Utah State Route 45
Encyclopedia
State Route 45 is a state highway
in the U.S. state
of Utah
. It runs from Dragon Road south of Bonanza
in Uintah County
north to US-40
in Naples
, south of Vernal
. The route spans 40.03 miles (64.42 km) south–north.
The route was added to the state highway system in 1925 and numbered in 1927, originally running from US-40 southeast to the Colorado
state line. Subsequently, the highway was moved to a new road in 1943, truncated to Bonanza
in 1968, and again moved and extended in 1982.
. An extension south to the state line via Dragon
was added in 1945, with an unnumbered unimproved road (briefly State Highway 395) continuing over Baxter Pass to US 50 near Mack, Colorado
. The same year, State Route 207 was created as a short spur, now Bitter Creek Road, to Rainbow. The State Road Commission removed these 1945 additions from the state highway system in 1968, cutting SR-45 back to Bonanza.
The commission proposed in 1957, and the legislature approved in 1961, the creation of State Route 264 from the Red Wash Oil Field north to US-40 at Jensen. However, the road was given back to Uintah County in 1969. Subsequently, the county constructed and improved two roads, one running southeast from US-40 near Naples to former SR-264, and the other continuing from old SR-264 west of the oil field to SR-45. Both of these became part of SR-45 in 1982, when that route was moved farther west, keeping only a short piece of the 1943 alignment near Bonanza. It was simultaneously extended back south from Bonanza, across the White River
, to its present terminus near the White River Mine (oil shale
).
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. It runs from Dragon Road south of Bonanza
Bonanza, Utah
Bonanza is a census-designated place in southeastern Uintah County, in eastern Utah, United States. The name refers to a rich mineral strike.Near the community is a coal fired power plant owned by Deseret Power Electric Cooperative. Bonanza is also in the area of the Colorado Plateau where oil...
in Uintah County
Uintah County, Utah
This page deals with the Utah County. For the Wyoming County, see Uinta County, Wyoming.Uintah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000 the population was 25,224 and by 2009 was estimated at 31,536. It was named for the Ute Indians, the tribe that lives in the basin. Its...
north to US-40
U.S. Route 40 in Utah
The west end of U.S. Route 40 is in the U.S. state of Utah at Silver Creek Junction with Interstate 80. From there it heads southeast through Heber City and east into Colorado on its way to the Mid-Atlantic.-Route description:U.S...
in Naples
Naples, Utah
Naples is a city in Uintah County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,300 at the 2000 census. Although Naples was a town in 2000, it has since been classified as a fifth-class city by state law.-Geography:...
, south of Vernal
Vernal, Utah
Vernal, Uintah County's largest city, is located in eastern Utah near the Colorado State Line, and 175 miles east of Salt Lake City. It is bordered on the north by the Uinta Mountains, one of the few mountains ranges in the world which lie in an east-west rather than the usual north to south...
. The route spans 40.03 miles (64.42 km) south–north.
The route was added to the state highway system in 1925 and numbered in 1927, originally running from US-40 southeast to the Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
state line. Subsequently, the highway was moved to a new road in 1943, truncated to Bonanza
Bonanza, Utah
Bonanza is a census-designated place in southeastern Uintah County, in eastern Utah, United States. The name refers to a rich mineral strike.Near the community is a coal fired power plant owned by Deseret Power Electric Cooperative. Bonanza is also in the area of the Colorado Plateau where oil...
in 1968, and again moved and extended in 1982.
Route description
The route begins at the intersection of Dragon Road south of Bonanza as a two-lane undivided road. From there, it heads north-northwest and passes through Bonanza. Past the settlement, the route goes in a northwest direction for the rest of its path and enters in Naples as 1500 East, where it terminates at US-40.History
The road now known as Snake John Reef Road, running southeast from SR-6 (US-40) to the state line, was added to the state highway system in 1925 and numbered SR-45 in 1927. Across the state line, this connected with the original alignment of State Highway 64. In 1943, the route was shifted west, now following Old Bonanza Highway from US-40 south to BonanzaBonanza, Utah
Bonanza is a census-designated place in southeastern Uintah County, in eastern Utah, United States. The name refers to a rich mineral strike.Near the community is a coal fired power plant owned by Deseret Power Electric Cooperative. Bonanza is also in the area of the Colorado Plateau where oil...
. An extension south to the state line via Dragon
Dragon, Utah
-External links:* at GhostTowns.com...
was added in 1945, with an unnumbered unimproved road (briefly State Highway 395) continuing over Baxter Pass to US 50 near Mack, Colorado
Mack, Colorado
Mack is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office located about 10 miles east of the Colorado/Utah border in Mesa County, Colorado, United States. The Mack Post Office has the ZIP Code 81525...
. The same year, State Route 207 was created as a short spur, now Bitter Creek Road, to Rainbow. The State Road Commission removed these 1945 additions from the state highway system in 1968, cutting SR-45 back to Bonanza.
The commission proposed in 1957, and the legislature approved in 1961, the creation of State Route 264 from the Red Wash Oil Field north to US-40 at Jensen. However, the road was given back to Uintah County in 1969. Subsequently, the county constructed and improved two roads, one running southeast from US-40 near Naples to former SR-264, and the other continuing from old SR-264 west of the oil field to SR-45. Both of these became part of SR-45 in 1982, when that route was moved farther west, keeping only a short piece of the 1943 alignment near Bonanza. It was simultaneously extended back south from Bonanza, across the White River
White River (Utah)
The White River is a tributary of the Green River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Colorado and Utah. Flows vary from 450 ft³/s late summers in dry years to well over 12,000 ft³/s in spring....
, to its present terminus near the White River Mine (oil shale
Oil shale
Oil shale, an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock, contains significant amounts of kerogen from which liquid hydrocarbons called shale oil can be produced...
).