Bush Highway (Arizona)

Bush Highway
	Harvey Bush Highway
	Bush Highway highlighted in red
Route information
	Maintained by MCDOT and the City of Mesa
Length	15.2 mi[1] (24.5 km) 20.6 mi (33.15 km) as Power Road[2]
Existed	1934[3]–present
Major junctions
South end	Power Road in Mesa
North end	SR 87 in Tonto National Forest
Location
Counties	Maricopa
Highway system
	Arizona State Highway System; Interstate; U.S.; State; Unconstructed; Former;

Bush Highway is a scenic highway in the US state of Arizona. It begins at the northern end of Power Road in Mesa and extends northeasterly through the Tonto National Forest to the Beeline Highway. The highway was named for local resident Harvey Grandville Bush in the 1930s.

The road continues south beyond its terminus as Power Road, a major road within the cities of Mesa, Gilbert, and Queen Creek.

Route description

Bush Highway begins at the northern end of Power Road at the northern boundary of Mesa and continues northward. Near the Salt River, the roadway turns to the northeast into Tonto National Forest. The highway runs over the Arizona Canal and past the Granite Reef Dam. The highway continues along the Salt River near its confluence with the Verde River and past Red Mountain. It crosses the river on the Blue Point Bridge, which is a location used traditionally as the start of tubing trips down the river. From there, the road continues northerly past the Stewart Mountain Dam and Saguaro Lake to connect with State Route 87 (Beeline Highway).[1][4]

History

The highway was named after Harvey Granville Bush, a Mesa lumberman. Construction on what was then called "The Harvey Bush Highway" began on March 21, 1933. The road opened to the public in 1934.[3][5]

Major intersections

The entire route is in Tonto National Forest, Maricopa County.

mi[1][2]	km	Destinations[1][2]	Notes
0.000	0.000	Power Road south	Continuation beyond southern terminus
7.70	12.39	Bridge over the Salt River
11.20	18.02	FFH 206 (Saguaro Lake Road) – Saguaro del Norte
15.10	24.30	SR 87 – Phoenix, Payson	Diamond interchange; northern terminus; exit 199 on SR 87
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Route transition

References

Google (January 18, 2016). "Bush Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
Google (January 18, 2016). "Power Road" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
Ehrhardt, Tim (December 8, 2010). "A little highway history". The Payson Roundup. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
Stanley, John (February 15, 2008). "Scenic drive: Bush Highway". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, AZ. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
Brown, Stan (February 25, 2010). "The Story of Payson, Arizona". The Payson Roundup. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2011.

External links

Tonto National Forest Recreation Areas

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[google_maps-1] Google (January 18, 2016). "Bush Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 18, 2016.

[power_road-2] Google (January 18, 2016). "Power Road" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 18, 2016.

[ernhardt-3] Ehrhardt, Tim (December 8, 2010). "A little highway history". The Payson Roundup. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2011.

[republic-4] Stanley, John (February 15, 2008). "Scenic drive: Bush Highway". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, AZ. Retrieved December 25, 2011.

[brown-5] Brown, Stan (February 25, 2010). "The Story of Payson, Arizona". The Payson Roundup. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2011.