State Highway 71 (SH 71) is a Texas state highway that runs . The northern terminus is at

US 87 U.S. Highway 87 (US 87) is a north–south United States highway (though it is signed east–west in New Mexico) that runs for 1,998 miles (3,215 km) from northern Montana to southern Texas, making it the longest north-south r ...

and

US 377 U.S. Route 377 (US 377) is a north–south United States highway. Originally formed as a short spur to connect Denton, Texas with Fort Worth, Texas, it has since been extended to Oklahoma and Mexico. Route description Texas The south ...

south of Brady and its southern terminus is at SH 35 near

Blessing In religion, a blessing (also used to refer to bestowing of such) is the impartation of something with grace, holiness, spiritual redemption, or divine will. Etymology and Germanic paganism The modern English language term ''bless'' likely ...

. This highway is designated the "10th Mountain Division Highway" from SH 95 to

Interstate 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 borde ...

History

SH 71 was originally designated on August 21, 1923 from

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 ...

to Columbus, replacing SH 3D and the western half of SH 3A. On June 8, 1925, SH 71 was extended to Midfield, though this was not effective until 1926. On March 19, 1928, it extended south to its current end. On June 21, 1938, SH 71 Spur was designated in Columbus. In 1935, U.S. Highway 290 was codesignated along the stretch from Austin to Bastrop, dropping SH 71 from this section completely on September 26, 1939. SH 71 Spur was renumbered as Spur 52. On May 23, 1951, this section was restored when US 290 was rerouted farther north. On October 24, 1955, SH 71 was signed, but not designated along

Ranch to Market Road 93 State Highway 71 (SH 71) is a Texas state highway that runs . 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 ...

to Llano. On October 31, 1965, the highway was extended to its current designation over the cancelled

and Ranch to Market Road 734. On February 16, 1982, SH 71 was relocated in Columbus.

Austin

Through

, 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 US 183 (Bastrop Freeway) where a section of SH 71 to the SH 130 tollway has been converted into a tollway with a two lane bridge crossing SH 130. Major displacements of commercial properties were required to build the Austin expansions. Most of the freeway had a wide right-of-way which was expanded to over , and the western segment, which opened in 1998, was built on an 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 interchange A directional interchange, colloquially known as a stack interchange, is a type of grade-separated junction between two controlled-access highways that allows for free-flowing movement to and from all directions of traffic. These interchanges e ...

Business routes

SH 71 has two

business route A business route (or business loop, business spur, or city route) in the United States is a short special route connected to a ''parent'' numbered highway at its beginning, then routed through the central business district of a nearby city ...

La Grange business loop

Business State Highway 71-E (Bus. SH 71-E) is a

business loop A business route (or business loop, business spur, or city route) in the United States is a short special route connected to a ''parent'' numbered highway at its beginning, then routed through the central business district of a nearby city or ...

that runs through La Grange. The road was designated in 1991 upon completion of a bypass around the city.

Columbus business loop

Business State Highway 71-F (Bus. SH 71-F) is a business loop that runs through

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

. The city was bypassed on February 16, 1982, and the original route was designated as Loop 329. The route received the Bus. SH 71-F designation on June 21, 1990.

Junction list

References