South end: US 290 in Austin Length 31.04 km | North end: RM 1431 in Cedar Park | |
Existed: orig. 1947
curr. 1978 – present | ||
Farm to Market Road 734 (FM 734) is a 19.3-mile (31.1 km) divided roadway located in Travis and Williamson counties of Texas. For most of its length, FM 734 is located just within the northern city limits of Austin, with portions located in Cedar Park, Leander, and unincorporated areas. The roadway is named Parmer Lane for the entire length of FM 734, but it is known as Ronald W. Reagan Boulevard along the extension to the north.
Contents
Map of FM734, Austin, TX, USA
History
Beginning in 1947, FM 734 referred to a highway from Brady through Voca east to the Mason County line. The next year, FM 734 extended east to FM 386, now RM 386. In 1952, the designation was extended to SH 29 near Llano over a portion of RM 386. In 1958, the route was rerouted in Voca, shortening its length by 0.1 miles. The road designation changed to Ranch to Market Road 734 in 1961 and was rerouted south to 2.7 miles south of Brady. The old route was transferred to FM 2309. The designation was removed in 1966 when that highway was added to SH 71.
Parmer Lane between Loop 275 (Lamar Boulevard) and Loop 1 (Mopac Boulevard) was first designated as FM 734 in 1978. It extended north to RM 620 in 1981. The current termini of FM 734 were set in 1985, when the northern terminus was moved from RM 620 to RM 1431, and 1988, when the southern terminus was moved from Loop 275 to US 290.
In 1997, FM 734 was improved east of I-35 to accommodate a new Samsung Electronics chip fabrication facility. Other recent development along FM 734 include a Freescale Semiconductor office complex south of RM 620 in 1999, the Round Rock ISD Athletic Complex between RM 620 and RM 1431 in 2003 and the Tech Ridge shopping center at I-35 in 2003.
Route description
The southern terminus of FM 734 is at US 290, just west of Manor in Travis county. From there, it travels northwest to intersect with Interstate 35, continues to Loop 1, passes through an eastern portion of Cedar Park at RM 620, and then proceeds north to its northern terminus at RM 1431 in Williamson county. The roadway continues north of RM 1431 as the Ronald W. Reagan Boulevard to RM 2243 in Leander.
For most of its length, FM 734 is a six-lane divided roadway. West of Loop 1, the road has wide shoulders and is relatively lightly developed, making it attractive as a bicycling route. However, FM 734 does carry a high traffic load during rush hours, especially at Loop 1 and I-35. FM 734 is primarily a four-lane road between US 290 and Yager Lane, east of I-35.
As of 1995, FM 734 is officially designated an Urban Road (UR 734). However, as with most other Urban Roads in Texas, no signage changes have been made.
The northern extension of FM 734 connects to Interstate 35 near the city of Jarrell as Ronald Reagan Boulevard. The segments from RM 2243 to SH 29, SH 29 to FM 3405, FM 3405 to RM 2338, opened in late 2007 and early 2008. The segment from RM 2338 to SH 195 opened on June 5, 2013. The segment from SH 195 to Interstate 35 opened on March 5, 2014.