U.S. Route 89

AB 2 at Canadian border near Babb, MT

U.S. Route 89 is a north-south United States highway with two sections. The southern section runs for 848 miles (1,365 km) from Flagstaff, Arizona to the southern entrance of Yellowstone National Park. The northern section runs for 404 miles (650 km) the northern entrance of Yellowstone National Park to Montana. Prior to 1992 U.S. 89 was a Mexico to Canada border-to-border highway beginning at Nogales, Arizona. [http://www.geocities.com/usend8089/End089/end089.htm U.S. Highway Ends by Mapguy (personal website last retrieved 7-7-07)]

Route description

Arizona

U.S. 89 begins at Flagstaff, Arizona, the highway proceeds north passing near Grand Canyon National Park and through the Navajo Nation. Near the Utah State Line the highway splits into U.S. 89 and U.S. 89A. The Alternate is the original highway, what is now the main highway was constructed in the 1960s to serve the Glen Canyon Dam. The two highways rejoin in Kanab, Utah.

The main branch passes over the Colorado River just south of the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell near Page then enters Utah. The Alternate branch crosses the Colorado River at Navajo Bridge and skirts the North Rim of the Grand Canyon before entering Utah.

Utah

The first city in Utah along either U.S. 89 or U.S. 89 Alternate is Kanab where the two routes re-unite. From Kanab U.S. 89 proceeds north passing by Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. It eventually enters the Sevier and Sanpete Valleys. The highway then passes by Thistle a ghost town destroyed by a 1983 landslide. The highway then enters the Wasatch Front where U.S. 89 becomes the main streets of the largest cities in Utah. The highway becomes State Street from Orem to Salt Lake. The highway is also often in the shadows of Interstate 15 during the Wasatch Front run. The highway departs the I-15 corridor at Brigham City to serve Cache Valley and Logan. In Logan U.S. 89 is named "University Blvd" and passes by the Utah State University campus. The highway then proceeds up Logan Canyon to Bear Lake where the highway exits Utah.

2 sections of U.S. 89 in Utah have been designated Scenic Byways. The "Kanab to Mt Carmel and Long Valley Scenic Byway" is a state designated scenic byway. From Logan to Bear Lake is designated the Logan Canyon Scenic Byway by the National Scenic Byway project.

The Utah section of US 89, other than concurrencies with Interstate 70, Interstate 15, US 6, and US 91, is defined at Utah Code Annotated § 72-4-114(8). [http://le.utah.gov/~code/TITLE72/htm/72_04016.htm]

Idaho

In Idaho, the highway partially circumnavigates Bear Lake which straddles the Utah/Idaho state line.

Wyoming

In Wyoming U.S. 89 passes through many tourist attractions including Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, the Jackson Hole Valley, the Grand Canyon of the Snake River, and Star Valley.

Montana

As of 2005, the highway's northern terminus is Piegan, Montana at the Canadian border (the highway continues into Canada as Alberta Highway 2).

History

Prior to 1992, the southern terminus of U.S. 89 was at Nogales, Arizona and the route proceeded to Flagstaff along what is now Interstate 19, Arizona State Route 79, U.S. Route 60, U.S. Route 93 and Arizona State Route 89. In addition there was another U.S. 89 Alternate in Arizona between Prescott and Flagstaff this route is now Arizona State Route 89A.

ee also

*U.S. Route 189
*U.S. Route 89A
*Arizona State Route 89
*Arizona State Route 89A

References

###@@@KEYEND@@@###