State Highway 290 (SH 290) is a state highway maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) that runs from

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...

near

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

east to another connection with I-10 about east of Sheffield. The route was designated in 1992 as a replacement for U.S. Route 290 when that route was shortened to end near

Junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (film), a 2012 American film * Jjunction, a 2002 Indian film * Junction (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (EP), by Basement Jaxx, 2002 * Junction (manga), or ''Hot ...

. The route connects I-10 to Sheffield and

Fort Lancaster State Historic Site Fort Lancaster is a former United States Army installation located near Sheffield, Texas. The fort was established in 1855 on the San Antonio–El Paso Road to protect migrants moving toward California through Texas. The US Army occupied Fort Lanc ...

and overlays a portion of SH 349. SH 290 was the former designation for a portion of SH 114 between the

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

state line and

Lubbock Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northwe ...

History

Cochran, Hockley, and Lubbock counties

SH 290 was originally designated as a route from the

state line east through

Morton Morton may refer to: People * Morton (surname) * Morton (given name) Fictional * Morton Koopa, Jr., a character and boss in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' * A character in the ''Charlie and Lola'' franchise * A character in the 2008 film '' Horton ...

and Levelland to Lubbock in Cochran,

Hockley Hockley is a large village and civil parish in Essex in the East of England located between Chelmsford and Southend-on-Sea, or, more specifically, between Rayleigh and Rochford. It came to prominence during the coming of the railway in the 189 ...

, and

counties that was created on September 26, 1939. The route had been previously numbered as SH 134 beginning sometime between 1926 and 1928 until the route was renumbered as SH 24 on March 19, 1930. The SH 290 designation was dropped on March 31, 1955 when the route became SH 116. On December 14, 1977, the SH 116 designation was canceled, and the route became an extension of SH 114.

Pecos and Crockett counties

SH 290 was created on November 21, 1991 from a portion of US 290 which was decommissioned beyond its current terminus at I-10 near Junction to its former terminus at

US 80 The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

near

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. US 290 together with US 80 formed a route linking

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

and

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

before the construction of I-10. SH 290 is a portion of the former US 290 that was bypassed by I-10 around Sheffield.

Route description

SH 290 begins at Exit 325 of I-10 in Pecos County and winds southward around hills concurrently with SH 349. The road turns east through Sheffield passing through town along Main Street where SH 349 turns to the south. SH 290 then runs southeast to the

Pecos River The Pecos River ( es, Río Pecos) originates in north-central New Mexico and flows into Texas, emptying into the Rio Grande. Its headwaters are on the eastern slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County north of Pecos, New Mexico ...

where the road enters Crockett County. The road turns eastward along the Pecos River valley until it reaches

Fort Lancaster Fort Lancaster is a former United States Army installation located near Sheffield, Texas. The fort was established in 1855 on the San Antonio–El Paso Road to protect migrants moving toward California through Texas. The US Army occupied Fort Lanc ...

, an old frontier Army fort maintained by the

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state's parks and historical areas. Its mission is to manage ...

. The road then turns northeast climbing steeply out of the river valley and returns to I-10 at Exit 343.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{osmrelation, 962301, Texas State Highway 290 290 Transportation in Pecos County, Texas Transportation in Crockett County, Texas