Interstate 15 Arizona
Interstate 15 cuts through the northwest corner of Arizona (Mohave
County), separated from the rest of the state by the Grand
Canyon. It passes through the Virgin River Canyon, one of
the engineering marvels of the Interstate Highway System.
Interstate 15 was part of the 1958 Interstate
Highway system plan. The first leg constructed was the simplest
one in Arizona, between Mesquite, NV and Littlefield, AZ,
replacing US 91.
Between Littlefield and Utah, however, Interstate
15 was to follow a new alignment through the Virgin River
Gorge. Despite objections from the state of Arizona, who wanted
the road placed 2 miles north of the gorge for cost reasons,
the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) insisted on the
road going through the previously-roadless gorge, due to the
scenic beauty of the gorge.
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| The section from Mesquite to
Littlefield was constructed between 1961 and 1962, and opened
to traffic in January 1963. Due to engineering troubles, the
section through the gorge was delayed, with the first contracts
awarded in 1966 (after completion of the road northeast of
the gorge).
In December 1966, the Federal government cut highway
funds back 17% due to the Vietnam war. Arizona halted all
work on I-15 through the gorge as a result, due to the project
having no benefit to the state. Utah had already completed
the connecting section of I-15 between St. George and the
Arizona state line, and found itself in a dilemma. Due to
the importance of I-15 to Utah, and to avoid reconstructing
US 91, Utah advanced portions of their federal highway funds
to Arizona in April 1969 to allow completion of I-15.
By February 1972, the majority of the freeway
was completed. The Virgin River had to be rechannelled twelve
times during construction. During early building tests, a
50 foot long pile was driven into what was thought to be bedrock,
only to have sank without a trace by the next morning. The
Upper and Middle Gorge sections (approximately miles 15-26)
were the first two to be built, with the last section being
the Lower Gorge (approximately miles 11-15). The 3.82 mile
section of the Lower Gorge, where the gorge narrowed to as
little as 150 feet in width, cost $13.8 million dollars to
build, making this the most expensive section of Interstate
highway until the completion of the Big Dig in Boston.
The freeway opened December 14, 1973, rendering
US 91 obsolete and leading to it's decommissioning in 1974.
Old US 91, now a county road, remains driveable from Littlefield
to St. George. The Virgin River is bridged six times inside
the gorge, with the first bridge (travelling eastbound) crossing
the river lengthwise.
Two highway guides cover Interstate 15 through the state
of Arizona:
Page Updated December 22, 2006.
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