Existed: 1926 – present Length 407.5 km | East end: SH 35 at Blessing Constructed 1926 | |
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West end: US 87/US 377 near Brady Counties McCulloch County, Texas, Mason County, Texas | ||
State Highway 71 or SH 71 is a Texas state highway that runs 253 miles (407 km). The northern terminus is at US 87 and US 377 south of Brady and its southern terminus is at SH 35 near Blessing. This highway is designated the "10th Mountain Division Highway" from SH 95 to Interstate 35.
Contents
Map of TX-71, Texas, USA
History
SH 71 was originally designated in 1926 from Austin to Columbus, absorbing SH 3D in the process. By 1928, SH 71 had extended to Matagorda Bay. In 1935, U.S. Highway 290 was codesignated along the stretch from Austin to Bastrop, dropping SH 71 from this section completely by 1939. In 1951, this section was restored when US 290 was rerouted farther north. Late in 1965, the highway was extended to its current designation over the cancelled Ranch to Market Road 93 and Ranch to Market Road 734.
Austin
Through Austin, SH 71 is known as Ben White Boulevard and is one of Austin's newest freeways. Sections have opened regularly since 1996, when the first section west of Interstate 35 was opened. A 5-level stack was completed at Interstate 35 in December 2011, and the freeway east of Interstate 35 to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was completed in 2014. Construction commenced in 2015 east of US183 (Bastrop Freeway) where a section of SH71 to the SH130 tollway is being converted into a tollway.
Major displacements of commercial properties were required to build the Austin expansions. Most of the freeway had a 150 ft (46 m) wide right-of-way which was expanded to 300+ feet (91m+), and the western segment, which opened in 1998, was built on an 80 ft (24 m) right-of-way. The section at the western end required many more business displacements. The new freeway features depressed sections, elevated sections, and partial stack interchanges.
Business routes
SH 71 has two business routes.
Business State Highway 71-E is a business loop that runs through La Grange. The road was designated as Business SH 71-E in 1991 upon completion of a bypass around the city.
Business State Highway 71-F (formerly Loop 329) is a business loop that runs through Columbus. The city was bypassed in 1982 and the original route was designated as Loop 329. The road was redesignated as Business SH 71-F in 1991.