U.S. Route 80 in Arizona

U.S. Route 80
Ocean-to-Ocean Highway The Broadway of America Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway
1951 alignment of US 80 highlighted in red US 80 Alt. highlighted in blue
Route information
Maintained by ASHD
Length	497.80 mi[1][2] (801.13 km) Mileage reflects US 80 as it was in 1951.
Existed	November 11, 1926 (1926-11-11)–October 6, 1989 (1989-10-06)
History	Western terminus at I-10 in Benson after 1977
Tourist routes	Historic U.S. Route 80
Major intersections (in 1951)
West end	US 80 in Yuma
Major intersections	SR 84 in Gila Bend US 60 / US 70 / US 89 from Phoenix to Florence Junction SR 87 in Mesa US 89 from Florence Junction to Tucson SR 287 in Florence SR 77 in Oracle Junction SR 84 in Tucson SR 86 in Benson SR 82 near Tombstone US 666 in Douglas
East end	US 80 at the New Mexico state line
Location
Country	United States
State	Arizona
Counties	Yuma, Maricopa, Pinal, Pima, Cochise
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided Arizona State Highway System Interstate US State Proposed Former
← SR 79 → SR 80

U.S. Route 80 (US 80), also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, the Broadway of America and the Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway, was a major transcontinental highway that existed in the U.S. state of Arizona from November 11, 1926, to October 6, 1989. At its peak, US 80 traveled from the California border in Yuma to the New Mexico state line near Lordsburg. US 80 was an important highway in the development of Arizona's car culture. Like its northern counterpart, US 66, the popularity of travel along US 80 helped lead to the establishment of many unique roadside businesses and attractions, including many iconic motor hotels and restaurants. US 80 was a particularly long highway, reaching a length of almost 500 miles (800 km) within the state of Arizona alone for most of the route's existence.

Along with US 66, US 80 was one of the first U.S. Highways to span Arizona. Where US 66 served northern Arizona, US 80 acted the main interstate highway for the southern half of the state, serving the major cities of Phoenix and Tucson, along with other small towns and cities. The condition of the highway was modernized and improved during the Great Depression, largely through manual labor and funding provided by the Works Progress Administration, which included the grade separation of railroad crossings and paving of the highway. Tourism and traffic along US 80 greatly increased following the end of World War II, creating a temporary economic boom for businesses along the highway. Several areas of the highway were also bypassed or straightened during this time to help alleviate the increasing traffic.

Due to the creation of the Interstate Highway System in 1956, both Interstate 10 and Interstate 8 gradually replaced US 80 as a major highway. Many towns and communities along the highway fell into an economic decline after Interstate bypasses caused a decrease in tourism and patronage. Since US 80 was largely concurrent or bypassed by Interstate Highways across Arizona, the older U.S. Highway was seen as a redundant designation. The US 80 designation was removed from Arizona between 1977 and 1989. The remaining stand-alone sections of US 80 in Arizona, not concurrent with other highways, were re-designated as State Route 80, a northern extension of SR 85 and various Interstate business loops. In September 2018, the Arizona Department of Transportation designated many surviving segments of the former highway as Historic U.S. Route 80, making it the fourth state-recognized historic route in Arizona's history.