| Arizona Veterans Highway | ||||
I-17 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byADOT | ||||
| Length | 145.93 mi[1] (234.85 km) | |||
| Existed | 1957[2]–present | |||
| History | Completed in 1978 | |||
| NHS | Entire route | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end | ||||
| Major intersections |
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| North end | ||||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Arizona | |||
| Counties | Maricopa,Yavapai,Coconino | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Interstate 17 (I-17) is a north–southInterstate Highway located entirely within the US state ofArizona. I-17's southern terminus lies inPhoenix, atI-10/US 60 and its northern terminus is inFlagstaff, atI-40.[1]
Most of I-17 is known as theArizona Veterans Highway. In the Phoenix metropolitan area, it is mostly known as theBlack Canyon Freeway, however, the southern 4.16 miles (6.69 km) are part of theMaricopa Freeway. The portion of the highway south ofCordes Lakes was built along the alignment ofState Route 69 (SR 69), while the northern part was built along oldSR 79's alignment. The final section of I-17 was completed in 1978.
I-17 gains more than one mile (1.6 km) in elevation between Phoenix at 1,117 feet (340 m) and Flagstaff at 7,000 feet (2,100 m). The highway features several scenic view exits along its route that overlook the many mountains and valleys in northern Arizona.
I-17 is known as the Black Canyon Freeway from the northern end of thePhoenix Metropolitan Area to a point 2.2 miles (3.5 km) south ofThe Stack interchange withI-10 northwest ofDowntown Phoenix. (It is accompanied byfrontage roads for most of this portion, and they carry theBlack CanyonHighway name to distinguish from thefreeway status.) At the Durango Curve southwest of downtown, between the 19th Avenue and Buckeye Road interchanges, it picks up the designation Maricopa Freeway all the way to the southern terminus at the secondI-10 junction. It is one of the metropolitan area'sprimary freeways.[3][4] It has two interchanges with I-10 in Phoenix.[4]
The northern portion of theB Line of theValley Metro Rail system runs over a bridge of I-17 from Mountain View Road to Metro Parkway, serving one station atMetro Parkway.
I-17 ends atI-40 andSR 89A (Milton Road) inFlagstaff.
The I-17 corridor roughly follows the first stagecoach route through the Black Canyon, established in 1878 between Cañon (now Black Canyon City) and Prescott. A later highway through White Spar from Wickenburg to Yarnell was improved in 1925 and incorporated into US 89 in 1926.[5]
In 1936, SR 69 was established as a state route from Phoenix north toPrescott.[6][7] The road was completed by 1940 to Prescott. In 1954, a new route north to Flagstaff was established as SR 79. In May 1956, the Black Canyon Highway from Phoenix to Flagstaff was completed,[5] but not to Interstate standards.[8] It was incorporated into the newInterstate Highway System, established by the federal government later that year, and designated as part of I-17.[5]
The first interchange on the Black Canyon Freeway was built in 1950 west of downtown Phoenix and was extended to Grand Avenue in 1957.[2][5] The freeway was extended to McDowell Road by 1971 and out of the Phoenix suburbs by 1974, at a cost of $33 million.[2] By 1971, I-17 had been completed from Phoenix northward to Camp Verde where a short stretch had not been completed to standards. The stretch fromSR 279 (nowSR 260) north toSR 179 was also complete. The largest section yet to be completed was from SR 179 north to Flagstaff. This segment was still just a two-lane roadway, but it did have full traffic interchanges built at crossroads. The portion from I-40 south to theFlagstaff Municipal Airport had been completed by this time.[9] The final section of I-17, near Camp Verde and Montezuma Castle, began construction in February 1977 and opened to traffic in August 1978.[5][10]
In 1993, officials in Arizona proposed an extension of I-17 to connect withI-15 inUtah.[11][clarification needed]
The existing interchange with Happy Valley Road in Phoenix was converted to adiverging diamond interchange (DDI). The project was finished in the fall of 2020.[12]
Due to increasing weekend traffic on I-17 between the Phoenix area and northern Arizona, primarily between Phoenix in the south, and Sedona, Flagstaff, and the Grand Canyon in the north, ADOT started plans to widen a 34-mile (55 km) section of four-lane freeway between Anthem and the Sunset Point Rest Area in 2018.[13] In 2021, the design was chosen, with a standard third general-purpose lane set to be added in both directions between Anthem and Black Canyon City, but due to the mountainous topography north of Black Canyon City to Sunset Point, two flex lanes will be added in a separate carriageway next to the existing southbound lanes.[14] The lanes will be allocated depending on whichever direction has the most traffic, generally this will be northbound traffic from Monday through Saturday, and southbound traffic on Sundays. A combination of six different safety systems (vehicle arresting barriers, automated arm gates, concrete barriers, steel gates, dynamic messaging signs, and cameras) will control access to these lanes.[15] Construction began in 2022 and in May 2025, the additional lanes from Anthem to Black Canyon City opened.[16][17] The flex lanes are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025.[13][18]
I-17 has the unusual distinction of starting at approximately milepost 194 instead of at milepost 0.[19] This is a holdover from Arizona's old system of marking mileposts, where a branching route would continue the milepost numbering of its original host, instead of starting over at zero.[20] I-17 inherited its milepost locations fromSR 69, which the freeway replaced between Phoenix and Cordes Junction.[21] SR 69's mileposting was such that it coincided withUS 89's mileposting, which was 201.6 where the two routes intersected. When I-17 was constructed, the existing mileposting for SR 69 was retained.[3]
| County | Location | mi[3] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maricopa | Phoenix | 0.00 | 0.00 | Southern end of US 60 concurrency; southern terminus; Maricopa Freeway continues east as I-10/US 60; I-10 exit 150A | ||
| 0.31 | 0.50 | 194 | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; I-10 exit 150B | |||
| 1.14 | 1.83 | 195A | 16th Street | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| 2.15 | 3.46 | 195B | 7th Street /Central Avenue | No southbound signage for Central Avenue | ||
| 3.16 | 5.09 | 196 | 7th Avenue /Central Avenue | No northbound signage for Central Avenue | ||
| 4.16 | 6.69 | 197 | 19th Avenue / Durango Street | No northbound signage for Durango Street | ||
| Planned interchange atDurango Curve | ||||||
| West end ofMaricopa Freeway South end of Black Canyon Freeway | ||||||
| 5.03 | 8.10 | 198 | Buckeye Road (Historic US 80) | Northbound exit only | ||
| 5.34 | 8.59 | 199A | Grant Street / Buckeye Road (Historic US 80) | No northbound signage for Buckeye Road | ||
| 5.73 | 9.22 | 199B | Jefferson Street | Southbound exit only | ||
| 5.88 | 9.46 | Adams Street /Van Buren Street | Northbound exit and entrance only; Van Buren Street is formerI-10 BL | |||
| 6.49 | 10.44 | 200A | The Stack; I-10 exit 143 | |||
| 7.05 | 11.35 | 200B | McDowell Road /Van Buren Street | No northbound signage for Van Buren Street | ||
| 7.84 | 12.62 | Planned HOV-only interchange; northbound exit and southbound entrance; to be northern end of US 60 concurrency[22] | ||||
| — | Closed in the 1980s; formerUS 60/US 70/US 89/SR 93 | |||||
| 8.09 | 13.02 | 201 | Northern end of US 60 concurrency; no southbound signage for Grand Avenue | |||
| 9.08 | 14.61 | 202 | Indian School Road | |||
| 10.08 | 16.22 | 203 | Camelback Road | |||
| 11.09 | 17.85 | 204 | Bethany Home Road | |||
| 12.09 | 19.46 | 205 | Glendale Avenue | |||
| 13.09 | 21.07 | 206 | Northern Avenue | |||
| 14.14 | 22.76 | 207 | Dunlap Avenue | |||
| 15.13 | 24.35 | 208 | Peoria Avenue | |||
| 16.13 | 25.96 | 209 | Cactus Road | |||
| 17.12 | 27.55 | 210 | Thunderbird Road | |||
| 18.12 | 29.16 | 211 | Greenway Road | |||
| 19.13 | 30.79 | 212 | Bell Road | |||
| 20.15 | 32.43 | 214A-B | Union Hills Drive / Yorkshire Drive | Signed separately as exits 214A (Union Hills) and 214B (Yorkshire) northbound; Union Hills Drive was formerly signed as exit 213 | ||
| 21.11 | 33.97 | 214C | Loop 101 exits 23B-C; northbound entrance includes direct exit ramp onto Deer Valley Road (exit 215B) | |||
| 21.66– 22.16 | 34.86– 35.66 | 215 | Rose Garden Lane / Deer Valley Road | Signed as exit 215A northbound and 215B southbound | ||
| 23.27 | 37.45 | 217 | Pinnacle Peak Road | |||
| 24.19 | 38.93 | 218 | Happy Valley Road | |||
| 25.23 | 40.60 | 219 | Jomax Road | |||
| 27.25 | 43.85 | 220 | Dixileta Drive | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| 28.19 | 45.37 | 221A | Future flyover interchange; to be signed as exit 221B southbound; Loop 303 exits 138A-B; future clockwise terminus of Loop 303[23] | |||
| 221 | Loop 303 exit 138; current clockwise terminus of Loop 303 | |||||
| Northern terminus of Black Canyon Freeway | ||||||
| 29.17 | 46.94 | 222 | Dove Valley Road | |||
| 30.17 | 48.55 | 223 | Signed as exits 223A (east) and 223B (west) northbound; eastern terminus of SR 74 | |||
| Anthem | 31.70 | 51.02 | 225 | Pioneer Road | ||
| 33.21 | 53.45 | 227 | Daisy Mountain Drive | |||
| 35.24 | 56.71 | 229 | Anthem Way | |||
| New River | 38.20 | 61.48 | 232 | New River | ||
| 42.18 | 67.88 | 236 | Table Mesa Road | |||
| Maricopa–Yavapai county line | Black Canyon City | 48.29 | 77.72 | 242 | Black Canyon City,Rock Springs | Former I-17 BL north; No southbound entrance |
| Yavapai | 50.56 | 81.37 | 244 | Black Canyon City | Former I-17 BL south | |
| | — | South end of reversible Flex lanes | ||||
| | 54.36 | 87.48 | 248 | Bumble Bee,Crown King | No access to or from Flex Lanes | |
| | — | North end of reversible Flex lanes; no access to southbound Flex Lanes from Sunset Point Rest Area | ||||
| | 58.48 | 94.11 | 252 | Sunset Point Rest Area and Scenic View | Frontage roads provide all-direction access to a unified Rest Area / Scenic View off west side of freeway | |
| | 61.85 | 99.54 | 256 | Badger Springs Road | ||
| Cordes Lakes | 65.23 | 104.98 | 259 | Bloody Basin Road | ||
| 68.44 | 110.14 | 262 | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
| 68.77 | 110.67 | 263 | Northbound exit signed as Arcosanti Road only | |||
| | 74.53 | 119.94 | 268 | Orme Road / Dugas Road | ||
| | 84.16 | 135.44 | 278 | Northern terminus of SR 169 | ||
| | 89.04 | 143.30 | 283 | Runaway Truck ramp | Northbound left exit and southbound left entrance | |
| Camp Verde | 91.31 | 146.95 | 285 | General Crook Trail | ||
| 93.06 | 149.77 | 287 | FormerSR 279 | |||
| 95.74 | 154.08 | 289 | Montezuma Castle National Monument | |||
| Verde River | Dan Bell Memorial Bridge | |||||
| Lake Montezuma | 99.04 | 159.39 | 293 | Eastern terminus of CR 30 | ||
| | 102.29– 102.36 | 164.62– 164.73 | McGuireville Rest Areas | |||
| | 104.75 | 168.58 | 298 | Southern terminus of SR 179 | ||
| | 106.00 | 170.59 | 300 | Runaway Truck ramp | Southbound exit only | |
| | 112.09 | 180.39 | 306 | Stoneman Lake Road | ||
| Coconino | | 118.67 | 190.98 | Scenic View (southbound only) | ||
| | 121.37 | 195.33 | 315 | Rocky Park Road | ||
| | 123.65 | 199.00 | 317 | Fox Ranch Road | ||
| | 126.29 | 203.24 | 320 | Schnebly Hill Road | ||
| Munds Park | 128.51 | 206.82 | 322 | Munds Park | ||
| 129.04 | 207.67 | Christensen Rest Areas | ||||
| | 132.01 | 212.45 | 326 | Willard Springs Road | ||
| | 134.55 | 216.54 | 328 | Newman Park Road | ||
| | 136.90 | 220.32 | 331 | Kelly Canyon Road | ||
| Kachina Village | 139.65 | 224.74 | 333 | Kachina Boulevard / Mountainaire Road | ||
| Flagstaff | 143.17 | 230.41 | 337 | Southern end of SR 89A concurrency | ||
| 145.55 | 234.24 | 339 | Lake Mary Road –Mormon Lake | Northbound exit only | ||
| 145.76 | 234.58 | 340 | Northern end of SR 89A concurrency; signed as exits 340A (east) and 340B (west); I-40 exit 195; freeway continues as SR 89A north (former SR 79) | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| ||||||
| Location | Black Canyon City |
|---|---|
| Length | 3 mi (4.8 km) |
| Existed | 2011 |
State Business Route 17 (also known asSR 17 Bus.) was a former three-mile (4.8 km) business loop of I-17 that served the west side ofBlack Canyon City,Arizona. SR 17 Bus. followed Old Black Canyon Highway (formerlySR 69 before I-17 replaced most of the route betweenPhoenix andCordes Junction) from exit 242 south of town at a diamond interchange to another diamond interchange at exit 244 north of town. The business route was subsequently transferred from state to local maintenance and because of ADOT's policy of not signing business loops on nonstate maintained roadways, the route was decommissioned in 2011.[citation needed]
Major intersections
The entire route was inBlack Canyon City.
| County | mi | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maricopa–Yavapai county line | 0.000 | 0.000 | Southern terminus; I-17 exit 242 | ||
| Yavapai | 3.000 | 4.828 | Northern terminus; I-17 exit 244 | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||