Future AZ 48 and a few other notes
Alan Hamilton
through Prescott and Ash Fork.
I drove up the new Fain Road and Pioneer Parkway. Much of
Fain Rd. is a super-two, with one interchange. It feeds directly into
the new AZ 89A freeway. It makes a very nice beltway around the north
side of Prescott. I'm guessing the whole loop with be AZ 48, with AZ
89A ending at AZ 48.
A few other side trips: I explored a bit of old US 89 at the
old bridge over Hell Canyon, near Drake. The current bridge is a 1956
high level bridge. The old bridge is a lower 1930s concrete bridge.
Very pretty, actually, with a high Santa Fe rail bridge behind it.
I'll have some pictures on my web site soon.
I also took a trip to the steel dam near Ash Fork. This was
built in 1898 out of curved steel plates and girders by the Santa Fe
to provide water for steam engines.
http://www.azsce.org/history-steeldam.shtml
http://azatvriders.org/index.php?pgnm=photo&photoid=401&albumid=45
http://azatvriders.org/index.php?pgnm=photo&photoid=402&albumid=45
The road isn't too bad in an SUV, but the start is hard to
find. You have to circle around the back of a truck stop to find it.
It used to directly connect to the old US 66 alignment, but that's
been blocked off for some reason.
--
/
/ * / Alan Hamilton
* * al...@arizonaroads.com
Arizona Roads -- http://www.arizonaroads.com
Steve Riner
>through Prescott and Ash Fork.
>
> I drove up the new Fain Road and Pioneer Parkway. Much of
>Fain Rd. is a super-two, with one interchange. It feeds directly into
>the new AZ 89A freeway. It makes a very nice beltway around the north
>side of Prescott. I'm guessing the whole loop with be AZ 48, with AZ
>89A ending at AZ 48.
>
that run off 89, not off 69. When I was on Fain Road last fall, there was at
least one milepost in the Yavapai County maintenance section that looked like
it ran off AZ-69. Also, would 89A be terminated short of 89?
Steve Riner
Pueblo West, CO
Minnesota and New Mexico Highways
http://www.steve-riner.com/mnhighways/mnhome.htm
http://www.steve-riner.com/nmhighways/nmhome.htm
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Alan Hamilton
wrote:
>I don't think so. The freeway portion of 89A has mileposts and exit numbers
>that run off 89, not off 69. When I was on Fain Road last fall, there was at
>least one milepost in the Yavapai County maintenance section that looked like
>it ran off AZ-69. Also, would 89A be terminated short of 89?
The road is new enough that the mileposts could be redone.
I don't think ADOT would have a problem with ending AZ 89A short of AZ
89. In fact, they would like to get rid of it entirely according to
their turnback study.
Jason P
> On a weekend trip from Phoenix to Laughlin, I took a side trip
> through Prescott and Ash Fork.
>
> I drove up the new Fain Road and Pioneer Parkway. Much of
> Fain Rd. is a super-two, with one interchange. It feeds directly into
> the new AZ 89A freeway. It makes a very nice beltway around the north
> side of Prescott. I'm guessing the whole loop with be AZ 48, with AZ
> 89A ending at AZ 48.
Boy, its nice to see a city anticipate explosive growth and plan
accordingly rather than ignore it, isn't it (*cough* Tucson *cough*)?
Where exactly is Fain road? I couldn't find it on my Rand McNally
(probably too old ... 2002) and maps.yahoo.com wasn't much help. Any
on-line maps that show it? Any idea when we'll see AZ48 on maps?
Jason
Alan Hamilton
Try http://tinyurl.com/2sssz (zoom in one level). It shows the old
Fain Rd. on the far right. The new one curves to the NW and joins AZ
89A at the junction with Robert Rd. The curved line is the old
railroad bed.
There aren't any maps I'm aware of that show the new Pioneer Parkway
or new Fain Rd.