State Route 7 (SR-7), also known as Southern Parkway, is a 26.1-mile (42.0 km) east-west state highway in southern Washington County in the extreme southwestern portion of the US state of Utah. It connects the southern periphery of St. George with Hurricane, while providing access to the St. George Regional Airport.[4]
 State Route 7 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Parkway | ||||
 SR-7 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by UDOT | ||||
| Length | 26.1 mi[1][2] (42.0 km) | |||
| Existed | 2009[3]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  I-15 in St George | |||
| East end |  SR-9 in Hurricane | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Utah | |||
| Counties | Washington | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route description
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State Route 7 starts at its intersection with I-15 in southwest St. George. From here it travels southeast for about 3 miles (4.8 km) to immediately north of the Utah-Arizona border, then turning east and paralleling the border. Past interchanges at Desert Color Parkway and River Road, the road turns north-northeast and continues for 15 miles (24.1 km), passing Airport Parkway (which accesses the St. George Regional Airport) and Long Valley Road[5] until reaching Sand Hollow Road, having an interchange with the road immediately southwest of Sand Hollow State Park. From this point onwards, State Route 7 continues east for an additional 8 miles (12.9 km), following the southern boundary of Sand Hollow State Park before gradually curving north and ending at an intersection with State Route 9 just west of downtown Hurricane.
The entire route is included in the National Highway System.[6]
History
editSince the 1977 Utah state route renumbering, no route in Utah had been designated as State Route 7, until 2009 when the Utah State Legislature added the Southern Parkway from Pioneer Road to River Road to the state highway system.[3]
The first portion of the freeway opened July 7, 2009, a link between Exit 2 at I-15 south of Bloomington (a suburb within the city of St. George) to River Road in south St. George spanning 4 miles (6.4 km).[7] The second portion was completed in November 2010, extending further east to the new St. George Regional Airport. The third and final segment of State Route 7 between Sand Hollow Road and State Route 9 would finally open to traffic on May 20, 2021.[8] The highway began as a mostly two-lane highway with at-grade intersections, envisioned to eventually be converted to a four-lane divided freeway. [9] The majority of these intersections have been updated to the planned interchanges.
Major intersections
editThe entire route is in Washington County.
| Location | mi[1][2] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. George | 0.000 | 0.000 | I-15 – Las Vegas, Salt Lake City | Western terminus; Southern Parkway continues as Sun River Parkway; I-15 exit 2 | |
| 0.444 | 0.715 | 1 | Desert Color Parkway | Formerly Astragalus Drive | |
| 3.251 | 5.232 | 3 | River Road | ||
| 5 | Southern Hills Drive | Proposed interchange; construction to begin in 2026 | |||
| 5.911 | 9.513 | 6 | Desert Canyons Parkway | East end of freeway section; west end of Super Two | |
| 7.082 | 11.397 | 7 | Airport Parkway | ||
| Washington | 10.385 | 16.713 | 10 | Warner Valley Road | Connection to Washington Fields Road |
| 12 | George Washington Boulevard | New diamond interchange opened in August 2024[10] | |||
| 14.720 | 23.690 | 15 | Long Valley Road | Connection to Washington Dam Road | |
| | 18.299 | 29.449 | 18 | Sand Hollow Road | |
| 19 | 3200 West [11] | Eastbound exit and entrance only | |||
| Hurricane | 22.9 | 36.9 | 22 | 3000 South | |
| 26.1 | 42.0 | SR-9 – Hurricane | Interchange; eastern terminus; Southern Parkway continues north | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
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References
edit- ^ a b "Highway Reference Online - SR-7". maps.udot.utah.gov. Utah Department of Transportation. April 5, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
- ^ a b "Overview Map of SR-7" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ a b "State Road Resolutions SR-7.pdf". Utah Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
- ^ "UDOT to Open First Segment of State's Newest Highway". Utah Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved July 7, 2009.
- ^ "Southern Parkway Project map". Retrieved January 3, 2010.
- ^ "Utah National Highway System". Utah Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
- ^ "Public Works Capital projects". City of St. George Department of Public Works. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
- ^ "'Today's a great day': Officials, community members celebrate completion of Southern Parkway". Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ "Traffic and transportation information exchange - Southern Parkway". City of St. George. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
- ^ Workman, Katie (January 13, 2024). "PGA Tour, REI and lots of construction: What's coming to southern Utah". KSL.com. Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^ "Utah Roads.zip". utah.gov. Utah DOT. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
External links
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- "Southern Corridor Environmental Impact Statement". Utah Department of Transportation.
- Campbell, Julia (July 6, 2005). "Southern Corridor Will Be Closer to Hurricane". Hurricane Valley Journal. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
- St. George project page