On this day in 1996, the route commonly called the Beeline Highway was officially named Duthie-Martin Highway between the Valley and Payson. That designation honors two law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty along that stretch of SR 87.

The name change was the result of a resolution approved by the Arizona Legislature.

Arizona Department of Public Safety Officers Gilbert Duthie and Robert Martin were killed 25 years apart on the highway, which is also known as State Route 87.

On Sept. 5, 1970, Duthie, (Badge No. 143), was driving on SR 87 on his way to help citizens who had been stranded by flooding. But Sycamore Creek had overflowed and taken out part of a bridge, and Duthie drowned after his cruiser washed away. He was 39.

On Aug. 15, 1995, Robert Martin (Badge No. 474), was conducting a traffic stop on SR 87 about 7 miles north of Shea Boulevard when he was fatally shot. He was 57.

A monument for the Duthie-Martin Highway sits at the spot of the shooting.

The highway, which stretches from Casa Grande to Arizona 264 in Second Mesa, has enjoyed numerous names and extensions since 1924, when it was designated Arizona 87. In 1959, after considerable miles were added to it, it became the Beeline Highway because it makes a “beeline” for the high country of Payson. This blog from earlier this year has more information on the history of SR 87 north of Payson. 

This won't come as a big shock to anyone, but state highways see a lot of travel on the weekends. And if it's a holiday weekend, you can expect to be heading out of town with potentially thousands of your best friends.

As the folks who watch over those state highways you take to get to the high country, can we offer a few words of wisdom?

• First and foremost, planning and preparation are everything. Make sure your car - battery, coolant, tirest, etc. - is in tip-top shape. No one wants to be broken down on the side of the road for Independence Day.
• Expect the unexpected. Keep extra water, healthy snacks, a first aid kit, jumper cables and other emergency supplies in your vehicle just in case.
• Plan your route ahead of time. And before taking off, check current traffic conditions at az511.gov. You can also download the az511 mobile app and our ADOT Alerts app to receive notifications en route.
• Buckle up and obey the speed limit.
• NEVER drive impaired. Designate a driver.
• This may have been your plan anyway, but please remember to observe social distance during the current public health situation.
• You can find more tips to make sure you are ready to enjoy the long weekend on our Road Trip Safety Page.

One last thing to consider as you prepare to head out. As we told you about earlier this week, you should expect longer-than-usual delays on State Route 87 just south of State Route 188. The Bush Fire caused millions of dollars worth of guardrail and right-of-way fence damage along 13 miles of the highway, meaning the right lane is closed along that stretch until repairs can be finished. If you heading toward Payson, the White Mountains or the Mogollon Rim might wish to consider alternate routes, such as Interstate 17 to State Route 260, or US 60 through Globe and Show Low. 

Today's photo should look familiar to anyone who has driven north of Payson on State Route 87.

About 20 minutes past Payson, you reach the forest communities of Pine and Strawberry. And then, just on the far side of Strawberry, the road begins to make its way up the side of the Mogollon Rim.

As part of that climb, the highway takes a tight bend to follow the contour of the Rim. This photo shows the highway markings and rumble strips put on the road to warn vehicles to slow down as they approach this curve. The photo is undated (though the car in the background is pretty good context), but it gives us the chance to talk about this scenic stretch of State Route 87.

Much has been written about the building of Beeline Highway, which made a straighter, faster route between the Valley and Payson – our own history of state transportation devotes a whole section to it – but there is a good deal less information out there about the road going north from there.

Here's what we do know. A 1927 state map shows a road, though definitely not a state highway, heading between Roosevelt and Payson, with an even less developed road heading north of Pine to Winslow. State Route 87 had made it to Payson and Strawberry by 1959, and a 1961 map of the state shows an "improved road" – graded and maintained with a top layer of gravel, but not yet paved – heading north from Strawberry. This road did become paved between Clints Well and Winslow (closer to the latter) and was dubbed State Route 65. By 1968, State Route 87 had replaced State Route 65 and ran the entire length of its current route between Picacho in the south and Second Mesa on the Hopi Reservation in the north. 

And that's the route you can take today if you want to see some impressive views of both the Rim and the Coconino and Tonto national forests. Just please remember to slow down at the curve.

Chances are if you don't work in highway construction you haven't spent that much time thinking about what goes into pouring a concrete deck for new bridges.

But if you've ever been curious at all, our video team recently put together this look at everything that goes into creating a new bridge deck, using footage mostly shot during recent work on an expanded Interstate 10 bridge over Jimmie Kerr Boulevard in Casa Grande.

Tidbits included in this video include the temperature that concrete needs to be kept at before being poured and exactly how much concrete can go into such a large project. There's a lot of logistics and planning that goes into these sorts of projects, so take a few moments to see what exactly goes into this type of work.

This project, which will expand I-10 to three lanes in each direction between Early Road and Interstate 8 in Casa Grande, along with similar work near Eloy, is expected to wrap up later this summer.

By David Rookhuyzen / ADOT Communications

We've been telling you for some time about our projects to widen Interstate 10 and reconfigure the State Route 87 near Eloy and widen I-10 in Casa Grande and reconstruct the bridge over Jimmie Kerr Boulevard. But why describe more work in short blog post when a picture is worth a thousand words?

And today we have more than a thousand words to share with you.

The slideshows below allow you to browse photos of work that will make I-10 three lanes in each direction between Tucson and Casa Grande by late this summer.

I-10 at SR 87 in Eloy

I-10 between Earley Road and I-8 in Casa Grande

By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications

Driving along Interstate 10, about halfway between Tucson and Phoenix, you can see that’s something happening off to the east side of the freeway at State Route 87.

Here’s a better perspective. John Dougherty, ADOT’s newly FAA-certified drone pilot, shot this amazing video to capture the whole project from above.

In less than 10 months, crews have built nearly 4 miles of what will become the new westbound lanes of I-10, bridges over both nearby railroad tracks and the future alignment of I-10, freeway ramps and more.

When the work is done about one year from now, drivers will have six new lanes of I-10, a wider new interchange with SR 87 and a dust-detection zone, the first of its kind on US freeways.

Starting Thursday, Oct. 4, SR 87 will close between I-10 and Milligan Road so we can continue work on the new section of SR 87 and complete the new interchange. The closure is expected to continue until mid-December. Drivers can exit I-10 at Sunshine Boulevard and take Casa Grande-Picacho Highway to SR 87. There are no restrictions on I-10.