Texas State Highway 73
State Highway 73 or SH 73 is a Texas state highway that runs 42 miles (68 km) from Winnie through Port Arthur to near Orange.
In September 2008, Hurricane Ike forced the closure of SH 73. Among other road debris left by the storm were two 200 ton barges. The storm surge pushed the barges almost 10 miles (16 km) before they came to rest on the highway.[2]
Previous routes
The original SH 73 was designated in 1926 from Oldenburg to Houston. By 1933, it was rerouted southwest to Columbus. By 1941, the route was adjusted so that, instead of extending west from Houston, it was now designated east from Houston to Port Arthur. Construction was slow, with only small portions outside Houston, Port Arthur, and the stretch from Winnie to Anahuac (signed as 73-T) completed by 1954. In 1961, the route was shortened from Port Arthur to Winnie, with the western portions having been replaced by Interstate 10. SH 73-T was transferred to SH 65. In 1982, the route was extended along its current route to Orange, along a concurrent route with SH 87 and SH 62.
In popular culture
Texas State Highway 73 is shown as a road sign in the opening 10 seconds of the 1941 movie Moon Over Miami immediately following the opening credits. There is no mention of the city in that film. A similar road sign of Highway 73 is also depicted on the set of The Partridge Family.
Junction list
References
- ^ Texas Department of Transportation, [1]
- ^ http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/local/demolition_team_works_to_clear_barges_from_texas_73_09-21-2008.html