Skip to main content

2018 Mojave Desert Road Trip Part 5; Interstate 15 in Arizona

By
Given that I was leaving Zion National Park an hour or so before sundown south towards Las Vegas on Interstate 15 it gave me an opportunity to take pictures of the 30 miles of the route in Arizona.  This particular section of I-15 is notable for being on the Arizona Strip north of the Grand Canyon and of course due to the routing through the Virgin River Gorge.


The Arizona Strip is a section of Mohave and Yavapai Counties which are cut-off from the rest of Arizona by the Grand Canyon.  I-15 within Arizona is located entirely in Mohave County despite it not being even anywhere close any of it's major cities like Kingman, Bullhead City, or Lake Havasu City.  The isolation from the rest of Arizona has led the communities present to share much more in common with Utah (which was really bad in the case of Colorado City).

Unlike US Route 91 which dipped into Utah upstream on the Virgin River the routing of I-15 was constructed through the Virgin River Gorge to save approximately 12 miles.  Despite the canyon depths the Virgin River Gorge was found to have more shallow grades than the alignment of US 91.  I-15 was under construction in Arizona from the early 1960s until it was completed in 1973.  The northwest corner of the Arizona state highway maps in 1961 and 1971 show the progression from US 91 to an almost complete I-15.

1961 Arizona State Highway Map

1971 Arizona State Highway Map

The 2016 Arizona Department of Transportation web map book shows how different the route of I-15 is compared to US 91.

2016 ADOT Map Book

So with all that in mind I-15 is one of the best sections of Interstate in the country for scenery in Arizona.  The Virgin River gorge is narrow and steep much like Zion Canyon upstream but has completely colors.  This particular section of Interstate is so interesting that I often pass up a drive on a historical section of US 91 just to drive it.

Entering Arizona southbound from Utah traffic is greeted with the standard "Welcome to Arizona" sign.


Approaching the Virgin River Gorge traffic is warned about the down hill descent.


There was actually a snow advisory for Saturday which found odd considering that the weather was nearing 70F in Zion.  The Arizona Centennial signs from 2012 seem to be holding up well over time.


Black Rock Road can be reached via exit 27.


Signage is posted southbound indicating that you are traveling through the Virgin River Gorge.


I-15 in Arizona was recently reconstructed.  The speed limit in the Virgin River Gorge dips down to 55 MPH but I found that to be grossly inadequate.  I was having my doors blown off by traffic going close to 80 MPH when I was at leisurely speeds like 65-70 MPH.  I-15 crosses over the Virgin River numerous times and even has a dedicated recreation exit at mile marker 18 for Cedar Pocket.  The western end of the Gorge is far abrupt than from the east.














Exiting the Virgin River Gorge the terrain on I-15 flattens back out and 75 MPH speeds resume.


Exit 8 accesses County Route 91 which is the old alignment of US 91.  US 91 continued northward to Utah and ran south of I-15 into Nevada.


Exiting Arizona I-15 enters Nevada and Clark County.  Much of Old US 91 is now signed as the I-15 Business Loop.  I missed the "Welcome to Nevada" sign due to motion blur from going 80 MPH.


ADOT actually has a Youtube Channel which has videos on the rehab project in the Virgin River Gorge which started in 2014 and went through to 2016:



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grand Loop Road of Yellowstone National Park

By
  Grand Loop Road is a 140 mile loop highway which traverses the interior of Yellowstone National Park.  Grand Loop Road connects all of the major attractions and geological features of Yellowstone National Park along with the entrance roads.  Grand Loop Road is a seasonal highway and despite some conjecture never has been part of the US Route System.   Part 1; the history of Grand Loop Road The majority of history pertaining to Grand Loop Road was taken from the below National Park Service article: Historic Roads - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Yellowstone was declared the first National Park of the United States on March 1st, 1872.  The first real highway to access Yellowstone National Park came in 1873 when a tolled facility was constructed from Bozeman, Montana via Yankee Jim Canyon to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Numerous attempts were made to fund construction of roadway infrastructure during the early years of Yellows...
Post a Comment
Read more

The last 1956-63 era California Sign State Route Spade?

By
Along southbound California State Route 170 (the Hollywood Freeway Extension) approaching the Hollywood Freeway/Ventura Freeway interchange a white California State Route 134 Sign State Route Spade can be observed on guide sign.  These white spades were specifically used during the 1956-63 era and have become increasingly rare.  This blog is intended to serve as a brief history of the Sign State Route Spade.  We also ask you as the reader, is this last 1956-63 era Sign State Route Spade or do you know of others?  Part 1; the history of the California Sign State Route Spade Prior to the Sign State Route System, the US Route System and the Auto Trails were the only highways in California signed with reassurance markers.  The creation of the US Route System by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926 brought a system of standardized reassurance shields to major highways in California.  Early efforts to create a Sign State Route ...
Post a Comment
Read more

California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway

By
From 2017 through to early 2019 I drove the majority of the California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway from CA 89 southwest to CA 99. CA 70 is an approximately 178.5 mile state highway which starts at US 395 near the Nevada State Line and travels west through the Feather River Canyon to CA 99.  CA 70 is often referred to as the Feather River Highway" given it's close association with the river.  Historically CA 70 was previously signed as US 40A and CA 24.  The Legislative Routes prior to the 1964 California Highway Renumbering that made up the current route of CA 70 are as follows: -  Legislative Route Number 21 from US 395 westward to Oroville. -  LRN 87 from Oroville south to Marysville. -  LRN 232 from Marysville to the current junction with CA 99.  CA 70 was even dual signed with CA 99 into Sacramento on what was LRN 232 for a time. The change from US 40A/LRN 21/LRN 87/LRN 232 can be seen by comparing the 1963 State Highway Ma...
Post a Comment
Read more