Arizona State Route 77

State Route 77 marker

State Route 77
SR 77 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by ADOT
Length 253.93 mi[1] (408.66 km)
Existed 1927 – present
Tourist
routes		 Copper Corridor Scenic Road[2]
Major junctions
South end I-10 in Tucson
  US 70 in Globe
US 60 from Globe to Show Low
US 180 in Holbrook
I-40 in Holbrook
North end BIA Route 6 at Navajo Nation boundary
Highway system
← SR 75SR 78 →
← SR 8484ASR 85 →

State Route 77 (or SR 77) is a state highway in Arizona that traverses much of the state's length, stretching from its northern terminus at the boundary of the Navajo Nation north of Holbrook to its junction with I-10 in Tucson.

Route description

At its southern terminus, north of Tucson, the road is known as Oracle Road[3] until the final mile and a half when the road turns westward directly toward Interstate 10 and is called Miracle Mile Road,[3] named such in 1962.[4]

SR 77 traveling through Salt River Canyon

Past the Navajo Nation boundary, SR 77 becomes BIA Route 6 northbound towards Keams Canyon. Between Show Low and Globe, this highway is concurrent with U.S. Route 60. Its southernmost reaches were formerly part of U.S. Route 80 and U.S. Route 89, except for its terminal segment, the Miracle Mile segment of old Business 10 and State Route 84A.

Origin of the name of Tucson's Miracle Mile

Although it was thought for several years that Tucson's Miracle Mile derived its name from a June 1937 Arizona Highways magazine, historian David Leighton challenged this theory, in a February 23, 2015, article in the Arizona Daily Star newspaper. He explained that in 1936, real estate developer Stanley Williamson conceived the idea of creating a commercial center outside of the over-congested downtown retail district, in Tucson. His model for this business center was the Miracle Mile in Los Angeles, Calif. The one in L.A., was the idea of real estate agent A.W. Ross, who saw that the retail district in that city was overcrowded and, also saw that cars were becoming more common. He came up with the idea of buying farming land, along Wilshire Blvd., several miles out from downtown, with the belief that as more people bought automobiles they would be willing to drive farther, in order to avoid the lack of parking and congestion in the downtown area. While initially no one thought his idea would work, in time store after store came to his business center. The Miracle Mile eventually became one of Los Angeles' premier shopping districts. Ross originally called his business area, the Wilshire Boulevard Center, it was changed to the Miracle Mile in 1928.

History

SR 77 was designated in 1931 from McNary to Holbrook. In 1938, it was extended to Oracle Junction, and the old route to McNary was cancelled. In 1992, it extended south to its current terminus, replacing a portion of US 89, which was removed from southern Arizona. The section was part of US 80 until 1989.

Junction list

CountyLocationmi[1]kmExitDestinations[5][2][6]Notes
PimaTucson0.000.00 I-10 – Phoenix, El PasoExit 255 on I-10
1.492.40Oracle RoadFormer US 80 / US 89 / SR 84 east / SR 93 south / SR 789
Oro Valley Tangerine Road (SR 989)SR 989 unsigned; serves Oro Valley Hospital
PinalOracle Junction22.9136.87 SR 79 north (Pinal Pioneer Parkway) – Florence, PhoenixSouth end of SR 79; former US 80 west / US 89 / SR 789 north
​ Veterans Memorial Boulevard – San ManuelInterchange; serves San Manuel Airport
GilaWinkelman65.71105.75 SR 177 north (2nd Street) – Superior
Globe98.52158.55 US 70 east – SaffordSouth end of US 70 overlap
100.57161.85 US 70 end / US 60 west (Ash Street west) – Globe, PhoenixSouth end of US 60 overlap; north end of US 70 overlap
Navajo​ SR 73 east
Show Low SR 260 west (Clark Road) – HeberSouth end of SR 260 overlap
SR 260 east (White Mountain Road) – Pinetop-LakesideNorth end of SR 260 overlap
172.20277.13 US 60 east (Deuce of Clubs east) – SpringervilleNorth end of US 60 overlap
Snowflake191.06307.48 SR 277 west (3rd Street North) – Heber
Holbrook216.12347.81 SR 377 south (Heber Road) – Heber
217.74350.42 US 180 east – St. JohnsSouth end of US 180 overlap
218.47351.59 I-40 BL / US 180 / Historic US 66 west (Hopi Drive) to I-40 – FlagstaffNorth end of US 180 overlap; south end of I-40 BL/Historic US 66 overlap; former US 66 west
I-40 BL / Historic US 66 east (Navajo Boulevard) / I-40 west – FlagstaffNorth end of I-40 BL/Historic US 66 overlap; south end of I-40 overlap; exit 286 on I-40; former US 66 east
289 I-40 BL / Historic US 66 west (Navajo Boulevard)Exit number follows I-40; former US 66 west
​224.86361.88 I-40 east – AlbuquerqueNorth end of I-40 overlap; exit 292 on I-40
​238.79384.30BIA Route 6 northContinuation beyond northern terminus at Navajo Nation boundary
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

  • Arizona portal
  • U.S. Roads portal

References

Route map:

KML is from Wikidata
  1. 1 2 Arizona Department of Transportation. "2008 ADOT Highway Log" (PDF). Retrieved April 9, 2008.
  2. 1 2 Arizona Department of Transportation (2014). "Arizona Parkways, Historic and Scenic Roads" (PDF). Phoenix: Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Tucson @ AARoads.com
  4. ↑ Devine, Dave (October 9–15, 1997). "Motel Memories". Tucson Weekly. Tucson.
  5. ↑ "Historic Arizona U.S. Route 80 Designation". Webpage. Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation. August 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  6. ↑ Shell Oil Company; H.M. Gousha Company (1956). Shell Highway Map of Arizona (Map). 1:1,330,560. Chicago: Shell Oil Company. Retrieved March 31, 2015 – via David Rumsey Map Collection.
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