The history of State Route 95

Traveling between Bullhead City and Quartzsite at a length of more than 100 miles, State Route 95 is a primary north-south route in Western Arizona.

The southern terminus of State Route 95 is in Quartzsite and, while the roadway continues south, when it passes over I-10, it is called US 95 and carries that name through Yuma and to the border town of San Luis.

Why is one stretch designated SR 95 and another US 95? Let’s go back in time…

The federal government approved the first segment of US 95 to be constructed in the 1920s in Idaho. The route gradually moved south, through Oregon and Nevada, reaching Blythe, Calif., in the 1940s. In 1960s, Arizona and California requested that the highway be extended from Blythe to Quartzsite and then south to Yuma and the border town of San Luis. And here’s where it gets murky.

From a previous blog, “the road south of Quartzsite had already been designated State Route 95. According to one Arizona Highway Department document, at the end of the 1930s, it extended from San Luis up to the State Route 72 junction. It's possible that State Route 95 was a contender for the US 95 route before that was finalized. As it is, after the road south of Quartzsite received its US highway designation, everything north became State Route 95, eventually taking over what had originally been State Route 172 heading north of Parker.” 

The biggest difference between a state route and a US highway route is that one can travel beyond state lines. US Highways can travel from state to state, sometimes spanning the entire country, like US 95, going from the northern border with Canada to the southern border with Mexico. State route designations, only exist within the boundaries of the state. Though the roadway may continue on into another state, albeit with an entirely different route number.

Photo is of State Route 95 from the 1970s near Lake Havasu.