Existed: by 1938 – present FM 863 RM 864 → | West end: US 83 near Encinal Length 207.4 km | |
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East end: SH 358 in Corpus Christi | ||
State Highway 44 (SH 44) is a Texas state highway that runs from west of Encinal to Corpus Christi, Texas. This highway is also known as the Cesar Chavez Memorial Highway outside the city limits of Robstown, Banquete, Agua Dulce, Alice, and Corpus Christi in Nueces and Jim Hogg counties.
Contents
Map of State Hwy 44, Robstown, TX 78380, USA
History
SH 44 was originally proposed in 1919 as a connector route between Waco and Giddings. By 1926, construction was continuing on the highway, with the southern terminus extended south to LaGrange, and was concurrent with U.S. Highway 77 (US 77). By 1938, this route had been fully converted to US 77, with a new designation from Sinton to Alice, via Robstown over former SH 128. In 1939, the section from Sinton to Robstown was reassigned as an extension of SH 96 designation. The eastern terminus was shifted to Corpus Christi. The western terminus was then extended to Freer in 1940. The section west of Freer approximately 56.4 miles (90.8 km) was Farm to Market Road 863 (FM 863) which traveled west to US 83 in Webb County, today's SH 44 terminus.
From 1948 to 1953, FM 863 went from Beaver Creek to the town of Hilda which became RM 648 and is now RM 783. FM 863 was designated over a new route and part of FM 133 from Encinal to Freer in 1953. Before 1955, FM 863 ended at the Webb–LaSalle county Line. In 1990, FM 863 mileage was transferred to SH 44.
Possible future
A bill has been submitted by House Representative Blake Farenthold to Congress to approve turning SH 44 into an Interstate Highway. The bill is called H.R. 4523 or 44 to 69 Act of 2014. The plans are to turn SH 44 into an interstate highway between Freer (where it will intersect I-69W) and Corpus Christi, Texas (about 73 miles (117 km)) in order to have a network of interstate highways connecting Laredo (the largest inland port on the United States–Mexican border) with Corpus Christi (a major seaport and manufacturing center). In Corpus Christi, SH 44 is already at interstate highway standard and it is a four-lane divided highway westward to the city of San Diego, Texas. The 23 miles (37 km) from San Diego to Freer is a two-lane section.