Existed: 1919 – present North end: Bus. US 83 in Abilene Length 552.2 km | South end: FM 1495 in Freeport SH 221 SH 222 → Constructed 1919 | |
 | ||
State Highway 36 runs from Freeport to Abilene. It was designated as The 36th Division Memorial Highway between Cameron and Sealy by the Texas Legislature in 1985.
Contents
Map of TX-36, Texas, USA
History
SH 36 was originally proposed in 1919 as a route from Freeport to Goldthwaite. By 1926, the section from Temple to Goldthwaite had been SH 108A and SH 74, while SH 36 had been shortened to end in Temple. By 1933, SH 36 extended northwest to Hamilton. By 1935, the route was extended yet again to its current terminus in Abilene. By 1939, SH 36 had been rerouted over State Highway 221 south of Temple. It has run on its current course since 1946, with only minor route changes to bypass Brenham, Temple, and Freeport.
SH 36A was a spur route of SH 36 spltting off at Cameron and traveling east to Hearne. By 1926, the route had been renumbered as SH 69. It was instead redesignated on an alternate routing just south of Temple, serving the town of Heidenheimer. By 1936, the route had been renumbered State Highway 221.
SH 36B was a spur route of the original SH 36, splitting off at Lampasas and travelling southeast to Georgetown. By 1926, it had been renumbered as part of SH 74.
Proposed Future Alternate 36
A group calling itself the Highway 36A Coalition has proposed a new highway (tentatively titled Highway 36A) which would run between Highway 36 at Pleak and another planned route in Waller County (the proposed Prairie Parkway), ultimately connecting to Texas State Highway 6 north of Hempstead. According to the Coalition, the new highway would be limited access (along with improvements to the existing Highway 36 between Freeport and Pleak) and provide a western bypass of the Greater Houston area (as well as a new hurricane evacuation corridor).