Utah State Route 24

State Route 24 (SR-24) is a state highway in south central Utah which runs south from Salina through Sevier County then east through Wayne County and north east through Emery County. At a total of 163.294 miles (262.796 km), it is the longest contiguous state route in Utah. A portion of the highway has been designated the Capitol Reef Scenic Byway as part of the Utah Scenic Byways program.[2]

State Route 24
Capitol Reef Scenic Byway
Route information
Defined by Utah Code §72-4-108
Maintained by UDOT
Length160.294 mi[1] (257.968 km)
Existed1910 as a state highway; 1927 as SR-24–present
Major junctions
West end US-50 in Salina
  SR-118 in Sigurd
SR-62 at Plateau Junction
SR-25 near Fish Lake
SR-72 near Loa
SR-12 in Torrey
SR-95 in Hanksville
East end I-70 / US-50 near Green River
Location
CountiesSevier, Piute, Wayne, Emery
Highway system
  • State highways in Utah
SR-23 SR-25

Route description

SR-24 between Loa and Lyman

The highway starts at US-50 near Salina and ends at I-70 near Green River, taking a 163-mile (262 km) scenic route between the Fishlake and Dixie National Forests then through Capitol Reef National Park, along the eastern side of the San Rafael Reef passing Goblin Valley State Park and meeting I-70 again near Green River. Along the way, it passes through the towns of Loa, Lyman, Bicknell, Torrey and Hanksville.

Portion of Capitol Reef along SR-24

The Mars Society established the Mars Desert Research Station just outside Hanksville, due to its Mars-like terrain .

The north easterly section past the San Rafael Reef is open desert with distant views of the Henry and La Sal Mountains.[1]

Traffic volume

SR-24 between Torrey and Hanksville

The Average Daily Traffic (AADT) for SR-24 is at its greatest between Salina and Sigurd, where it varies between 3,085 down to 1,500 at the Junction with SR-118. Past that point, the volume of traffic varies greatly, reaching peaks where the highway coincides with the main streets in the several towns through which it passes. In Loa, the AADT reaches 2,080, in Torrey, it peaks at 1,230. Then the traffic dies down to 295 by the time SR-24 arrives back at I-70.[3]

History

SR-24 sign between Loa and Lyman

The road from SR-11 (by 1926 US-89) at Sigurd southeast and east to Hanksville became a state highway in 1910 (Wayne County) and 1912 (Piute and Sevier Counties).[4] The number was assigned in 1927 by the state legislature,[5] and in 1935 it was extended northeast from Hanksville to US-6 near Green River.[6]

SR-24 between Capitol Reef National Park and Torrey

A realignment in 1961 bypassed Capitol Reef Road between Fruita and Caineville; as part of the construction of I-70, the east end was moved west to that highway's exit 149 in 1964. SR-24 was extended north from its west end over former US-89 to present-day US-89 in 1969, and cut back slightly to its current end at US-50 in the 1977 renumbering.[4] (The 1969 extension was signed as part of US-89 until 1992, soon after I-70 was completed.[7])

For a time in the 1950s and 1960s, there was also a State Route 24A, which was a short spur of SR-24 from Sigurd southwest along Main Street to SR-11/US-89.[8][9]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
SevierSalina0.0000.000 US-50 (Main Street) ScipioWestern terminus
Aurora5.3018.531 SR-260 north
Sigurd7.70512.400 SR-259 north to I-70 / US-89
8.16513.140 SR-118 south Richfield
Glenwood16.00625.759 SR-119 west Richfield
Plateau Junction32.31051.998 SR-62 south Junction
PiuteFish Lake39.09462.916 SR-25 north
WayneLoa51.57583.002 SR-72 north to I-70
Torrey69.526111.891 SR-12 south Escalante
Hanksville116.484187.463 SR-95 south Blanding
EmeryGreen River159.811–
160.234
257.191–
257.872
I-70 / US-50 Richfield, Green RiverI-70 exit 149.
160.294257.968Four Corners Mine RoadEastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. UDOT Highway Reference, SR-24
  2. "Capitol Reef Scenic Byway". Utah.com. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
  3. "2005 Traffic On Utah Highways," page 12. - Dept. of Transportation @ Utah.gov
  4. Utah Department of Transportation, Highway Resolutions: "Route 24". (17.9 MB), updated September 2007, accessed May 2008
  5. Utah State Legislature (1927). "Chapter 21: Designation of State Roads". Session Laws of Utah. 24. From Sigurd southeasterly via Plateau Junction, Loa and Fruita to Hanksville.
  6. Utah State Legislature (1935). "Chapter 37: Designation of State Roads". Session Laws of Utah. Route 24. From Sigurd southeasterly via Plateau Junction, Loa and Fruita to Hanksville, thence northeasterly to Green River on route 8.
  7. Utah Department of Transportation, Highway Resolutions: "Route 70". (17.4 MB), updated November 2007, accessed May 2008
  8. Utah State Legislature (1963). "Chapter 39: Highway Code". Session Laws of Utah. p. 163. Route 24-A. From route 24 in Sigurd southwesterly to route 11.
  9. "USGS Topographic Map". Historic Aerials. USGS. 1969. Retrieved 25 May 2019.

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