U.S. Route 287
| |
|---|---|
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| North end |  US 89 in Choteau, MT |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| States | Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana |
| Highway system | |
U.S. Route 287 (US 287) is a north–south (physically northwest–southeast)
United States highway. At 1,791 miles (2,882 km) long,[citation needed] it is the second longest three-digit U.S. Route, behind US 281. It serves as the major truck route between Dallas-Fort Worth and Amarillo, Texas, and between Fort Collins, Colorado, and Laramie, Wyoming. The highway is broken into two segments by Yellowstone National Park
, where unnumbered park roads serve as a connector.
The highway's northern terminus is in
Denver, Colorado
.
US 287 is the shortest route between Denver and Dallas-Fort Worth.
Route description
Texas
US 287 originates at its southern terminus in
Texas Panhandle. A section of US 287, between Midlothian and Waxahachie, was dedicated as the Chris Kyle Memorial Highway, in honor of fallen SEAL Chris Kyle
, whose hometown was Midlothian.
The highway continues through Amarillo, where it intersects I-40, and then runs north to Kerrick and crosses into neighboring Oklahoma.
Oklahoma
In Oklahoma, US 287 remains within
Panhandle. After crossing the state line north of Kerrick, Texas, the highway intersects SH 171 at its southern terminus. US 287 continues northwesterly, crossing the Beaver River, toward Boise City, the county seat. On the east side of town, the highway formerly ran concurrently with US 56, US 64, US 412, and SH 3. These five highways then entered the traffic circle in downtown Boise City. US 287 emerged from the north side of the circle, as well as US 385 and SH 3. Now US 287 bypasses town to the east. These three highways (US 287, US 385, SH 3) head north to the Colorado state line. SH 3 ends there, while US 287 and US 385 continue onward into Colorado
.
Colorado
From Oklahoma, US 287 and US 385 enter into a very rural part of Colorado. They continue in a north/northwest direction through the state. The two highways pass through the town of
Denver
US 36 merges with the group of highways making the road, I-70/US 287/US 36/US 40.
Just past
Ted's Place, SH 14 splits and heads west into Poudre Canyon
, while US 287 continues north into Wyoming.
The section of US 287 between Fort Collins and Laramie, Wyoming, carries very heavy truck traffic and is regarded as quite dangerous.[5] A 2023 Colorado Department of Transportation report found the highway has above-average crash rates, making the highway a good candidate for more safety improvements. The 30-mile section from north of Fort Collins to the Wyoming line has had 570 crashes, including 15 fatal wrecks since 2019, and at least 15 students from the University of Wyoming in Laramie have died on the road since 2000.[6]
Wyoming
KML is not from Wikidata
US 287 enters Wyoming through a pass between the
WYO 82, and WYO 30 for a short distance just outside Rawlins, though WYO 76 ends when US 287 branches to the northwest as a stand-alone highway. It is also possible to take Business US 287 (WYO 80, WYO 30) into Rawlins. In Downtown Rawlins, WYO 80 and WYO 30 head toward the west while Business US 287 heads to the north, merging with WYO 789 where WYO 30 and WYO 80 split off the highway. A short while later Business US 287 and WYO 789 merge with mainline US 287, which made a detour around the city. US 287 and WYO 789 stay merged all the way to Lander, where WYO 789 heads toward the northeast and US 287 heads toward the northwest. US 287 merges with US 26 in the very mountainous terrain of West Central Wyoming, and the two highways head west. The highways enter Grand Teton National Park. In Moran, US 287 and US 26 meet US 191 and US 89. US 26 heads south merging with US 191 and US 89. US 287 heads north merging with US 191 and US 89, passing through the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway before ending at the South Entrance of Yellowstone National Park
. While US 287 and other U.S. Routes are officially discontinuous through the park, some commercially produced maps show these highways running inside Yellowstone National Park itself along its unnumbered roads and across the Wyoming–Montana state line.
Montana
US 287 in Montana begins at the West Entrance of Yellowstone National Park in
Sappington, and running northeast. At I-90, MT 2 ends and US 287 continues to head north. In Townsend, US 287 merges with US 12 and the two highways continue north. At I-15 (near Helena), US 287 continues north on I-15 and US 12 heads west through downtown Helena. Northeast of Wolf Creek, US 287 and I-15 split with US 287 heading northwest and I-15 heading northeast. US 287 ends at US 89 in Choteau
.
History
![[icon]](/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2015) |
 | This section relies largely or entirely upon a single source. (April 2015) ) |
When US 287 was first commissioned in 1939, it extended only from the south entrance of
Edmonton, connecting with a Canadian link to the Alaska Highway
in the latter.
Included in the route of US 287 is former
US 370, which was commissioned in 1926 and connected Amarillo to Bowie, traveling concurrently with US 70 between Vernon and Wichita Falls, Texas
.
The
Canada to Gulf Highway
Association, which later became the U.S. Highway 287 Association, was active from the 1910s until the 1970s to promote US 287 as a popular tourist route, and was composed of members from businesses and organizations in cities along the route.
The Wyoming state transportation department started widening US 287 in 2009.[5]
Future
In 2017, House Bill 2026 (HB 2026)[7] was filed in the Texas Legislature to provide funding for a study on upgrading US 287 in Texas to an Interstate highway, with the eventual goal of designating US 287 as an Interstate from Beaumont, Texas, to the Canadian border in Montana.[8] HB 2026 later died in committee.[7]
On April 22, 2021, the
State Senate.[9]
Major intersections
Southern segment
- Texas
SH 87 in Port Arthur
US 69 / US 96 in Port Arthur. US 69/US 287 travels concurrently to Woodville. US 96/US 287 travels concurrently to south of Lumberton.
I-10 in Beaumont. The highways travel concurrently through Beaumont.
US 90 in Beaumont
US 190 in Woodville
US 84 in Palestine. The highways travel concurrently through Palestine.
US 79 in Palestine
I-45 in Corsicana. The highways travel concurrently to Ennis.
US 77 in Waxahachie
I-35E in Waxahachie
US 67 in Midlothian
I-20 in Arlington. The highways travel concurrently to Fort Worth.
I-20 / I-820 in Fort Worth. I-820/US 287 travels concurrently through Fort Worth.
I-30 in Fort Worth
I-35W / US 377 in Fort Worth. The highways travel concurrently through Fort Worth.- I-820 in Fort Worth
I-35W / US 81 in Fort Worth. US 81/US 287 travels concurrently to Bowie.
US 380 in Decatur
US 82 west of Henrietta. The highways travel concurrently to Wichita Falls.
US 281 in Wichita Falls. The highways travel concurrently through Wichita Falls.
US 82 / US 277 in Wichita Falls. US 277/US 287 travels concurrently through Wichita Falls.
I-44 in Wichita Falls. The highways travel concurrently through Wichita Falls.
US 70 / US 183 in Oklaunion. The highways travel concurrently to Vernon.
US 183 / US 283 in Vernon
US 62 / US 83 in Childress
I-40 in Amarillo. The highways travel concurrently through Amarillo.
I-27 / I-40 / US 60 in Amarillo. US 60/US 287 travels concurrently through Amarillo.
US 87 in Amarillo. The highways travel concurrently to Dumas.
US 54 in Stratford
- Oklahoma
US 56 / US 64 / US 412 east of Boise City
US 385 north of Boise City. The highways travel concurrently to Lamar, Colorado.
- Colorado
US 160 south of Springfield
US 50 / US 385 in Lamar. US 50/US 287 travels concurrently to south of Wiley.
US 40 east of Kit Carson. The highways travel concurrently to Denver.
I-70 / US 24 east-southeast of Limon. US 24/US 287 travels concurrently to west of Limon.- I-70 in Limon
- I-70 in Limon. The highways travel concurrently to Aurora.
US 36 in Byers. The highways travel concurrently to Aurora.
I-225 in Aurora
I-25 / US 6 / US 85 / US 87 in Denver- I-70 in Denver
I-76 in Berkley- US 36 in Westminster
US 34 in Loveland
- Wyoming
I-80 in Laramie
US 30 in Laramie. The highways travel concurrently to east of Rawlins.- I-80 south-southeast of Walcott. The highways travel concurrently to east of Rawlins.
US 26 west-northwest of Morton. The highways travel concurrently to Moran.
US 26 / US 89 / US 191 in Moran. US 89/US 191/US 287 travels concurrently to the South Entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
- Yellowstone National Park segment (unofficial designation)
- Northern segment
-
- Montana
US 20 / US 191 from the West Entrance to Yellowstone National Park; the highways travel concurrently to West Yellowstone.
Three Forks
US 12 in Townsend. The highways travel concurrently to Helena.
I-15 / US 12 in Helena. I-15/US 287 travels concurrently to northeast of Wolf Creek.- US 89 in Choteau
References
- ^ "Portion of Highway 287 to be renamed in honor of Berthoud's Gabe Conde". Berthoud_Weekly_Surveyor. May 12, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ "SPC Gabriel David Conde Memorial Highway" (PDF). Colorado_Senate. June 2, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ "Stretch of U.S. 287 from Loveland to Longmont dedicated to fallen soldier Gabriel Conde". Reporter-Herald. September 23, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ "U.S. soldier killed Monday in Afghanistan identified as Loveland man". The_Denver_Post. May 1, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ a b "Wyo begins widening 287". Casper Star-Tribune. Associated Press. April 19, 2009. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ^ https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/39583490/3-university-wyoming-swimmers-killed-crash-colorado
- ^ a b "85(R) History for HB 2026". Texas Legislature Online. Texas Legislature. n.d. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
- ^ Sakelaris, Nicholas (February 13, 2017). "Market Street, restaurants eye spot next to Mansfield High". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
- ^ "Oklahoma House passes bill that would name highway after former President Donald Trump". 23 April 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-528-00771-2.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to U.S. Route 287.
KML is not from Wikidata
| Browse numbered routes | ||||
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←  WY | →  WYO 290 | |||
←  MT | →  US 310 | |||