Utah State Route 7
State Route 7 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Parkway | ||||
SR-7 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Defined by Utah Code §72-4-106 | ||||
| Maintained by UDOT | ||||
| Length | 26.1 mi[1][2] (42.0 km) | |||
| Existed | 2009[3]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  I-15 in St George | |||
| East end |  SR-9 in Hurricane | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Utah | |||
| Counties | Washington | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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| ||||
State Route 7 (SR-7), also known as Southern Parkway, is a 26.1-mile (42.0 km) east-west state highway in southern Washington County in the extreme southwestern portion of the US state of Utah. It connects the southern periphery of St. George with Hurricane, while providing access to the St. George Regional Airport.[4]
Route description
State Route 7 starts at its intersection with I-15 in southwest St. George. From here it travels southeast for about 3 miles (4.8 km) to immediately north of the Utah-Arizona border, then turning east and paralleling the border. Past interchanges at Desert Color Parkway and River Road, the road turns north-northeast and continues for 15 miles (24.1 km), passing Airport Parkway (which accesses the St. George Regional Airport) and Long Valley Road[5] until reaching Sand Hollow Road, having an interchange with the road immediately southwest of Sand Hollow State Park. From this point onwards, State Route 7 continues east for an additional 8 miles (12.9 km), following the southern boundary of Sand Hollow State Park before gradually curving north and ending at an intersection with State Route 9 just west of downtown Hurricane.
The entire route is included in the National Highway System.[6]
History
Since the 1977 Utah state route renumbering, no route in Utah had been designated as State Route 7, until 2009 when the Utah State Legislature added the Southern Parkway from Pioneer Road to River Road to the state highway system.[3]
The first portion of the freeway opened July 7, 2009, a link between Exit 2 at I-15 south of Bloomington (a suburb within the city of St. George) to River Road in south St. George spanning 4 miles (6.4 km).[7] The second portion was completed in November 2010, extending further east to the new St. George Regional Airport. The third and final segment of State Route 7 between Sand Hollow Road and State Route 9 would finally open to traffic on May 20, 2021.[8] The highway began as a mostly two-lane highway with at-grade intersections, envisioned to eventually be converted to a four-lane divided freeway.[9] The majority of these intersections have been updated to the planned interchanges.
Major intersections
The entire route is in Washington County.
| Location | mi[1][2] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. George | 0.000 | 0.000 | I-15 – Las Vegas, Salt Lake City | Western terminus; roadway continues west as Sun River Parkway; I-15 exit 2 | |
| 0.444 | 0.715 | 1 | Desert Color Parkway | Formerly Astragalus Drive | |
| 3.251 | 5.232 | 3 | River Road | Immediately north of Utah-Arizona border | |
| 5.911 | 9.513 | 6 | Desert Canyons Parkway | Road is 2 lanes from this point eastward as of 2018 | |
| 7.082 | 11.397 | 7 | Airport Parkway – St. George Regional Airport | ||
| Washington | 10.385 | 16.713 | 10 | Warner Valley Road | Connection to Washington Fields Road |
| 12.24 | 19.70 | 12 | George Washington Boulevard | Construction began early 2023[10] and was completed on August 12, 2024 [11][12] | |
| 14.720 | 23.690 | 15 | Long Valley Road | Connection to Washington Dam Road | |
| | 18.299 | 29.449 | 18 | Sand Hollow Road – Sand Hollow State Park, Hurricane | Formerly an at-grade intersection; immediately southwest of Sand Hollow State Park |
| 19 | 3200 West [13] | Eastbound exit and entrance only | |||
| Hurricane | 22.9 | 36.9 | 22 | 3000 South | |
| 26.1 | 42.0 | SR-9 | Eastern terminus | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
References
- ^ a b "Highway Reference Online - SR-7". Utah Department of Transportation. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ^ a b Google (July 31, 2021). "Overview Map of SR-7" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ a b "State Road Resolutions SR-7.pdf". Utah Department of Transportation. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
- ^ "UDOT to Open First Segment of State's Newest Highway". Utah Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved 7 Jul 2009.
- ^ "Southern Parkway Project map". Retrieved 3 Jan 2010.
- ^ "Utah National Highway System". Utah Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
- ^ "Public Works Capital projects". City of St. George Department of Public Works. Retrieved 17 Jan 2009.
- ^ "'Today's a great day': Officials, community members celebrate completion of Southern Parkway". Retrieved 2021-05-21.
- ^ "Traffic and transportation information exchange - Southern Parkway". City of St. George. Retrieved 17 Jan 2009.
- ^ "3650 South Extension and SR-7 Interchange". Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ DeGraw, Stephanie (August 12, 2024). "interchange gives drivers bypass option". St George News. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
- ^ "Utah". AA Roads Forum. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
- ^ "Utah Roads.zip". utah.gov. Utah DOT. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
External links
- "Southern Corridor Environmental Impact Statement". Utah Department of Transportation.
- Campbell, Julia (6 Jul 2005). "Southern Corridor Will Be Closer to Hurricane". Hurricane Valley Journal. Retrieved 17 Jan 2009.
- St. George project page