Texas state highway system

Edit links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Texas highways" redirects here. For the magazine, see Texas Highways.

Interstate 10 marker
U.S. Highway 83 marker
State Highway 16 marker
Interstate Highways, U.S. Highways, State highways, and Farm To Market highways
System information
Length72,978.175 mi[1] (117,446.988 km)
NotesAll classes of state-numbered highways are generally state-maintained.
Highway names
InterstatesInterstate X (I-X)
Interstate Highway X (IH X)
US HighwaysU.S. Highway X (US X)
StateState Highway X (SH X)
Loops:Loop X
Spurs:Spur X
Recreational:Recreational Road X (RE X)
Farm or Ranch
to Market Roads:		Farm-to-Market Road X (FM X)
Ranch-to-Market Road X (RM X)
Park Roads:Park Road X (PR X)
System links

Texas state highways are a network of highways owned and maintained by the U.S. state of

El Camino Real, is the oldest highway in the United States, first being blazed in 1691.[2] The length of the highways varies from US 83's 893.4 miles (1,437.8 km) inside the state borders to Spur 200 at just 0.05 miles (260 ft; 80 m) long.[2]

History

Shield used until the mid-1940s

The Texas State Highway System can trace its roots to the establishment of the Texas Highway Department on April 4, 1917. Administrative control of the department was given to a three-member commission appointed by the governor for two-year terms. On June 21, 1917, the commission conducted its first public hearing to solicit input on potential highway routes. The committee also divided the state into six divisions to be headquartered in

San Antonio.[3] Later that year, the commission designated 26 state highways covering 8,865 miles (14,267 km) which were to be readily accessible to 89% of the state's population.[3][4]

In 1921,

rights-of-way by purchasing, or condemning through eminent domain, land required for highway construction.[3]

By 1927, the highway system covered 17,960 miles (28,900 km), of which 96 miles (154 km) were concrete, 1,060 miles (1,710 km) were asphalt, 5,000 miles (8,000 km) were gravel, shell or stone, and 10,000 miles (20,000 km) were clay or soil.[3]

The state road system in 1956, the last year before construction on the Interstate Highway System began

In 1951, a 50-mile (80 km) section of the Gulf Freeway (now I-45) opened, becoming Texas' first urban freeway. In 1957, the state began receiving federal funding for the construction of the Interstate Highway System. The first section of Interstate Highway from county line to county line to open in the state was a 43-mile (69 km) section of I-35 in Bexar County. By 1967, the highway system controlled 66,000 miles (106,000 km) of highway.[5]

In 1984, US 66 was replaced by I-40 and the US 66 designation was removed from the state highway system the following year.[6]

In 1992, the 3,200 miles (5,100 km) of Interstate Highway System in Texas was completed with the opening of a six-mile (9.7 km) section of

North Texas Turnpike Authority became responsible for toll projects in Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant counties.[6]

Types of highways

I-10 and I-45 interchange in Houston

Interstate Highways

A map of all Interstate Highways in Texas
Main article: List of Interstate Highways in Texas

The Interstate Highway System in Texas covers 3,233.4 miles (5,203.7 km) and consists of ten primary highways, seven auxiliary highways, and the splitting of both Interstate 35 (I-35) and Interstate 69 into multiple letter-suffixed branches. The Interstate Highway with the longest segment in Texas is I-10 at 880.6 miles (1,417.2 km). The shortest in the state is I-110 at 0.9 miles (1.4 km).

The construction of the Interstate Highway System in Texas actually began well before these routes were designated as Interstate Highways. A 50-mile (80 km) stretch of the

I-27 in 1992 completed the Interstate Highway System in Texas.[6]

Construction is ongoing for an extension of

Texarkana–Shreveport area to South Texas.[citation needed] Similar to I-35, I-69 splits into three letter-suffixed branches, I-69E, I-69C, and I-69W
.

U.S. Highways

U.S. Route 287 in North Texas
Main article: List of U.S. Highways in Texas

The

US 290 in Houston, and US 90 and US 281 in San Antonio
.

The Interstate Highways have replaced several portions of the U.S. Highway network in Texas and as a result, they have been removed from the State Highway System. Several examples include

I-45, and US 80 from Dallas to El Paso in favor of I-10 and I-20.[9][10][11]

State Highways

Main article: List of state highways in Texas
SH 3,
SH NASA Road 1, and
SH OSR shields

A State Highway (SH) is funded and maintained by the state.

SH 75A
.

State Highway Loops and Spurs

Loop, Spur and Beltway shields
Main articles: List of state highway loops in Texas and List of state highway spurs in Texas

State highway loops and spurs are short links in the State Highway network. They are generally numbered chronologically, and the lower numbers are older routes. Thus, spurs and loops are not related to similarly numbered main state highways. Typically, a loop connects two state or national highways, and a spur connects a state highway to a Farm to Market Road or other lower rated road. Many loops are either bypasses around significant portions of populated areas or older bypassed state or national highways. One loop—around Houston—is labeled Beltway 8. The first loops and spurs were defined in 1939; prior to that, the roadways had been suffixed segments of the main state highways of which they branched.

Business routes

Business Interstate Highway, U.S. Highway, State Highway and Farm to Market Road shields

Business routes are assigned to many old alignments of Interstate Highways, U.S. Highways, State Highways and Farm to Market Roads that have been bypassed. In addition to the numerical designation, a unique lettered suffix is assigned to each business route along the highway—for instance, Business Interstate Highway 40-D and Business Farm to Market Road 1960-A. (Not all routes start from A, and letters are sometimes skipped.) These letters are included on the sign in small print below the number. The sign specifications for business Interstate highways do not include the letter, but it has been added to many signs. Prior to 1991, business routes were assigned loop or spur numbers, but signed as business routes (with a BUSINESS plate above the shield for the main route). In 1991, all the business routes were assigned official designations, and their former loop and spur numbers were eliminated.

Farm to Market Roads

Farm to Market and Ranch to Market Road shields
Main article:
Farm to Market Road

Farm to Market Roads generally exist in

LBJ Ranch. Farm to Market Roads were first designated in 1941 and Ranch to Market Roads in 1942. A number of Farm to Market Roads in urban
areas were re-designated in 1995 as urban roads but, amid much controversy, the markers were not changed.

Park and Recreational Roads

Park Road and Recreational Road shields
Main articles: List of Park Roads in Texas and List of Recreational Roads in Texas

Park Roads and Recreational Roads serve state or national parks and "recognized recreational areas"; the first ones were defined in 1937 and 1970 respectively. All roads in state parks are maintained by TxDOT, but are generally not numbered.[12]

Toll roads

Main article:
List of toll roads in Texas
Toll Interstate Highway, U.S. Highway and state highway shields

One characteristic of the highways in Texas are its

rural areas. Several toll roads
have one-way frontage roads—not necessarily continuous—with state highway numbers. Most toll roads are marked with special logos, but TxDOT has adopted a new marker as of 2006 for numbered toll roads.

War Highways

Main article: List of war highways in Texas

War Highways were designated from 1942-1943. All were cancelled or redesignated by 1947.

See also

References

  1. ^ Data Management, Transportation Planning & Programming (2021). Roadway Inventory Annual Reports (PDF) (Report). Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Texas Department of Transportation. "State Highway, Loop and Spur Facts". Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d Texas Department of Transportation. "TxDOT History: 1917–1930". Texas Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on February 16, 2007. Retrieved March 7, 2008.
  4. ^ Texas State Highway Commission, Office of State Highway Engineer (July 1917). Map Showing Proposed System of State Highways (Map) (June 1917 ed.). 1:2,112,200. Austin: Texas State Highway Commission. Retrieved March 7, 2008.
  5. ^ a b Texas Department of Transportation. "TxDOT History: 1970 to 1951". Texas Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2008.
  6. ^ a b c Texas Department of Transportation. "TxDOT History: 2000 to 1971". Texas Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2008.
  7. Texas Transportation Institute. p. 30. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on January 7, 2008. Retrieved February 25, 2008.
  8. ^ "I-69/TTC (Northeast Texas to Mexico)". Keep Texas Moving. Texas Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on July 20, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
  9. ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "U.S. Highway No. 81". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 7, 2008.
  10. ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "U.S. Highway No. 75". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 7, 2008.
  11. ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "U.S. Highway No. 80". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 7, 2008.
  12. ^ a b c Texas Department of Transportation. "Highway Designation File Glossary". Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 26, 2008.
  13. ^ Texas Department of Transportation. "Farm/Ranch to Market Facts". Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 26, 2008.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to State highways in Texas.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Texas_state_highway_system&oldid=1240155101"