State Route 78 (Arizona–New Mexico)

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Arizona State Route 78 and
New Mexico State Road 78

A.M. "Curley" Traynor Memorial Highway
Mule Creek Road
Route 78 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by ADOT & NMDOT
Length34.68 mi (55.81 km)
  • 19.47 mi (31.33 km) in Arizona[1]
  • 15.213 mi (24.483 km) in New Mexico[2]
Existed1920s–present
HistoryNM 78 designated in the 1920s
SR 78 designated on February 17, 1959
Major junctions
West end US 191 / SR 75 in Three Way, AZ
East end US 180 near Cliff, NM
Location
CountryUnited States
StateArizona
Highway system
  • Arizona State Highway System
  • New Mexico State Highway System
← SR 77AZ→ SR 79
← NM 77NM→ NM 80

Arizona State Route 78 (SR 78) and New Mexico State Road 78 (NM 78) are a pair of adjoining state highways located in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico linking U.S. Route 191 (US 191) and Arizona State Route 75 near Greenlee County Airport to US 180 northwest of Cliff, New Mexico. It is also known in its Arizona stretch as Mule Creek Road and the A.M. "Curley" Traynor Memorial Highway.

Route description

NM 78 at mile marker 7

The western terminus of Arizona State Route 78 (SR 78) is located at a junction with U.S. Route 191 (US 191) and SR 75 at Three Way, Arizona near Greenlee County Airport. The highway heads northeast from this intersection along Mule Creek Road. There are a few hairpin turns along this stretch of highway as it follows the surrounding terrain, before crossing the Arizona–New Mexico state line.[1][3] Now called New Mexico State Road 78 (NM 78), the highway heads eastward through desert, passing through the community of Mule Creek, New Mexico. The road continues eastward until terminating at US 180 northwest of Cliff, New Mexico.[4]

History

State Road 78 (NM 78) in New Mexico was designated along its current route between the Arizona state line and NM 11 (now US 180) in the late 1920s.[5] It was extended to U.S. Route 60 via Mogollon by the mid-1940s.[6] The route between US 666 (now US 191) in present-day Three Way, Arizona and NM 78 at the New Mexico state line was originally an undesignated gravel road.[7] This section was not designated as State Route 78 (SR 78) until February 17, 1959.[8] SR 78 would remain a gravel road until 1961, by which point NM 78 had already been paved.[9] By 1971, nearly the entire highway had been paved with the exception of a portion near the New Mexico border.[10] In 1974, SR 78 was designated the A.M. "Curley" Traynor Memorial Highway.[11] During the 1988 New Mexico state road renumbering, NM 78 was truncated from US 60 back to its original eastern terminus at US 180 east of Mule Creek. The former eastern segment of NM 78, where the highway wasn't concurrent with US 180, is now designated as NM 159, NM 163 and part of NM 52.[6]

Junction list

StateCountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
ArizonaGreenleeThree Way0.000.00
 US 191 / SR 75 south – Safford, Duncan, Clifton		Western terminus; US 191 is former US 666; road continues as US 191 south
 19.47
0.000		31.33
0.000		Arizona–New Mexico state line
New MexicoGrant​15.21324.483 US 180 – Glenwood, Silver CityEastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ a b c Arizona Department of Transportation. "2006 ADOT Highway Log" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2008.
  2. ^ a b New Mexico Department of Transportation. "New Mexico Department of Transportation State Road Log" (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2010.
  3. ^ Google (April 23, 2008). "Overview Map of SR 78" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
  4. ^ Google (December 8, 2010). "Overview Map of State Road 78" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
  5. ^ Rand McNally (1927). Auto Road Map of Arizona and New Mexico (Map). Scale not given. Chicago: Rand McNally. Retrieved May 5, 2008 – via Arizona Roads.
  6. ^ a b Riner, Steve. "New Mexico Highways 76-100". The Unofficial New Mexico Highways Page. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
  7. ^ Rand McNally (1938). Road Map of Arizona and New Mexico (Map). Scale not given. Chicago: Rand McNally. Retrieved May 5, 2008 – via Arizona Roads.
  8. ^ Arizona State Highway Department (February 17, 1959). "ADOT Right-of-Way Resolution 1959-079". Works Consulting LLC. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Arizona Highway Data. ESTABLISH AS A STATE ROUTE FROM JCT S.R.75 & U.S.666 NE APPROX 20 MILES TO NEW MEXICO STATE LINE
  9. ^ Rand McNally & Co. (1961). State Highway Department Road Map of Arizona (Map). 1:1,520,640. Chicago: Arizona State Highway Department. Retrieved September 2, 2023 – via Arizona Roads.
  10. ^ Photogrammetry and Mapping Division (1971). State Highway Department Road Map of Arizona (Map). 1:1,267,200. Phoenix: Arizona State Highway Department. Retrieved September 2, 2023 – via AARoads.
  11. ^ Arizona Department of Transportation (September 27, 1974). "ADOT Right-of-Way Resolution 1974-07-A-017". Works Consulting LLC. Retrieved September 2, 2023 – via Arizona Highway Data. CHANGE S.R. 78 TO A.M. "CURLEY" TRAYNOR MEMORIAL HWY, FROM U.S. 666 TO NEW MEXICO STATE LINE.

External links

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