Most roads lead to something. Not this one.
It's a two-mile stretch of worn, weathered, weed-lined highway that leads to no houses, no businesses, no farm fields - nothing. And then it comes to a dead-end.
Call it the "Road to Nowhere."
Find it - if for some reason you should want to - at Exit 279 on Interstate 10 southeast of Tucson. Take that exit, for Colossal Cave Road, and watch for a frontage road immediately north of I-10. The segment running to the northwest, paralleling the freeway, is our road with no apparent reason.
Linda Ritter, spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Transportation, did some checking and determined that the road section was part of a highway that predated I-10.
"I couldn't find when it was built," Ritter said.
Tool slowly down the road - with mesquite, creosote, yucca and prickly pear cacti growing along its shoulders, and you might wonder why it remains open.
Two clues: Power lines run along the road, and a large billboard stands near the pavement in an ideal position to be seen by drivers on nearby I-10.
"It is being kept open for access to utilities and outdoor advertising," Ritter said.
Contact reporter Doug Kreutz at dkreutz@azstarnet.com or at 573-4192.
Please Wait…
