Arizona State Route 79

State Route 79 marker
State Route 79
Pinal Pioneer Parkway
Map
SR 79 highlighted in red; SR 79 Bus. in blue
Route information
Maintained by ADOT
Length58.40 mi[1] (93.99 km)
Existed1992–present
HistoryThe entire route is a former section of US 80 and US 89
Tourist
routes
Historic US 80
Major junctions
South end SR 77 / Historic US 80 in Oracle Jct.
Major intersections
North endEl Camino Viejo in Florence Jct.
Location
CountryUnited States
StateArizona
CountiesPinal
Highway system
  • Arizona State Highway System
SR 79 US 80

State Route 79 (SR 79), also known as the Pinal Pioneer Parkway, is a 58.40 mi (93.99 km) long state highway in the U.S. state of Arizona. It serves as the main route through the town of Florence, which is also the county seat of Pinal County. Although the highway has been part of the state highway system since at least 1926, it was not designated as SR 79 until 1992. The highway was previously a section of U.S. Route 80 and U.S. Route 89 between Phoenix and Tucson, until both highways were decommissioned in 1977 and 1992 respectively. SR 79 is also the only state highway in Arizona that has a business route, which is SR 79 Business through downtown Florence. SR 79 is also notable for being the location where cowboy western actor Tom Mix died in a car accident on October 14, 1940.

  1. ^ Roadway Inventory Management Section, Multimodal Planning Division (December 31, 2013). "2013 State Highway System Log" (PDF). Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 16, 2019.