Utah State Route 73 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids State Route 73
SR-73 highlighted in red
Route information
Defined by Utah Code §72-4-113
Maintained by UDOT
Length	36.147 mi (58.173 km)
Existed	1933–present
Major junctions
West end	SR-36 near Rush Valley
	SR-145 in Saratoga Springs I-15 in Lehi
East end	US-89 in Lehi
Highway system
State highways in Utah Interstate • US • State ← SR-72 SR-74 →

State Route 73 (also called SR-73) is a special road in Utah. It is about 36 miles (58 kilometers) long. This road connects two important areas: the Rush and Utah Valleys.

SR-73 is a bit unusual because it is not one continuous road. It has two separate parts. One part is long and connects SR-36 to Saratoga Springs. The other part is shorter and is located inside the city of Lehi.

Exploring State Route 73

SR-73 takes you through different landscapes in Utah. Let's explore where each part of the road goes.

The Western Part of SR-73

The western part of SR-73 starts at a crossing with SR-36. This is near the town of Rush Valley. The road first heads southeast. It gently climbs up towards the Oquirrh Mountains.

Then, it curves around the southern end of these mountains. It also passes by the Deseret Chemical Depot. The road reaches a spot called Fivemile Pass. This is a "wind gap," which is a low point between two mountains. Here, the road turns northeast.

It joins an old path called the Central Overland Trail. This trail was once used by the Pony Express! SR-73 then goes down into the Cedar Valley. In Fairfield, the road turns north. The old trail continues on its own path.

SR-73 turns northeast again at Cedar Fort. It crosses the valley, going between the Lake Mountains and Traverse Mountains. The road then starts to go downhill into the Utah Valley. It curves onto a road called Pioneer Crossing. This western part of SR-73 ends where Pioneer Crossing meets Crossroads Boulevard. This spot is also where SR-145 begins.

The Eastern Part of SR-73

The eastern part of SR-73 is much shorter. It starts in Lehi. This is at the crossing of 850 East and Main Street. The road then goes east along Main Street.

It crosses over Interstate 15. Finally, this part of SR-73 ends when it reaches US-89.

The Story of SR-73

State Route 73 has changed quite a bit over the years. The state government first created this road in 1933. Back then, it connected SR-68 near Lehi to SR-36. It went through towns like Cedar Fort and Fairfield.

Over time, parts of the road were changed or given new numbers. For example, in 1935, a different path was chosen for the western part of SR-73. Other roads, like State Route 180 and State Route 202, were also created and later changed. These roads often connected to SR-73.

In 1945, SR-73 was changed again. It was made to follow more of its current path. Some smaller roads that branched off SR-73 were also given new numbers. These included SR-198 to the chemical depot, SR-180 to Ophir, SR-202 to Mercur, and SR-191 to Fairfield.

However, over the next 20 years, all these smaller branch roads were removed from the state highway system. This meant SR-73 became the main road in these areas. In 1953, SR-73 was moved to go through Fairfield directly.

In 1960, SR-68 was extended south. Because of this, the part of SR-68 that went into Lehi was renamed as an extension of SR-73. This made SR-73 its current length.

More recently, in 2011, a new road called Pioneer Crossing (SR-145) was built. Because of this, a section of SR-73 in Lehi was removed from the state highway system. This is why SR-73 became a road with two separate parts. In 2015, another part of the road was given back to the city of Saratoga Springs.

Major Crossings

Here are the main places where SR-73 crosses or connects with other important roads.

County	Location	Mile	Roads intersected	Notes
Tooele	​	0.000	0.000	SR-36	This is where the western part of SR-73 begins.
		3.422	5.507	Stark Road	This used to be part of an old road called SR-198.
		4.607	7.414	Ophir Canyon Road	This used to be part of an old road called SR-180.
		15.647	25.181	Railroad Bed Road	This was part of the old SR-73 path.
Utah	Fairfield	20.497	32.987	18150 West	This was also part of the old SR-73 path.
	Saratoga Springs	35.419	57.001	SR-85 north (Mountain View Corridor)	This is where the western part of SR-73 ends.
		Gap in route
	Lehi	35.419	57.001	850 East	This is where the eastern part of SR-73 begins.
		35.713– 35.821	57.475– 57.648	I-15 – Salt Lake, Las Vegas	This is a big interchange (a way to get on and off the highway).
		36.102	58.101	US-89 (State Street)	This is where the eastern part of SR-73 ends.
	1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi