 U.S. Route 70 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old West Highway | ||||
 US 70 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by ADOT | ||||
| Length | 122.08 mi[1] (196.47 km) | |||
| Existed | June 17, 1935–present | |||
| History | Designated US 180 from 1926 to 1935 Original US 70 was between Holbrook and New Mexico | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |   US 60 / SR 77 in Globe | |||
| East end |  US 70 near Virden, New Mexico | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Arizona | |||
| Counties | Gila, Graham, Greenlee | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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U.S. Route 70 (US 70), also known as the Old West Highway, is an east–west U.S. Highway in the U.S. state of Arizona. The current route starts at US 60 in Globe and runs through the San Carlos Indian Reservation, Safford and Duncan into New Mexico near Virden. In Arizona, US 70 passes through mostly isolated hilly and mountainous terrain largely paralleling the course of the Gila River and the Arizona Eastern Railway.
From 1926 to 1932, US 70 was designated further north than it is today. It originally ran from US 66 in Holbrook through St. Johns to the New Mexico state line east of Springerville. Today, US 180 and US 60 serve this route. The highway between Globe and New Mexico was previously designated as part of the original US 180 from 1926 to 1935. Starting in 1935, US 70 ran entirely concurrent with US 60 from Globe to Los Angeles, California. US 70 was gradually truncated to its current terminus in Globe between 1964 and 1969.