U.S. Route 93 in Arizona

U.S. Route 93
Maintained by ADOT
Length:	200.13 mi[1] (322.08 km) Includes I-40 overlap of 22.83 miles (36.74 km)
South end:	US 60 in Wickenburg
Major junctions:	I-40 in Kingman
North end:	US 93 at Hoover Dam
State routes in Arizona < SR 92 SR 93 > Unconstructed - Former

In the U.S. state of Arizona, U.S. Route 93 is a U.S. Highway that begins in Wickenburg and heads north to the Nevada border at the Hoover Dam.

As part of a proposal by municipal leaders in Nevada and Arizona, the highway could be replaced by Interstate 11.

Route description

Looking north at US 93 as it crosses over into Nevada at the Hoover Dam

The southern terminus of US 93 is located at a junction with US 60 in Wickenburg, a small town about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Phoenix. It heads towards the northwest from this junction to an intersection with SR 89 northwest of Wickenburg. SR 89 heads north to Prescott while US 93 continues its northwesterly heading, as a largely two-lane highway with passing lanes every few miles. US 93 continues to the northwest to a junction with SR 71 at a diamond interchange southwest of Congress. As it continues to the northwest, the highway is known as the Joshua Tree Forest Parkway.

The highway widens to four lanes at the Santa Maria River and continues towards the northwest to a junction with SR 97 prior to passing through the town of Wikieup. On the way, it passes the tiny settlement of Nothing, Arizona and crosses Burro Creek over a steel arch bridge about 390 feet over the creek.

After passing through Wikieup, US 93 curves towards the north to merge with I-40 at exit 71 (narrowing back to a two-lane highway with passing lanes every few miles; construction is underway as of the fall of 2009 to convert this stretch to four lanes).

After US 93 and I-40 merge, they share the same alignment heading west until they reach Kingman. The two split in Kingman with I-40 heading towards the southwest towards California and US 93 heading towards the northwest towards Las Vegas.

Northwest of Kingman, US 93 has an interchange with SR 68 (which heads west to Bullhead City and serves as a four-lane bypass of Hoover Dam for traffic heading to Las Vegas but are not allowed to cross the dam).

US 93 continues as a four-lane route towards the northwest and as it nears the Nevada border, it narrows to two lanes, and goes through a series of hairpin turns as it descends into Black Canyon to cross Hoover Dam.

US 93 continues into Nevada to the cities of Boulder, Henderson and Las Vegas.^[1][2]

History

The route between Kingman and Hoover Dam first became part of the state highway system in 1934 when it was designated as SR 69.^[3] At the time, Hoover Dam was still under construction and the highway did not link to Nevada. The dam was completed the following year in 1935 enabling traffic to cross over the top of the dam.^[4] In that year, US 93 and US 466 were designated over SR 69 from Kingman to Hoover Dam.^[5]

In 1936, Arizona proposed for an extension of US 93 from Kingman to Ash Fork, overlapping US 66, and then south to Phoenix. This proposal was protested by the towns of Aguila and Wickenburg that argued that US 93 should pass through their towns rather than the proposed alignment to the east. The town of Wickenburg contested that a direct routing between Phoenix and Kingman would be 100 miles (161 km) shorter than the routing through Ash Fork and that it would provide a necessary connection between Phoenix, the state capital, and the northwestern part of the state.^[5]

Until 1993, US 93 ended a short distance north of Wickenburg, Arizona at a junction with U.S. Route 89. When US 89 was decommissioned in the area, the US 93 designation was carried on into Wickenburg.

Future

US 93 (with US 60 to the southeast of Wickenburg) is the shortest route (currently estimated to take an average of five hours) between the fast-growing cities of Las Vegas and Phoenix, two of the largest cities in the Southwest (and is an officially designated portion of the CANAMEX Corridor). Upgrades of US 60 and US 93 to four-lane expressway status are scheduled between Las Vegas and Phoenix; as of the fall of 2009, most sections north of the Santa Maria River are already at four-lane expressway status with construction ongoing.

A segment of this new highway consists of a new route across the Colorado River called the Hoover Dam Bypass. The new crossing will consist of the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, which will be the first so-called concrete-steel composite arch bridge built in the United States. The bridge, expected to be completed by September 2010, will be 1,900 feet (579 m) with a 1,080-foot (329 m) main span. The roadway will be 840 feet (256 m) above the river.

The bypass will replace the current section of U.S. 93 that approaches and crosses directly over Hoover Dam, which is inadequate today because there is one narrow lane in each direction, includes several hairpin turns and many dangerous curves, and has poor sight distances. Also, in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, truck traffic over the Hoover Dam has been diverted south to a river crossing near Laughlin, Nevada, in an effort to safeguard the dam from hazardous spills or explosions.

Junction list

County	Location	Mile[1]	Destinations	Notes
Maricopa	Wickenburg	0.00	US 60 (Wickenburg Way) – Los Angeles, Phoenix
Yavapai		6.04	SR 89 north – Congress, Yarnell, Prescott
		16.75	SR 71 – Los Angeles, Prescott	Interchange
		44.44	SR 97 – Bagdad, Hillside
Mohave		59.03	Burro Creek Bridge over Burro Creek
		106.80	I-40 east – Flagstaff	Interchange; south end of I-40 overlap
			Blake Ranch Road	Interchange (exit 66)
			DW Ranch Road	Interchange (exit 59)
	Kingman		SR 66 east (Andy Devine Avenue) – Kingman Airport	Interchange (exit 53)
			Stockton Hill Road	Interchange (exit 51)
		129.65	I-40 west / Beale Street – Los Angeles	Interchange; north end of I-40 overlap
		133.68	SR 68 west – Bullhead City, Laughlin	Interchange (exit 67)
		200.13	Hoover Dam (state line)

References

U.S. Route 93
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