Existed: 1959 – present North end: US 75 in Howe Length 49.2 km | South end: Exchange Pkwy in Allen Constructed 1959 | |
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State Highway 5, or SH 5, runs along the old route of U.S. Highway 75 at Howe into the city of Allen. SH 5 parallels US 75 along its length and runs alongside the former Houston and Texas Central rail line. SH 5 was created in 1959 when the new route of US 75 was established to the west. Historically, SH 5 extended into and through Plano and Richardson.
Contents
Map of TX-5, Texas, USA
Route history
The current version of SH 5 was established in 1959 initially as a replacement for the former routing of U.S. Highway 75 from Richardson north to McKinney when US 75 was rebuilt further to the west. The route was extended north to Howe in 1967 to replace another portion of US 75 that had been upgraded on a new route just to the west. Between 1987 and 2003, the southern terminus was moved northward as portions of the highway were returned to local cities: First, ending at SH 190 in 1987, then ending at the northern Plano city limit in 1988, and finally ending at the Exchange Parkway in Allen in 2003.
Previous routes
SH 5 was one of the original twenty-six state highways proposed in 1917, overlaid on top of the North Texas Highway. From 1919 the routing mostly followed present day U.S. Highway 87 from New Mexico to Amarillo. It continued on, routed along present day U.S. Highway 287 to Wichita Falls, and from there following present day U.S. Highway 82 to Texarkana.
In 1926, U.S. Highway 385 was routed over SH 5 from New Mexico to Amarillo, and U.S. Highway 370 to Henrietta. While the routes were marked concurrently, the remainder of SH 5 kept its numbering until 1939, when SH 5 was truncated to a route running from Amarillo to near Dalhart. SH 5 was finally cancelled in 1944 (replaced by SH 354), only to be reassigned in its new location in 1955.
SH 5A was a branch off SH 5 running from Estelline to Farwell. It was listed as such from 1919 through the late 1920s, when it was renumbered as SH 86 and shortened to end at Bovina. SH 5A was used again as a spur routing from SH 5 south into the town of Annona. This route was renumbered in 1933 as SH 180 (now FM 44).
SH 5B was a branch from SH 5 in Clarksville southeast to SH 5 in Annona. It existed from 1919 to the late 1920s, when it was cancelled.
SH 5C was a branch from SH 5 in Bonham to Garland. It existed from 1919 to the late 1920s, when it was renumbered as SH 78.
Related routes
South of Dallas, US 75 was supplanted by Interstate 45, though US 75 retained its designation until 1987. When US 75 was decommissioned south of downtown Dallas, the segment from south of Corsicana to north of Houston was redesignated as State Highway 75.