No, this isn't a screenshot from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

What you are looking at is a physical model made for a proposed design of the Sacaton Rest Area along Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Casa Grande. Unfortunately the photo is not dated, but the sign on it references the Arizona State Highway Department, so it has to be prior to 1974, when we became the Arizona Department of Transportation. Much of the original rest area infrastructure in Arizona was built more than 50 years ago, so that – plus the type of cars the model is using – suggests this "High Desert" concept was designed in the 1960s. 

Take a moment to gaze on what might have been. The interlocking-square geometric design of both the ramadas and the sidewalks is a lot different from the more triangular designs visitors today see. And how about that observation tower? That apparently didn't make the cut into the final design either.

Though visitors to the Sacaton Rest Area today will find a different layout, what they will find is a safe and pleasant space to stretch their legs, walk pets, have a picnic lunch and use the restrooms. ADOT spent the better part of 2018 renovating the rest area, upgrading its restrooms, water lines, septic tanks, electrical and mechanical systems and paint. 

The rest area today may not look like the model, but we promise that you still find a pleasant place to take a mid-drive break. Even if it doesn't have an observation tower.

Like most photos we throwback to, this one also comes to us undated. It is simply labeled "SR89A East Sedona."

We hardly need to be told that last part, as the distinctive rock formations on the road heading toward Oak Creek Canyon speak for themselves, as they have done since long before any human eyes were around to gaze on them. 

The fact that this photo is labeled "SR89A" may give us a clue to when it was taken. Before we get to that, a little history is in order.

The route between Prescott and Flagstaff, including the path through Sedona's famous red rocks, was first established in 1927 as Arizona 79. In the 1940s it was designated US 89A, being the alternative to US 89, the north-south highway that ran between Utah and Nogales. US 89 went north from Prescott through Chino Valley before connecting with US 66 to take drivers to Flagstaff and then north up to the state line.

In 1993, US 89 was truncated at Flagstaff in Arizona and the US 89 designation going further south was decommissioned. The route between Prescott and Ash Fork on Interstate 40 became State Route 89. That meant the old alternate route through Sedona was logically redesignated State Route 89A.

Since the photo labels this as "SR89A" instead of "US89A," it was likely taken after 1993. But even if the labeling is a mistake or anachronism, this photo is a good reminder that if you've never driven through Sedona, then you are missing out on one of the state highway system's most scenic drives.  

 

Today we want to take you back nearly 50 years to a busy highway intersection in southwestern Arizona.

This picture was taken in 1972 where old US 80 and US 95 met in Yuma. That's US 95 in the foreground, with US 80 heading back toward top left. We believe this is the same intersection where Fourth Avenue/I-8 Business meets US 95/16th Street today, but it's hard to tell because a lot has changed in the last four-plus decades. 

Let's assume for the moment that you are the one sitting in that Volkswagon Bus (aah, the 70s...) four cars back from the light. From your perspective, if you went through the light, you would be on your way to San Luis and Mexico. Should you turn right, you would be heading to San Diego. A left turn would take you on US 80 toward Phoenix and Tucson. And should you make a U-turn (as safely as possible and following all applicable traffic laws and posted signage, of course!) you would be heading toward Quartzsite. 

This intersection wouldn't be this sort of central hub for much longer. By the time this photo was taken most of US 80 had been bypassed or appropriated into Interstate 8. Just five years later, US 80 was truncated at Benson.

But for anyone driving through Yuma in a VW bus and choosing a destination in the early 1970s, this was the intersection to be at.

 

You may have noticed, but we have been talking a lot about the Broadway Curve on Interstate 10 through Tempe lately.

We have released our Environmental Assessment on proposed changes to relieve congestion on the freeway between the Interstate 17 Split and Loop 202, and invited the public to give feedback via letter, email and public forums.

That's what makes this photo too perfect not to share.

As any of the thousands of people who drive it daily will recognize, this is clearly the Broadway Curve being built. The photo was probably taken from near Southern Avenue. There's no date on the photo, but that segment of I-10 was wrapped up in 1968, so it must be from around then.

You may notice that there is a lot less built up in this area than your current. As we shared in another blog earlier this year, traffic conditions were a little lighter on I-10 in the East Valley, a far cry from carrying the 40 percent of Valley traffic it does today.

So as we plan to add more capacity and ease congestion on this stretch of the road, enjoy this look back to what things were like when the Broadway Curve was first constructed.

 

We are throwing back to a few bits of state history today, even though we have no way of knowing when this photo was taken.

Those who travel between Parker and Lake Havasu City will recognize this undated shot of State Route 95 and the Bill Williams River bridge. This is where the eponymous river meets the Colorado River/Lake Havasu, just east of the Parker Dam. 

The bridge itself, according to ADOT's inventory, was built in 1967. Its 14 spans measure a total 1,126 feet long. Our 2011 Transportation History tells us that this was part of completing State Route 95 between Parker and Lake Havasu, a project that would be finished in 1971. It's also a rare example of a bridge project being undertaken in the state during the 1960s and 1970s that was not part of the growing interstate system. 

That's the transportation side. But the bridge and the river it carries traffic over is also a monument to a prominent figure who predated the state of Arizona by more than 160 years. You can read a bit more about him here, but in brief William Sherly "Old Bill" Williams was a mountain man, fur trapper and frontiersman who lived from 1787 to 1849. Though born in North Carolina, he would move to Missouri and eventually the western U.S. after marrying into the Osage tribe and then living the rest of his life with the Osage and Utes. He would guide travelers and expeditions across several states, including Arizona and especially the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers. 

In addition to the river, the community of Williams is also named after him. There you will find both the nearby Bill Williams Mountain and Bill Williams Monument Park. 

It just goes to show that even if you don't have a date it shouldn't keep you from seeing history in every road and bridge that crosses Arizona.

We like throwing back to how the highways and freeways we know today were designed and built. 

Hundreds, if not thousands, of vehicles use them today, so it might be easy to take them for granted. But there is a lot of work that goes into building and maintaining highways.

Take today's subject for example. This is Interstate 17 near Flagstaff circa 1966. The photo doesn't have a more specific location for where this shot was taken, but this is around the time that the freeway on the city's south end was completed. You can see that two-way traffic is using the other side of the freeway already.

The crew here is using an old model Bid-Well, a machine to ensure a smooth concrete surface, which we've told you about in a previous blog.  

At this point I-17 was six years into construction, though parts of I-17 were originally built as State Route 69 and part as State Route 79.

All that is ancient history for those going between, let's say Black Canyon City and Kachina Village, but as always, it's nice to reflect on how these stretches of road came to be.

 

Often when we find historic road construction photos we have to do some guess work on either when they were taken or exactly where. Fortunately, we don't have that problem today.

This photo from the construction of Interstate 19 was clearly labeled as being snapped in February of 1977. So far so good.

But if you look in the upper left corner of the photo, you'll notice the prominent rock outcropping that's part of the background mountain range. Anyone who has spent time in the greater Green Valley or Tubac areas can tell you that it's Elephant Head, a prominent landmark in the Santa Rita Mountains. This is also one of the easiest angles to see why the formation has that name. It's okay, we'll give you a second to squint and make out the head, large ears and trunk. 

Did you see it? Great!

So we were lucky enough that someone to captured this image that tells us both the when and the where. But let's talk about the why for a moment. 

While the earliest portions of I-19 date back to the mid-1960s, it took more than a decade to have one complete interstate going from I-10 in Tucson all the way down to the Nogales. The 11-kilometer (roughly 6.8-miles) section between Chavez Siding Road and Canoa Ranch that this particular section is a part of was finished in 1977. After that, only two more sections, finished in 1978 and 1979, were needed before the 102-kilometer (63-mile) interstate was declared done.

And hopefully the next time you head down south, whether to see the historic Canoa Ranch, shop in Tubac or cross the international border at Nogales, this photo will spring to mind as a reminder to appreciate the view.  

 

Maybe it's because it's Halloween, but we felt drawn to this particular undated photo today.

That's because the caption says this is a snapshot of "SR 666 at Safford."

That's right. This is a picture of the Devil's Highway.

Properly US 666, this route originally ran from Douglas to Sanders. Portions of it are the old Coronado Trail, said to have been traversed by the eponymous conquistador Francisco Vasquez de Coronado as he searched for the Seven Cities of Cibola in the 16th century. The route was incorporated in the state highway system in 1927 as Arizona Route 81, but was renumbered a decade later when it was incorporated into a larger north-south transcontinated highway. Since it was the sixth highway to branch off US 66, this new north-south route was naturally numbered US 666.

Predictably, the highway became known as the Devil's Highway, with even some talk of strange, supernatural problems. In 1992 Arizona petitioned to have the route renumbered, partially to avoid the evil connotations of the number and partially because, like other states, it found the signs for the route were favorite targets for theft. Other states followed suit in renumbering the highway over the next decade. 

We did a blog post a couple years back on the Coronado Trail, and you can find more information about US 191 on our list of historic roads.

We're not sure exactly where this was taken or even what direction it is facing. But we think you will agree that, sinister numbering or not, there is something a bit bewitching about this strip of highway in southeast Arizona. 

You can forgive us if we have Interstate 17 on the brain today. 

With Governor Doug Ducey announcing a slew of improvements to the highway north of the Valley – widening 15 miles between Anthem and Black Canyon City, adding 8 miles of flex lanes north of Black Canyon City, a total of more than $300 million of improvements – we are thinking a lot about this Key Commerce Corridor between Phoenix and northern Arizona.

As you might know, the road was the original State Route 69 and ran between Phoenix and Prescott. Though started in 1936, the Great Depression and World War II delayed the road's dedication until 1952 – and it would not be fully paved until 1955. Soon afterward plans were put in place for another highway, called State Route 79 and starting at the newly christened Cordes Junction, to head through the Verde Valley and all the way up to Flagstaff. After a series of contracts for companies to build 5- or 10-mile stretches, this highway connection between Valley and Flagstaff was in place by September 1961.

After the start of the interstate system, Arizona decided the sections of State Route 69, State Route 79 and the Valley's Black Canyon Freeway would be designated as "Interstate 17." This transformation would be complete in 1978. You can read more about the history of I-17 in our 2011 Arizona Transportation History. 

All this had us finding photos showing what I-17 used to look like. The undated photos here start in north Phoenix near Union Hills and then go down into Camp Verde.

With the announced improvements, plus work underway to repave and rebuild bridge decks between the Coconino County line and I-40, we are making sure this important highway continues to serve Arizona motorists for years to come. 

Today we are throwing back to the near past and one of the first of a series of projects to upgrade US 93 between Wickenburg and the Nevada state line.

Over the past two decades, ADOT has invested nearly half a billion dollars into turning this busy corridor between the Valley and Las Vegas into a four-lane divided highway, all with an eye toward the future Interstate 11.

This photo is from April 2006 and shows work happening to put new bridges over Burro Creek, south of Wikieup, and represents one of the earliest completed projects toward that goal. This bridge, and another over Santa Maria River, were completed in 2008. 

As we told you about at the beginning of the year, 161 miles of the highway have received these improvements and another 13-mile section north of Wikieup is currently being worked on. You can read more about the scope of the US 93 improvements on our website.