kingman and Seligman was developed to follow a new alignment to the south. The remaining northern segment ultimately became SR 66.
[4]
In 1990, the state turned over the easternmost 16.8 miles (27.0 km) of SR 66 (known as Crookton Rd) to Yavapai County for maintenance.
[3]
Junction list
[
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]
References
[
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]
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Miller, Blue (2021).
Abandoned Route 66 Arizona: Where the Road Came to an End
. America Through Time (Fonthill Media).
ISBN
978-1634993043
.
External links
[
edit
]
KML is from Wikidata