Arizona State Route 366 and Mount Graham

The photo below was taken back in 2012 from US Route 70 near Safford looking south towards the 10,724 foot Mount Graham near Safford in Graham County. Mount Graham is the location of one of the few Arizona State Routes I never fully finished; AZ 366.

Arizona State Route 366 is a 28.33 mile state highway running west from US 191 in Swift Trail Junction to the Columbine Ranger Station of Coronado National Forest. While AZ 366 doesn't technically go all the way to the summit of Mount Graham it does provide access to it via connecting National Forest Routes. Approximately the first 22 western most miles of AZ 366 are paved while the remaining portion of the route is gravel.

AZ 366 was established as a State Highway in 1960. The numbering convention of "366" comes from the connection the route had with US 666 which was eventually renumbered in Arizona to US 191. Prior to the Interstates being built all Arizona State Routes had a number that was consecutive of a US Route. Initially the routing of AZ 366 was reportedly only about 6 miles west from US 666 Swift Trail Junction but was quickly expanded to the modern 28.33 miles. This 1961 Arizona State Highway Map shows the full routing of AZ 366 much as it appears today.

1961 State Highway Map

AZ 366 appears to be not much more than a maintenance swap between ADOT and Coronado National Forest. The eventual routing of AZ 366 appears as "Swift Trail" on the 1956 Arizona State Highway Map.

1956 State Highway Map

The summit of Mount Graham is the location of the Mount Graham International Observatory which began operations in 1993. Mount Graham is one of five Ultra-prominent peaks in Arizona which have prominence of over 5,000 feet above the surrounding terrain. Mount Graham ranks 50th overall in the United States in terms of prominence at 6,340 feet above the surrounding terrain.

Comments

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...

Massena Center Suspension Bridge

The Massena Center Bridge, also known as the Holton D. Robinson Bridge, has had quite the tumultuous history. Situated on the Grasse River just east of Massena, New York in the hamlet of Massena Center, the Massena Center Bridge is a reminder of the efforts the community has made in order to connect over the river. The first and only other known bridge to be built at Massena Center was built in 1832, but that bridge was never long for this world. During the spring of 1833, the Grasse River dammed itself due to an ice dam, flooded and lifted the bridge off its foundation, destroying the bridge in the process. The floods were frequent in the river during the spring, often backing up the river from Hogansburg and past Massena Center, but not to nearby Massena. After the first bridge disappeared, local residents had to resort to traveling seven miles west to Massena to cross the next closest bridge, and that was no easy task for a horse and buggy. However, it was many decades befo...

The Dead Man's Curve of Interstate 90 and Innerbelt Freeway in Cleveland

"Dead Man's Curve" refers to the transition ramp Interstate 90 takes between Cleveland Memorial Shoreway onto the Innerbelt Freeway in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Said curve includes a sharp transition between the two freeways which is known for a high rate of accidents. Currently the curve (not officially named) has a 35 MPH advisory speed and numerous safety features intended to mitigate crashes. When the Interstate System was first conceived during 1956, Interstate 90 was intended to use the entirety Cleveland Memorial Shoreway and connect to the Northwest Freeway through Lakewood. The Innerbelt Freeway was initially planned as the northernmost segment of Interstate 71. The extension of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway west of Edgewater Park was never constructed which led to Interstate 90 being routed through the Innerbelt Freeway. Part 1; the history of Cleveland's Innerbelt Freeway and Deadman's Curve The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 was signe...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog