State Highway 173 (SH 173) is a state highway that runs for from Jourdanton to

Kerrville Kerrville is a city in, and the county seat of, Kerr County, Texas, United States. The population of Kerrville was 24,278 at the 2020 census. Kerrville is named after James Kerr, a major in the Texas Revolution, and friend of settler- ...

in south Texas, traversing through the

Texas Hill Country The Texas Hill Country is a geographic region of Central and South Texas, forming the southeast part of the Edwards Plateau. Given its location, climate, terrain, and vegetation, the Hill Country can be considered the border between the Ameri ...

History

The highway was originally designated on August 4, 1932 from

Hondo Hondo may refer to: Places * Rio Hondo (disambiguation), the name of several locations, derived from the Spanish word for "deep" Canada * Hondo, Alberta, an unincorporated community United States * Hondo, New Mexico, an unincorporated co ...

southeast to Devine. On October 26, 1932, it extended southeast to Pleasanton. On January 11, 1933, it was rerouted to end in Jourdanton. On October 16, 1933, this section from Devine to Jourdanton was cancelled. On May 14, 1935, it extended back to Jourdanton. On July 15, 1935, SH 173 was cancelled. On September 3, 1935, a road from Devine to Jourdanton was being investigated for preparation for restoration of this section of SH 173. On April 20, 1936, the entire route was restored. On September 26, 1939, the designated route was extended south from Jourdanton through Freer, absorbing most of SH 241, with an expected terminus at Hebbronville. on January 29, 1942, the section from Freer to Hebbronville had been cancelled. On August 31, 1965, the section south of Jourdanton was transferred to SH 16. On February 21, 1972, SH 173 was signed, but not designated along FM 689 to Kerrville. On October 23, 1978, the section west of Loop 534 was transferred to Loop 534, but still signed as SH 173.. On August 29, 1990, the route was extended northward to Kerrville, replacing FM 689.

Route description

SH 173 begins at SH 16 just north of Jourdanton. SH 173 runs northwest toward Devine where it intersects

I-35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

in the south part of town. Leaving Devine, 173 turns running in a sharper northwest direction. Just east of

, the highway interchanges with

US 90 U.S. Route 90 or U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) is an east–west major United States highway in the Southern United States. Despite the "0" in its route number, US 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route. With the exception of a short-lived ...

. The highway turns to run in a more north-south direction, twisting and turning many times through canyons. SH 173 enters

Bandera Bandera - from a Spanish word meaning a ''flag'' - may refer to: Places * Bandera County, Texas ** Bandera, Texas, its county seat ** Bandera Creek, a river in Texas, with its source near Bandera Pass ** Bandera Pass, a mountain pass in Bandera C ...

and intersects SH 16 for a second time. The two highways share a short overlap before splitting. Here, signs are posted advising trucks and through traffic to use SH 173 as a route to

instead of SH 16, as SH 173 is a shorter and faster route, while SH 16 traverses a hill with many sharp curves. SH 173 intersects SH 16 for a third time in Kerrville, where the highway ends.

Junction list

Notes

References

173 Transportation in Atascosa County, Texas Transportation in Frio County, Texas Transportation in Medina County, Texas Transportation in Bandera County, Texas Transportation in Kerr County, Texas {{Texas-road-stub