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{{Short description|Highway in Arizona and Utah}}{{About|the current US 163|the road designated as US 163 in the 1930s|Iowa Highway 163}}{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2014}}

factoids

|map_custom=yes|map_notes=US 163 highlighted in red|length_mi=64.62AUTHOR=ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ACCESS-DATE=APRIL 30, 2008 ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20080625073807/HTTP://TPD.AZ.GOV/DATA/REPORTS/2006SHSLOG.PDF DF=MDY, {{UDOT Reference Info access-date = February 3, 2008}}TITLE = ARIZONA DOT RIGHT-OF-WAY RESOLUTIONS, March 30, 2008, |direction_a=Southstate=AZ160591}} south of Kayenta, AZ|direction_b=Northstate=UT191}} in Bluff, UT|states=Arizona, UtahAZ: Navajo County, Arizona>NavajoUT: San Juan



factoids







factoids



previous_type=USnext_type=USroute=US}}{{az browse|previous_type=US|previous_route=160|route=AZ|next_type=AZ|next_route=169}}{{ut browse|previous_type=UT|previous_route=162|route=UT|next_type=UT|next_route=164}}}}U.S. Route 163 (also U.S. Highway 163, US 163) is a {{convert|64|mi|km|0|adj=on}} U.S. Highway that runs from US 160 northward to US 191 in the U.S. states of Arizona and Utah. The southernmost {{convert|44|mi|km}} of its length are within the Navajo Nation. The highway forms part of the Trail of the Ancients, a National Scenic Byway. The highway cuts through the heart of Monument Valley and has been featured in numerous movies and commercials.The highway was designated in 1970, replacing Arizona State Route 464 and Utah State Route 47 as well as a portion of the old alignment of US 160 in Utah. In 1981, US 191 was routed over the northern section of US 163, effectively truncating the northern terminus to Bluff, Utah, from Crescent Junction. The state of Utah briefly had plans for a different routing of US 163 north of Bluff. These plans were rejected, resulting in discrepancies between the signed route and the official designation by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials that were not resolved until 2008. The route number does not follow the numbering convention for U.S. Highways, as the number 163 would normally be used for a spur of US 63;WEB,weblink FreightWaves Classics: National Highway System helps commerce move from coast-to-coast, Freightwaves Inc., February 23, 2021, June 18, 2021, however, these two highways have never connected.

Route description

Arizona

The southern terminus of US 163 is at a junction with US 160 south of Kayenta in Navajo County and Navajo Nation. The road continues to the south of this junction as Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Route 591. US 163 heads north from US 160 to the west of the Kayenta Airport as it passes through the town of Kayenta. The highway curves toward the northeast in Kayenta before it curves back toward the north. As it continues north, the highway goes through an s-curve, resulting in a northeasterly heading. US 163 continues this heading as it heads toward Monument Valley and crosses into Utah.{{google maps |url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=10818977684467706335,36.707750,-110.247170%3B16603538506835009275,36.997935,-110.175841&saddr=US-163+%4036.707750,+-110.247170&daddr=US-163+%4036.997935,+-110.175841&doflg=ptm&sll=36.85284,-110.223395&sspn=0.378563,0.639954&ie=UTF8&z=11 |title=overview map of US 163 in Arizona |access-date=April 30, 2008}} The state of Arizona has designated an {{convert|18|mi|km|adj=on}} stretch of the highway, from approximately {{convert|5|mi|km|0}} north of the US 160 junction to the Utah border, as a scenic route.WEB, Arizona Department of Transportation, Arizona Department of Transportation, ADOT Right-of-Way Resolution 1996-06-A-031,weblink May 1, 2008,

Utah

(File:163fls.jpg|thumb|The highway offers dramatic views.)The Utah portion of the highway begins in Monument Valley, in San Juan County. Just after it enters Utah, the highway junctions with the Monument Valley Visitors center. The highway proceeds northeast until the town of Mexican Hat where the highway both crosses the San Juan River and exits the Navajo Nation. From Mexican Hat, the highway travels east crossing the Comb Ridge toward its terminus in Bluff. A significant portion of the Utah portion of the route north of the Navajo Nation is inside the boundaries of the Bears Ears National Monument. Formerly, the route continued along what is now signed US 191 to I-70, however the portion north of Bluff was not signed after the creation of US 191 and was formally removed in 2008.{{AASHTO minutes |year=2008A |page= |access-date=October 30, 2008}}WEB,weblink 2008, US Route 163 Utah- Application for truncation, AASHTO, April 10, 2023, The length of US 163 in Utah has been designated the Bluff to Monument Valley Scenic Byway by the Utah State LegislatureWEB,weblink Utah Office of Tourism, August 29, 2007, and forms part of the Trail of the Ancients National Scenic Byway.WEB,weblink Trail of the Ancients, November 21, 2007, U.S. Department of Transportation National Scenic Byway program, All highways in Utah are codified in law; US 163 is defined at Utah Code §72-4-122(3).WEB,weblink Utah Code Annotated § 72-4-122(3), State of Utah, March 20, 2008, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080711120003weblink">weblink July 11, 2008, mdy-all, While Monument Valley and US 163 have been featured in numerous western movies, a specific view area near Utah mile marker 13 has recently been given the nickname Forrest Gump hill, as a location from the movie Forrest Gump. It has become common for fans of the film to re-create the scene where the title character ends a cross country jogging along this point on US 163.NEWS, A must see: Forrest Gump's famous scene in Monument Valley, Ron, MacArthur, October 17, 2019, Cape Gazette, April 10, 2023,weblink

History

(File:US 163 Monument Valley.jpg|thumb|US 163 seen toward the northeast.)The modern routing of US 163 in Utah was initially designated as State Route 47, in 1910. SR 47 extended to Monticello at a junction with then U.S. Route 160.{{UDOT Resolutions |routenum=47|access-date=February 7, 2008}} In Arizona, the road appeared on maps as early as 1935, but it was an unimproved dirt road.MAP, Arizona State Highway Department, Road Map of Arizona, 1935, May 1, 2008,weblink The Arizona portion was added to the state highway system in 1960 when it was designated as State Route 464.WEB,weblink ADOT Right-of-Way Resolution 1961-041, April 30, 2008, Arizona Department of Transportation, Arizona Department of Transportation, In 1970, US 163 was designated along SR 464 in Arizona and SR 47 in Utah as part of a re-alignment of U.S. highways in the Four Corners region. With the re-alignment, US 160 was re-routed into Arizona instead of Utah.WEB, Arizona Department of Transportation,weblink Highway History: From Navajo Route 1 to US 160, David, Rookhuyzen, January 20, 2020, January 25, 2023, US 163 also absorbed the former route of US 160 to its former terminus at Interstate 70 at Crescent Junction. In 1981, AASHTO approved a new iteration of U.S. Route 191 that absorbed much of the alignment of US 163.{{UDOT Resolutions |routenum=163 |access-date=February 7, 2008}} Utah truncated US 163 at Bluff. The truncation was made without approval from AASHTO, as the AASHTO logs placed the northern terminus of US 163 at I-70 at Crescent Junction.(File:Forrest Gump Point Monument Valley November 2018 002.jpg|thumb|left|View of Monument Valley in Utah, looking south on US 163)The state of Utah signed a joint intent with the Navajo Nation and San Juan County in 1986 to construct a new highway to connect Bluff with Montezuma Creek. Businesses in Monument Valley asked the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) to request extensions of US 163 and US 666 using this new road.{{UDOT Resolutions |routenum=666 |access-date=February 7, 2008}} The proposal would have US 163 run from Cedar City to US 160 near Cortez, Colorado along the routes of State Route 14, U.S. Route 89, Arizona State Route 98, U.S. Route 160, the current US 163, the new road from Bluff to Montezuma Creek, and Colorado State Highway 41. The proposal for US 666 would extend to Richfield via upgrades to State Route 95 and State Route 24. UDOT submitted the proposal for US 666 to AASHTO, which was rejected. AASHTO cited that the route was not direct, and SR-24 was not built to U.S. Highway standards. UDOT did not pursue the extension of US 163, even though the Utah state legislature had approved the new road from Bluff to Montezuma creek as route 163.With this extension, the Utah definition of US 163 conflicted with the AASHTO definition. UDOT resolved this discrepancy by signing the extended portion as State Route 163. In 2004, the plan to extend US 163 was abandoned, and the extension was renumbered SR-162 to "make the state route numbers run synonymous with the U.S. route designation." Although the state changed the definition of US 163 back to match the national definition in 2004, the portion north of Bluff remained unsigned.WEB,weblink Images of current and historical signs at junction of US 163, US 191, US 6, US 50 and I-70 at Crescent Junction, Dale Sanderson, May 1, 2008, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20101122191019weblink">weblink November 22, 2010, mdy-all, In October 2008, UDOT requested and obtained approval to truncate US 163 to the junction with US 191 resolving the discrepancy.The highway corridor became controversial in 2016 with the designation of Bears Ears National Monument. The area near where US 163 crosses the Comb Ridge was included in some versions of the monument proposal, but excluded as a concession to local concerns in other versions. The proclamation signed by President Obama in 2016 did not include the Comb Ridge area,NEWS,weblink Bears Ears a go — but here's where Obama drew the line: The designation's concessions are unlikely to appease ardent opponents, Thompson, Jonathan, High Country News, Paul Larmer, Paonia, Colorado, December 29, 2016, December 30, 2016, however, was included with subsequent boundary changes by succeeding presidents.WEB, 2021-10-08, A Proclamation on Bears Ears National Monument,weblink 2021-10-21, The White House, en-US,

Junction list

{{jcttop|length_ref=|state_col=state}}{{AZint|sspan=1|county=Navajo|location=Kayenta|mile=0.00state=AZ160591dir2=southlocation2=Four Corners}}|notes=Southern terminus; highway continues as BIA Route 591}}{{jctplace|river= |river_wide=yes|mile=23.21|mile2=0.000|line=y|place=State line}}{{Jctint|state=UT|sspan=3|county=San Juan|cspan=3|location_special=Monument Valley|mile=0.458state=UT42|location1=Monument Valley Tribal Park Visitors Center}}}}{{UTint|location=Mexican Hat|mile=24.847state=UT261location1=Goosenecks State Park}}}}{{UTint|location=none|mile=41.405state=UT191Trail of the Ancients>city1=BluffMexican Water, Arizona>Mexican Water}}|notes=Northern terminus; highway continues as US 191 north}}{{jctbtm|col=7}}

See also

• List of appearances of Monument Valley in the media - US 163 is visible in several movies etc. filmed in Monument Valley

References

{{Reflist|35em}}

External links

{{Attached KML|display=inline,title}}

• {{Commons category-inline|U.S. Route 163}}
• US 163 at Alan Hamilton's Arizona Roads
• Endpoints of U.S. Highway 163

{{US Highways}}{{Authority control}}{{Good article}}