Arizona SR87 - Beeline Highway: Rye Section - Post 1

I plan to post a series of historical stories about the highway that was once a ribbon of death in the State of Arizona.

History: Prior to 1950 to travel from Phoenix to Payson, you had to drive through Apache Junction, take the Bush Highway along the lower Salt River to Saguaro Lake and then take highway 87 to Payson. In the early 1950's the County negotiated a deal to build a section of highway across tribal land to make a direct route from Mesa to the Saguaro lake turnoff. People called it the Beeline because it cut hours off the trip and the name still stands today.

Original Beeline near Rye

I was assigned to manage the Rye project in late 1990. It was an assignment I'm not sure I'd have taken if I'd known what was coming. On my first trip from Flagstaff to Payson across Lake Mary Road, my brand new company pickup overheated in the stark middle of nowhere.

Being a pre-cell phone civilization, I had no way to call for help, after I found the radiator cap left on the fender well after service. I needed water, but of course I wasn't carrying any with me. Being in the high country, I ultimately found a natural spring at the bottom of a nearby embankment. Of course the only container I could find was the plastic top from the magnetic strobe light I used for traffic safety, but it worked! I was able to drive to Payson with what I called Mogollon Swamp Water since I was still on the rim. That day was just the beginning of a series of unusual challenges that I would face on that project.

Sundt Corp Newsletter from 1991