State Route 53 (SR-53) is a 1.949-mile-long (3.137 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Utah, connecting Interstate 15 (I-15) and I-84 with U.S. Route 89 (US-89) via Ogden's 24th Street. SR-53 was created in 1969 as a remnant of SR-37, which was truncated to its current length at that time.
Route description
SR-53 begins at exit 342 of I-15, and heads northeast of Pennsylvania Avenue before curving east into 24th Street. A viaduct built in about 1970[2] takes the road over the Weber River, the Union Pacific Railroad's Ogden Yard at the old Union Station, and SR-204 (Wall Avenue). Two blocks after SR-53 returns to ground level, it ends at US-89. The entire route is in the Weber Valley, which locally slopes down towards the Weber River.[3]
History
24th Street west of SR-1 (US-91, now US-89) was added to the state highway system in 1915,[4] becoming part of SR-37 in 1927[5] and SR-38 in 1931,[6] only to be given back to SR-37 in 1964 (along with former SR-39 on 24th Street east of US-89). The state legislature removed parts of SR-37 from the state highway system in 1969, renumbering the portion between I-15 and US-89 as State Route 53.[7]
^Utah State Legislature (1927). "Chapter 21: Designation of State Roads". Session Laws of Utah. 37. From Ogden southwesterly to Hooper.
^Utah State Legislature (1931). "Chapter 55: Designation of State Roads". Session Laws of Utah. (38) From a point on the Salt Lake-Ogden State road, known as "Death Curve" in Weber county, northerly and easterly via Hooper junction to Ogden.
