Interstate 19 - Route Description

Route Description

In Nogales, the southern terminus of I-19 is at West Crawford Street, adjacent to the international port of entry, and southbound travelers can continue into Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, via state-maintained surface roads, and connect with Mexico Federal Highway 15 either to the south or west of Nogales, Sonora.

Starting from the southern terminus at kilometer post 0, I-19 initially heads briefly south then west on surface streets, navigating its way through the town of Nogales for 0.2 miles (0.32 km) before becoming an Interstate–grade freeway and making the turn to head north toward Tucson. It has interchanges with two other state highways near the southern end of the route, State Route 189 (SR 189) at exit 4 and SR 289 at exit 12. The interchange with SR 189 at exit 4 both serves to funnel traffic so as to bypass around Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora, for travelers bound to or from Hermosillo or Mexico City, and provides for the continuous flow of freight and truck traffic through the larger Mariposa Port of Entry to Highway 15, which has its northern terminus at the US–Mexico border with SR 189 and its southern terminus 2,179 kilometres (1,354 mi) away in Mexico City. After exiting Nogales to the north, I-19 passes near and around a series of sparsely populated towns and retirement communities along the banks of the Santa Cruz River, including Rio Rico, Tubac, Amado, Green Valley, and Sahuarita. For several miles near Amado and Green Valley, the eastward view from I-19 provides scenic views of Madera Canyon and the Santa Rita Mountains in the Coronado National Forest.

Just before entering Tucson, I-19 passes through the eastern section of the San Xavier Indian Reservation where it makes its only crossing of the Santa Cruz River. As I-19 enters the Tucson city limits, it has an interchange at SR 86 at exit 99 before reaching its northern terminus at a junction with I-10.