U.S. Route 491

U.S. Route 491 marker
U.S. Route 491
Map
Map of the Four Corners area with US 491 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of US 91
Maintained by NMDOT, CDOT, UDOT
Length193.930 mi[1] (312.100 km)
History1926–2003 as US 666
2003–present as US 491[2]
Tourist
routes
Trails of the Ancients Byway
Major junctions
South end I-40 / NM 602 in Gallup, NM
Major intersections
North end US 191 in Monticello, UT
Location
CountryUnited States
StatesNew Mexico, Colorado, Utah
CountiesNM: McKinley, San Juan
CO: Montezuma, Dolores
UT: San Juan
Highway system
SR-320UT US 6
E-470CO US 550
NM 485NM NM 494

U.S. Route 491 (US 491) is a north–south U.S. Highway serving the Four Corners region of the United States. It was created in 2003 as a renumbering of U.S. Route 666 (US 666). With the US 666 designation, the road was nicknamed the "Devil's Highway" because of the significance of the number 666 to many Christian denominations as the Number of the Beast.[2] This Satanic connotation, combined with a high fatality rate along the New Mexico portion, convinced some people the highway was cursed. The problem was compounded by persistent sign theft. These factors led to two efforts to renumber the highway, first by officials in Arizona, then by those in New Mexico. There have been safety improvement projects since the renumbering, and fatality rates have subsequently decreased.[3]

The highway, now a spur route of US 91 via its connection to US 191, runs through New Mexico, Colorado and Utah, as well as the tribal nations of the Navajo Nation and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. The highway passes by two mountains considered sacred by Native Americans: Ute Mountain and an extinct volcanic core named Shiprock. Other features along the route include Mesa Verde National Park and Dove Creek, Colorado, the self-proclaimed pinto-bean capital of the world.

  1. ^ This figure is derived from summing the three state mileage logs used in the Major intersections section
  2. ^ a b Weingroff, Richard F. (June 18, 2003). "US 666: Beast of a Highway?". Highway History. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved November 17, 2007.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference nmdot2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).