Utah State Route 87
Encyclopedia
Utah State Route 87 is a state highway
in the U.S. state of Utah
. Over a span of 38 miles (61.2 km), it connects the communities of Altamont
, Boneta, Bluebell
, and Upalco to Duchesne
and US-40/191 in Duchesne County
.
and runs North across Blue Bench five miles to the intersection with State Route 35
, continues north seven miles then turns east near Talmage
and Mountain Home
through the community of Boneta then Altamont
. The road then turns southeast through the community of Upalco, and near the communities of Altonah
and Bluebell
. The road then turns east onto Ioka Lane that connects back into US-40/191 five miles west of Roosevelt, Utah
.
, former SR-134, SR-35, former SR-221, former SR-86, and the what is now the easternmost portion of SR-87.
In 1964, the route was significantly expanded to more or less its current alignment when large portions of other highways in the area were consolidated into the current SR-87. The old SR-86 which ran from Bridgeland on present-day US-40 north through Upalco to Altamont
and Altonah
had the stretch from Upalco to Altamont transferred to SR-87, and the northernmost stretch from Altamont to Altonah was transferred to the former SR-221, leaving SR-86 as a short connector between Upalco and Bridgeland. The entire former route of SR-221 from Mountain Home
to Altamont was also transferred to SR-87, while SR-221 was realigned as a short road from Altamont to Altonah. The stretch of SR-134 from SR-35 to about 3 miles south of Mountain Home, and the stretch of SR-35 from Duchesne to its junction with SR-221 was also transferred to SR-87 at this time. With the exception of SR-35, this left all of these routes (SR-134, SR-221, and SR-86) as short connector or access roads, and they were all subsequently deleted from the state route system in 1969
.
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 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...
. Over a span of 38 miles (61.2 km), it connects the communities of Altamont
Altamont, Utah
Altamont is a town in Duchesne County, Utah, United States. The population was 178 at the 2000 census, an increase over the 1990 figure of 167.-History:...
, Boneta, Bluebell
Bluebell, Utah
Bluebell is a census-designated place in eastern Duchesne County, Utah, United States, on the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. The population as of the 2010 Census was 293. It lies along local roads east of State Route 87, northeast of the city of Duchesne, the county seat of Duchesne County. ...
, and Upalco to Duchesne
Duchesne, Utah
Duchesne is a city in and the county seat of Duchesne County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,690 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Duchesne city is located at . just west of the junction of the Strawberry and Duchesne rivers in the Uintah Basin of northeastern Utah...
and US-40/191 in Duchesne County
Duchesne County, Utah
Duchesne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2010 the population was 18,607, a 29.5% increase over the 2000 figure of 14,371. Its county seat is Duchesne and the largest city is Roosevelt.-Geography:...
.
Route description
The route begins on US-40/191 as Center Street in DuchesneDuchesne, Utah
Duchesne is a city in and the county seat of Duchesne County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,690 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Duchesne city is located at . just west of the junction of the Strawberry and Duchesne rivers in the Uintah Basin of northeastern Utah...
and runs North across Blue Bench five miles to the intersection with State Route 35
Utah State Route 35
State Route 35 is a highway in northern Utah connecting SR-32 in Francis to SR-87 in Duchesne in a span of sixty-two miles.-Route description:...
, continues north seven miles then turns east near Talmage
Talmage, Utah
Talmage is an unincorporated community in Duchesne County, Utah, United States. Its elevation is 6,834 feet . Although Talmage is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 84073....
and Mountain Home
Mountain Home, Utah
Mountain Home is an unincorporated community in central Duchesne County, Utah, United States, adjacent to the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. It lies along local roads north of State Route 87, north of the city of Duchesne, the county seat of Duchesne County. Its elevation is...
through the community of Boneta then Altamont
Altamont, Utah
Altamont is a town in Duchesne County, Utah, United States. The population was 178 at the 2000 census, an increase over the 1990 figure of 167.-History:...
. The road then turns southeast through the community of Upalco, and near the communities of Altonah
Altonah, Utah
Altonah is an unincorporated community in central Duchesne County, Utah, United States, and on the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. It lies along local roads north of State Route 87, north of the city of Duchesne, the county seat of Duchesne County. Its elevation is 6,673 feet...
and Bluebell
Bluebell, Utah
Bluebell is a census-designated place in eastern Duchesne County, Utah, United States, on the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. The population as of the 2010 Census was 293. It lies along local roads east of State Route 87, northeast of the city of Duchesne, the county seat of Duchesne County. ...
. The road then turns east onto Ioka Lane that connects back into US-40/191 five miles west of Roosevelt, Utah
Roosevelt, Utah
Roosevelt is a city in Duchesne County, Utah, United States. The population was 4,299 at the 2000 census.The proper pronunciation of the city's name is based on how President Theodore Roosevelt pronounced his name: according to the man himself, "pronounced as if it was spelled...
.
History
The stretch of road from Upalco, Utah to Ioka Junction at present day US-40 was designated as Route 87 in 1935. The western terminus in Upalco was an intersection with the now deleted route of SR-86. At the time, the current-day route of SR-87 was a patchwork of other small routes, encompassing parts of, starting from DuchesneDuchesne, Utah
Duchesne is a city in and the county seat of Duchesne County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,690 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Duchesne city is located at . just west of the junction of the Strawberry and Duchesne rivers in the Uintah Basin of northeastern Utah...
, former SR-134, SR-35, former SR-221, former SR-86, and the what is now the easternmost portion of SR-87.
In 1964, the route was significantly expanded to more or less its current alignment when large portions of other highways in the area were consolidated into the current SR-87. The old SR-86 which ran from Bridgeland on present-day US-40 north through Upalco to Altamont
Altamont, Utah
Altamont is a town in Duchesne County, Utah, United States. The population was 178 at the 2000 census, an increase over the 1990 figure of 167.-History:...
and Altonah
Altonah, Utah
Altonah is an unincorporated community in central Duchesne County, Utah, United States, and on the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. It lies along local roads north of State Route 87, north of the city of Duchesne, the county seat of Duchesne County. Its elevation is 6,673 feet...
had the stretch from Upalco to Altamont transferred to SR-87, and the northernmost stretch from Altamont to Altonah was transferred to the former SR-221, leaving SR-86 as a short connector between Upalco and Bridgeland. The entire former route of SR-221 from Mountain Home
Mountain Home, Utah
Mountain Home is an unincorporated community in central Duchesne County, Utah, United States, adjacent to the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. It lies along local roads north of State Route 87, north of the city of Duchesne, the county seat of Duchesne County. Its elevation is...
to Altamont was also transferred to SR-87, while SR-221 was realigned as a short road from Altamont to Altonah. The stretch of SR-134 from SR-35 to about 3 miles south of Mountain Home, and the stretch of SR-35 from Duchesne to its junction with SR-221 was also transferred to SR-87 at this time. With the exception of SR-35, this left all of these routes (SR-134, SR-221, and SR-86) as short connector or access roads, and they were all subsequently deleted from the state route system in 1969
State highways deleted by the Utah State Legislature in 1969
A number of minor state highways in the U.S. state of Utah were deleted by the State Legislature in 1969.-State Route 50:State Route 50 was originally a branch of SR-122, but was split off as its own route in 1935, running from Wattis southeast to SR-122 east of Hiawatha...
.