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]
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capitol Reef Scenic Byway | ||||
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| Route information | ||||
| Defined by Utah Code §72-4-108 | ||||
| Maintained by UDOT | ||||
| Length | 160.294 mi[1] (257.968 km) | |||
| Existed | 1910 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 | ||||
| Counties | Sevier, Piute, Wayne, Emery | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route description
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.
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
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
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]
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
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sevier | Salina | 0.000 | 0.000 | US-50 (Main Street) – Scipio | Western terminus |
| Aurora | 5.301 | 8.531 |  SR-260 north | ||
| Sigurd | 7.705 | 12.400 |   SR-259 north to I-70 / US-89 | ||
| 8.165 | 13.140 | SR-118 south – Richfield | |||
| Glenwood | 16.006 | 25.759 |  SR-119 west – Richfield | ||
| Plateau Junction | 32.310 | 51.998 | SR-62 south – Junction | ||
| Piute | Fish Lake | 39.094 | 62.916 | SR-25 north | |
| Wayne | Loa | 51.575 | 83.002 | SR-72 north to I-70 | |
| Torrey | 69.526 | 111.891 | SR-12 south – Escalante | ||
| Hanksville | 116.484 | 187.463 | SR-95 south – Blanding | ||
| Emery | Green River | 159.811– 160.234 | 257.191– 257.872 | I-70 / US-50 – Richfield, Green River | I-70 exit 149. |
| 160.294 | 257.968 | Four Corners Mine Road | Eastern terminus | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
References
- UDOT Highway Reference, SR-24
- "Capitol Reef Scenic Byway". Utah.com. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
- "2005 Traffic On Utah Highways," page 12. - Dept. of Transportation @ Utah.gov
- Utah Department of Transportation, Highway Resolutions: "Route 24". (17.9 MB), updated September 2007, accessed May 2008
- 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.
- 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.
- Utah Department of Transportation, Highway Resolutions: "Route 70". (17.4 MB), updated November 2007, accessed May 2008
- 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.
- "USGS Topographic Map". Historic Aerials. USGS. 1969. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
