Utah State Route 161

{{Infobox road

|state=UT

|type=SR

|route=161

|section=122

|map={{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|zoom=12|stroke-width=3|type=line|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/Utah State Route 161}}}}

|map_custom=yes

|map_notes=SR-161 in red

|map_alt=A red line indicates SR-161 intersecting two orange lines, the upper left line indicating I-15 and the lower right line indicating I-70

|length_mi=3.084

|length_round=3

|length_ref={{cite web|url=http://www.dot.utah.gov/main/uconowner.gf?n=15544415950754746|title=Route 161|work=www.udot.utah.gov|publisher=Utah Department of Transportation|access-date=September 30, 2008|date=May 2008|format=PDF}}

|established=1965

|direction_a=South

|terminus_a={{jct|state=UT|I|70}} near Cove Fort

|direction_b=North

|terminus_b={{jct|state=UT|I|15}} near Cove Fort

|counties=Millard

|previous_type=SR

|previous_route=160

|next_type=SR

|next_route=162

}}

State Route 161 (SR-161) is a {{convert|3.084|mi|km|adj=on}} long state highway, designated as a rural major connector, completely within Millard County in central Utah. The highway connects Interstate 70 (I-70) to I-15 while providing service to historic Cove Fort. The route was once part of U.S. Route 91 (US-91), but was renumbered to SR-161 in the 1970s, in parallel with the construction of I-70.

Route description

Located entirely in southeastern Millard County,{{cite map |publisher=Utah Department of Transportation |title=General Highway Map — Millard County |url=http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/f?p=100:pg:295315469568359600::::V,T:,364 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121214141254/http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/f?p=100:pg:295315469568359600::::V,T:,364 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 14, 2012 |year=2005 |page=6 |access-date=September 30, 2008 }} SR-161 starts at a diamond interchange with the westernmost exit on I-70 before it terminates at I-15. The road continues northward until it reaches the historic Cove Fort and the associated visitors center. On the eastern side of the highway is a Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) maintenance center. SR-161 starts to make a gentle turn to the northeast, passing a filling station, which also serves as a rest area as part of a public–private partnership between UDOT and the owners of the station. The highway intersects I-15 and comes to an end at a cattle guard on Black Rock Road northwest of the interchange with I-15.{{google maps |url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=38.615772,-112.612106&daddr=UT-161&hl=en&geocode=%3BFXXITAIdqRhK-Q&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=18&sll=38.61589,-112.612267&sspn=0.001622,0.003964&ie=UTF8&ll=38.602249,-112.600765&spn=0.051917,0.175781&t=h&z=13 |title=SR-161 Overview |access-date=September 30, 2008}}

In 2007, a daily average of 455 cars traveled along SR-161, representing only a slight growth from previous years; in 2006, the average was 450 and in 2005, 415).{{cite web|url=http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/uconowner.gf?n=2363711025498494585|format=PDF|title=Traffic on Utah Highways - 2007|date=July 2, 2008|publisher=Utah Department of Transportation|access-date=September 30, 2008|archive-date=September 23, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080923012335/http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/uconowner.gf?n=2363711025498494585|url-status=dead}} Thirty five percent of this traffic was composed of trucks.{{cite web|url=http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/uconowner.gf?n=2363733707060508179|format=PDF|title=Truck Traffic on Utah Highways - 2007|date=July 2, 2008|publisher=Utah Department of Transportation|access-date=September 30, 2008|archive-date=June 10, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610084632/http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/uconowner.gf?n=2363733707060508179|url-status=dead}} The average traffic measurement is collected at a point on SR-161 between Cove Fort and the interchange with I-15.

History

The SR-161 designation has been used two other times for other state routes. The first route, which was formed in 1933, connected US-50/US-89/US-91 (now US-89) to SR-68 in Bluffdale until the route was decommissioned in 1953. From May 8, 1961, to February 14, 1964, the route number was used for a road from US-91 to I-15 in the city of Beaver.

The parallel T-beam bridges that carry I-15 over SR-161 at its northern terminus were constructed in 1966 along with the construction of I-15 though the area.{{cite web|url=http://nationalbridges.com/|title=++++++++0D+745|year=2009|work=National Bridge Inventory|publisher=United States Department of Transportation|access-date=August 15, 2009|archive-date=October 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031210639/http://nationalbridges.com/|url-status=dead}} The bridges carrying I-70 over SR-161 were constructed in 1973.{{cite web|url=http://nationalbridges.com/|title=++++++++2F+193|year=2009|work=National Bridge Inventory|publisher=United States Department of Transportation|access-date=August 15, 2009|archive-date=October 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031210639/http://nationalbridges.com/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://nationalbridges.com/|title=++++++++4F+193|year=2009|work=National Bridge Inventory|publisher=United States Department of Transportation|access-date=August 15, 2009|archive-date=October 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031210639/http://nationalbridges.com/|url-status=dead}}

The current route, codified into Utah law in 1965 and designated on signage following the decommissioning of US-91 in the 1970s, was partially a former alignment of US-91. Once I-70 was completed the {{convert|1.07|mi|km|abbr=on|adj=on}} long segment of US-91 as well as the roadway to the north was designated SR-161 by the Utah State Department of Highways. No significant changes have been made to the roadway except for its legal definition.{{cite web|url=http://www.dot.utah.gov/main/uconowner.gf?n=200609190933291|title=Route 161|date=November 2007|work=www.udot.utah.gov|publisher=Utah Department of Transportation|access-date=September 30, 2008|format=PDF}} SR-161 serves the important function of providing access to the contracted rest area as well as the historic Cove Fort. {{As of|2009}} no new projects are scheduled for SR-161, either through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act or the UDOT Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.{{cite web|url=http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/f?p=100:pg:0:::1:T,V:40,|title=Statewide Transportation Improvement Program|publisher=Utah Department of Transportation|access-date=August 15, 2009|archive-date=August 13, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813100756/http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/f?p=100:pg:0:::1:T,V:40,|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/f?p=100:pg:0:::1:T,V:2288|title=The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act|publisher=Utah Department of Transportation|access-date=August 15, 2009|archive-date=August 13, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813114317/http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/f?p=100:pg:0:::1:T,V:2288|url-status=dead}}

Major intersections

{{UTint

|location=none

|mile=0.000

|mile2=0.080

|road={{jct|state=UT|I|70|I|15|to2=to|city1=Richfield}}

|notes=Exit 1 on I-70; southern terminus.}}

{{UTint

|location=none

|mile=2.812

|mile2=3.071

|road={{jct|state=UT|I|15|city1=Cedar City|city2=Salt Lake City}}

|notes= Exit 135 on I-15}}

{{UTint

|location=none

|mile=3.084

|road=Black Rock Road Cattle guard

|notes=Northern terminus}}

References

161

Utah State Route 161