Current and historic US Highway ends in Flagstaff AZ

Additional research and/or photo credits: Jesse Bender; Chris Elbert; Jeff Jensen

Highway Approx. time period
US 164 1966-1970
US 89 1992-present

When the US routes were first created, Flagstaff was situated at the junction of US 66 and US 89 (click here to see a 1950s photo showing both route signs). It was around 1961 that the US 180 designation was extended westward through town and on to the Grand Canyon. A few years later, a new US 164 was commissioned to serve the Indian reservations between Flagstaff and Cortez CO. The highway followed today's US 160 to Tuba City, and was then co-signed with US 89 down to Flag, where its terminus was at its junction with US 66. At the time, US 160 went north and west out of Cortez into Utah, but in 1970 it was rerouted along its present corridor (south and west into Arizona). At that point, US 164 would've been co-signed with other US routes along its entirety, so the designation was eliminated.

Fast forward about 20 years: in 1992, much of US 89 was decommissioned in Arizona, such that its south end was (and still is) in Flag. US 66 had long been decomissioned in Arizona (thanks to I-40), but US 180 still runs along part of its historic route through Flag. So, bottom line: where US 164 used to end at US 66 is basically the same place where US 89 now ends at US 180 (the only difference is that the roads were slightly realigned when the connection to I-40's exit 201 was built). The sign bridge shown in the photo below is for traffic approaching the south end of US 89:

Google Maps Street View, 2009

That's also westbound on historic US 66. At the signalized junction visible in the background, the "End" marker shown below is posted:

Google Maps Street View, 2009

That sign wasn't there until 2008 or later. Straight ahead is westbound US 180/Business 40, while eastbound is to the left on Country Club Drive. That's also essentially where US 164 used to end at US 66. Before that "End" sign was there, the US 89 signs just abruptly ended, and traffic was presented with this overhead sign:

Jensen, Sep. 2002

Odd how US 180 was signed as "North", as it's an east-west route. The opposite side of that old sign bridge is shown below - the south beginning of US 89 used to be heralded thus:

Jensen, Sep. 2002

That used to be the perspective of someone on eastbound US 66 and northbound US 89... and for a four-year period during the late 1960s, it was US 164 that began straight ahead, co-signed with US 89. By the time of that photo, that was eastbound on US 180/Bus. 40, which continued to the right; the south beginning of US 89 was straight ahead. Below is a closeup of the signage:

Jensen, Sep. 2002

That junction has since been reconfigured: the flyover ramp that used to be there is gone - now it's just an at-grade intersection. The overhead signage has changed a bit, too:

Elbert, Apr. 2008

Today the first US 89 marker is posted just beyond the intersection ahead...

Google Maps Street View, 2009

...but that wasn't there in early 2008. Before that sign was added, you had to continue ahead maybe two or three miles before the first northbound confirming assembly was seen:

Elbert, Apr. 2008

There are a few signs in Flagstaff that are misleading with regard to where US 89 begins. For example, heading east on I-40, exit signage makes it look like US 89 begins at this interchange...

Elbert, Apr. 2008

...which actually wouldn't be a bad idea. Technically that exit leads to westbound US 180/Business I-40 (which in turn leads to the south beginning of US 89). But most traffic exiting here isn't going to be heading back west - it's more likely most people are heading north on US 89. So if it makes sense to sign this exit for US 89, then why not extend the designation to this exit?

Chris also found the sign shown below a few blocks west of where US 89 ends...

Elbert, Apr. 2008

...but it still indicates that US 89 continues further south.