Arizona State Route 74

State Route 74 marker
State Route 74
Carefree Highway
Map
SR 74 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by ADOT
Length30.40 mi[1] (48.92 km)
Existed1964–present
Major junctions
West end US 60 near Morristown
East end I-17 in Phoenix
Location
CountryUnited States
StateArizona
CountiesMaricopa
Highway system
  • Arizona State Highway System
SR 74 SR 75

Arizona State Route 74 (SR 74), locally known as the Carefree Highway, is a state highway in central Arizona that stretches east to west from its junction with U.S. Route 60 (US 60) just south of Wickenburg to its junction with Interstate 17 (I-17) in North Phoenix. It serves Lake Pleasant Regional Park and serves as a northern bypass around the often congested stretches of US 60 through the northwest suburbs of the Phoenix metropolitan area. From end to end, it is 30.4 miles (48.9 km) long.

The Carefree Highway is the inspiration for the 1974 Gordon Lightfoot song of the same name.[2]

Woman standing next to Arizona State Route 74 and pointing to a sign reading 'Carefree Hwy'.
Arizona State Route 74, also known as Carefree Highway
  1. ^ "2008 State Highway System Log" (PDF). Arizona Department of Transportation. December 31, 2008. Retrieved April 17, 2008.
  2. ^ Naglin, Nancy. "After "Sundown" Gordon Lightfoot makes up for lost time". Crawdaddy (April 1975). Retrieved March 27, 2014.