 U.S. Route 491 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Map of the Four Corners area with US 491 highlighted in red | ||||||||||
| Route information | ||||||||||
| Auxiliary route ofUS 91 | ||||||||||
| Maintained byNMDOT,CDOT,UDOT | ||||||||||
| Length | 193.930 mi[1] (312.100 km) | |||||||||
| History | 1926–2003 as US 666 2003–present as US 491[2] | |||||||||
| Tourist routes | Trails of the Ancients Byway | |||||||||
| Major junctions | ||||||||||
| South end |   I-40 /NM 602 inGallup, NM | |||||||||
| Major intersections | ||||||||||
| North end |  US 191 inMonticello, UT | |||||||||
| Location | ||||||||||
| Country | United States | |||||||||
| States | New Mexico,Colorado,Utah | |||||||||
| Counties | NM:McKinley,San Juan CO:Montezuma,Dolores UT:San Juan | |||||||||
| Highway system | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
U.S. Route 491 (US 491) is a north–southU.S. Highway serving theFour Corners region of the United States. It was created in 2003 as a renumbering ofU.S. Route 666 (US 666). With the US 666 designation, the road was nicknamed the "Devil's Highway" because of the significance of the number666 to manyChristian denominations as theNumber of the Beast.[2] ThisSatanic connotation, combined with a high fatality rate along the New Mexico portion, convinced some people the highway was cursed. The problem was compounded by persistentsign theft. These factors led to two efforts to renumber the highway, first by officials inArizona, then by those inNew Mexico. There have been safety improvement projects since the renumbering, and fatality rates have subsequently decreased.[3]
The highway, now a spur route ofUS 91 via its connection toUS 191, runs throughNew Mexico,Colorado andUtah, as well as the tribal nations of theNavajo Nation andUte Mountain Ute Tribe. The highway passes by two mountains considered sacred by Native Americans:Ute Mountain and an extinct volcanic core namedShiprock. Other features along the route includeMesa Verde National Park andDove Creek, Colorado, the self-proclaimed pinto-bean capital of the world.
US 491 serves the states of New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. Before 1992, US 666 also served Arizona. The Arizona portion was renumbered separately and is now part ofUS 191.[4] The former US 666 was the only highway to have passed through each of the Four Corners states, even though it never came near theFour Corners Monument, which is accessed viaUS 160.[5] At several points along US 491, mountain ranges in all of the Four Corners states are visible from a single location. The alignment of the highway is mostly north–south, however the Utah portion was signed east–west.[6]
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US 491 begins atGallup, at a junction withInterstate 40 (I-40), and currently runs north along Muñoz Drive.[7] The routing has changed to bypass the downtown area. The original route used 9th Street, starting atUS 66.[8] US 491 leaves Gallup and passes north through the eastern half of theNavajo Nation.[9] Along the way, the road passes through the small tribal communities and trading posts ofTohatchi,Buffalo Springs,Naschitti,Sheep Springs andNewcomb.[10] The Navajo tribal capital atWindow Rock, Arizona, is just west of the highway corridor, accessed byState Road 264 (NM 264). The largest city served by US 491 isShiprock, which takes its name from one of severalextinct volcano cores in the area. Shiprock is known as "the winged rock" in the Navajo language, and the mountain is considered sacred by the Navajo people.[11]Shiprock is where the US 491 crosses theSan Juan River and is brieflyconcurrent withUS 64. After passing Shiprock, the route continues north to the Colorado state line. The New Mexico portion has been designated the "John Pinto Highway" by the New Mexico state legislature.[10]
It is on theTrails of the Ancients Byway, one of the designatedNew Mexico Scenic Byways.[12]
The New Mexico-Colorado state line is where the highway passes from the Navajo Nation toUte Mountain Ute tribal lands. The highway passes to the east of the tribe's namesake,Ute Mountain, believed to belong to a great warrior god of the Ute People.[13] US 491 proceeds diagonally to the northwest in the extreme southwestern corner of the state.[14] The highway exits tribal lands nearCortez andMesa Verde National Park. After leaving Cortez, the road gradually rises in elevation while proceeding towards Utah. Here, the route features large pinto bean farming regions including Dove Creek, which bills itself as the "pinto bean capital of the world".[15]Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is located along the ascent, just west of the highway. Along this ascent is an access road forHovenweep National Monument at the state line. A portion of the road in Colorado has been designated theTrail of the Ancients, aNational Scenic Byway, which uses US 491 as an access for these parks and monuments in southwest Colorado.[16]
Once in Utah, US 491 gradually ascends to theAbajo Mountains. Still visible are large farming regions. Upon reaching an elevation of 7,000 feet (2,100 m), the highway arrives at aweigh station and reaches the town ofMonticello. US 491 enters the town on Central Street and terminates near the city park at an intersection withUS 191, which runs along Main Street.[17] All highways in Utah are codified into law; US 491 is defined at Utah Code Annotated §72-4-137(11).[6]
Before theMexican–American War, when this area was ceded to the United States, the main trade route through this part of Mexico was theOld Spanish Trail. This trail extended fromSanta Fe, New Mexico to Los Angeles. The trail had multiple routes; however, the main route proceeded north towardsMoab, Utah, one of the few places where theColorado River can be crossed without having to traverse steep cliffs. The modern US 491 roughly correlates with the main route of the Old Spanish Trail betweenCortez, Colorado and its northern terminus.[18]
Before 1926, all of modern US 491 existed as state routes. In New Mexico, US 666 absorbed a portion ofState Road 32 (NM 32) from Gallup to Shiprock, and completely replaced NM 121 from Shiprock to the Colorado state line.[19] The portion in Colorado was numbered State Highway 106 (SH 106) from the New Mexico state line to Cortez, andSH 10 from Cortez to Utah.[20][21] At the time, SH 10 traversed the southern portion of Colorado. While most of this corridor today has a U.S. Highway designation, a portion of SH 10 still exists.[22] In Utah, the route was originally numberedState Route 9 (SR 9), which also included what is now US 191 from Monticello to Crescent Junction. Utah has since re-used the SR 9 designation for a different road.[23]
 U.S. Route 666 | |
|---|---|
| Location | Gallup, NM –Monticello, UT |
| Existed | 1926–2003 |
The route was upgraded to aU.S. Highway in 1926, as U.S. Route 666. This number was appropriate and in accordance with the road numbering guidelines for U.S. Highways, being the sixth spur along the highway's parent highway, the famed cross-continental highwayU.S. Route 66, from which US 491 breaks aroundGallup, New Mexico. This number was assigned by theAmerican Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO), a coordinating body that created the U.S. Highway System.[2] At that time, the northern terminus of the route was in Cortez, at an intersection with thenUS 450 (modernUS 160).[24]
Over time the route became known as the "Devil's Highway", a reference to theNumber of the Beast.[25] This nickname and association made some visitors uncomfortable,[26] as well as making the signs targets fortheft.[27] Because of the highway's number, accidents and other phenomena, this became repeated as legend. These legends convinced some people the highway was cursed.[28] One unnamed highway patrol officer was quoted inUSA Today as stating a drunk-driving suspect told him, "Triple 6 is evil. Everyone dies on that highway."[2] Skeptics point out that the highway has a lower than average fatality rate in Utah and Colorado;[29] only the New Mexico portion is statistically a dangerous highway.[28] Skeptics further state the high fatality rate in New Mexico can be explained by an inadequate design for the traffic loads at the time.[30] During the renumbering debate, theAlbuquerque Journal opined that the planned highway improvements would do more to reduce fatalities than the renumbering itself.[28]
The curse of US 666 is briefly discussed in Jonathan D. Rosenblum's book,Copper Crucible, which investigates theArizona Copper Mine Strike of 1983. This strike occurred along the highway nearMorenci, Arizona.[31] The highway was used as a plot element in films and television, includingRoute 666,Natural Born Killers,[2] andRepo Man, as well as a two-part episode of the seriesMarried... with Children, titled "Route 666".[32] These pieces are not accurate in portraying the route; for example, one depicts the route inNevada.[32]
On December 4, 1938, the southern terminus of the route was extended from Gallup across theArizona state line toUS 80 inDouglas, near the Mexican border.[33] It ranconcurrent with US 66 for 30 miles (48.3 km) before the turn south.[2] Prior to the extension, the route between Douglas and Sanders was designated asSR 81.[34] The Arizona portion of the highway is known as theCoronado Trail Scenic Byway, as it approximated the path of the Spanish explorer,Francisco Vásquez de Coronado.[35] This portion is noted for mountainous terrain, withhairpin turns and steep grades, that reaches an altitude of over 9,000 feet (2,700 m). The curves force a speed limit of 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) in spots.[2]
In 1970, several U.S. Highways in the Four Corners region were re-aligned. As part of this change, US 160 was rerouted west ofCortez to serve theFour Corners Monument and enter Arizona instead of Utah.[36] US 666 was extended up part of the old route of US 160 toMonticello, Utah, at an intersection with thenUS 163 (nowUS 191).[37]
In 1985, theUtah Department of Transportation petitioned to extend US 666 northwest toRichfield, but the proposal was rejected. The proposed extension followedSR 95,SR 24, andSR 119. A concurrency with US 191 would have been routed throughBlanding and Monticello to connect to the rest of the route. One of the reasons cited for rejecting the proposal was that portions of SR 24 were not built to standards desired for additions to the U.S. Highway System.[38]
In 1985, the US 66 designation was eliminated, leaving US 666 (and other routes) as "orphans". This fact would be used as a supporting factor in later petitions to renumber the highway. In 1992, the part in Arizona was renumbered as an extension of US 191. This truncated US 666 again at Gallup, New Mexico, now atI-40.[4]
The route in the other three states became U.S. Route 491 in 2003, mainly through efforts of New Mexico GovernorBill Richardson. He requested the change due to the "infamy brought by the inopportune naming of the road".[2] While campaigning for governor, Richardson promised to renumber the highway as part of a larger plan to improve the highway and build relations between New Mexico and the Navajo Nation.[25] Although traditionalNavajo culture does not share the belief of 666 being an evil number, some Navajos had attempted for years to change the number as a way to raise awareness about the dangerous highway.[28] The highway had largely been ignored, with few improvements made since it was first paved.[25] By 1997, US 666 was named one of the 20 most dangerous highways in the United States.[28] Some Navajo leaders were concerned that efforts to reduce poverty on Navajo lands, via promoting tourism and outside investment, were being hampered by the Christian aversion to the number.[2]
In New Mexico's motion to renumber the highway, they selected U.S. Route 393. Since the route came nowhere nearUS 93,AASHTO instead suggested US 491, noting it as a branch of US 191 at Monticello, Utah. Although the next three-digit child ofUS 91 would have been U.S. Route 291, both the 291 and 391 designations were already in use as state route numbers in at least one of the affected states.[2] At the news that the motion had passed, a New Mexico spokesperson stated, "The devil's out of here, and we say goodbye and good riddance."[28] Referring to the motion passing with a different number from what New Mexico requested, another spokesperson responded, "As long as it's not 666 and it's nothing satanic, that's OK."[2] US 666 officially ceased to exist on May 31, 2003, although temporary "New 491 – Old 666" signs were posted after the change to aid travelers using old maps.[28]
Although sign theft had always been a problem along this highway, thefts reached epidemic proportions when the pending number change was announced. Within days of the announcement, virtually every US 666 sign had been stolen, some for sale oneBay.[39] Officials in Utah reported that five entire sign assemblies had been cut down with a chainsaw and stolen, while New Mexico officials reported that even signs welded to metal posts, as a theft deterrent, had been stolen. Officials speculated from one scene that someone had intentionally crashed a car into the sign post to break the welds.[27]
The dedication of the "new" highway was postponed until July 30, 2003, to coincide with the start of construction projects to improve safety on the highway.[25] At the dedication George Blue Horse, a Navajo medicine man, performed a ceremony to remove the curse from the highway. In the Navajo language he stated, "The road itself never ends. It goes on generation to generation. The new number is a good one. The new road will be a medicine."[28]
Newspapers and television stations interviewed people along the route about their opinions on the changing of the highway's number. Even some people who believed in the 666 curse disagreed with the change. One went on record as stating highway officials, "are messing with the wrong guy. They're making the devil mad. They should have left the 666 alone." Others were more sarcastic. One Monticello resident stated, "We'll really miss all the potheads stopping and taking pictures of the Route 666 sign." Most residents took pride in living along the Devil's Highway and opposed the change. Some commented that no matter the number they would still call the road the Devil's Highway.[25]
Since the renumbering in 2003, portions of US 491 in New Mexico have been upgraded to a four-lanedivided highway, withgrade separations at the busiest interchanges. The New Mexico Department of Transportation has noted that, as sections are upgraded, fatality rates improve on the four-lane portions, but remain high on the two-lane portions. As construction has proceeded, the most dangerous portions of the highway have moved to points where the four-lane portion ends, and traffic merges to two lanes. This has caused the department to coordinate the phases of the upgrades to minimize the number of two-lane/four-lane transitions.[3] Construction on the final phase was originally scheduled to begin January 2008,[10] however the state applied forAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to finish the project and completion was delayed until 2012.[40]
Note: The Utah mileposts are posted in a west-to-east direction, while Colorado's and New Mexico's mileposts are posted in a south-to-north direction.All exits are unnumbered.
| State | County | Location | mi[7][41][42] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | McKinley | Gallup | 0.000 | 0.000 |  NM 602 south –Zuni PuebloI-40 –Albuquerque,Flagstaff | Southern terminus; I-40 exit 20; road continues beyond I-40 as NM 602 |
| Yah-ta-hey | 7.002 | 11.269 |   NM 264 west | Interchange; left exit northbound, left entrances | ||
| San Juan | Sheep Springs | 47.250 | 76.042 |  NM 134 west –Crystal | ||
| Shiprock | 91.186 | 146.750 |  US 64 west –Teec Nos Pos | South end of US 64 overlap; former NM 504 | ||
| 92.038 | 148.121 |  US 64 east –Farmington | North end of US 64 overlap | |||
| 107.308 0.000 | 172.695 0.000 | New Mexico–Colorado line | ||||
| Colorado | Montezuma | | 6.422 | 10.335 |  US 160 west –Four Corners | South end of US 160 overlap |
| Cortez | 26.371 | 42.440 | US 160 east (Main Street) –Durango | North end of US 160 overlap | ||
| | 36.801 | 59.225 |  SH 184 east –Dolores | |||
| | 45.131 | 72.631 | Hovenweep National Monument,Canyons of the Ancients National Monument | |||
| Dolores | Dove Creek | 63.272 | 101.826 |   SH 141 north –Egnar,Uravan | ||
| 69.602 17.020 | 112.014 27.391 | Colorado–Utah line | ||||
| Utah | San Juan | Monticello | 0.000 | 0.000 | US 191 (Main Street) –Moab,Blanding | Northern terminus; road continues as Center Street; US-191 north is former US-160 west |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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U.S. 666 was extended from Gallup, New Mexico via Lupton (Arizona), Sanders, St. Johns, Clifton, Safford, Bowie Junction; thence over State Route 81 to Douglas. (Minutes of Executive Committee, December 4, 1938, Dallas, Texas)
