Arizona State Route 71
State Route 71 is a state highway in Maricopa and Yavapai counties in Arizona, United States, that connect U.S. Route 60, east of Aguila with Arizona State Route 89 in Congress. It primarily serves as a shortcut between Prescott and the major roads going to California as there are no towns located on the route other than at or near the ends of the highway.
Route description
SR 71 begins at US 60 just east of the city of Aguila in Maricopa County. The road bends slightly northeastward before heading straight north, with fields on the west side of the road. After crossing from Maricopa County into Yavapai County, SR 71 then heads northeastward into a desert area, continuing for several miles in a straight direction through the Mojave Desert. While heading northeast, the route meets U.S. Route 93, at the diamond interchange forming the intersection called the Joshua Tree Forest Parkway of Arizona. SR 71 then enters into the town of Congress, which is littered with several small houses. The route ends at an at-grade intersection with SR 89.History
The original SR 71 designation was given in 1927 to a road from U.S. Route 180 near Safford to US 60 in Eagar. The first incarnation of SR 71 was part of the original state highway system introduced by the Arizona State Highway Commission on 9 September 1927. The entire original SR 71 was absorbed into the original incarnation of Arizona State Route 81 in 1934. Four years later, the SR 81 became an extension of the former routing of U.S. Route 666.The current SR 71 was designated a state route in 1936.