Texas State Highway Loop 279

State Highway Loop 279
Route information
Length: 4.049 mi[1] (6.52 km)
Existed: 1954 – present
Major junctions
West end: I-40 Bus. at Amarillo
East end: US 87 at Amarillo
Highway system

Highways in Texas
Interstate • U.S. • TX (Loops – Spurs – Rec – FM)

← Loop 278 Loop 280 →

Loop 279, formerly Business U.S. Highway 66, is a state highway in Amarillo, Texas, United States. It runs from Amarillo Boulevard (Business Interstate Highway 40-D) and Bell Street east along 9th Avenue, Bushland Boulevard and 6th Avenue to end at Fillmore Street (northbound U.S. Highway 87).[2]

Contents

Route description

Loop 279 begins at an interchange with I-40 Business and Bell Street near Amarillo College in Amarillo, Potter County, heading east on SW 9th Avenue, a four-lane divided highway. The road soon becomes a five-lane road with a center left-turn lane as it passes through commercial areas before heading between the Amarillo Country Club to the north and residential areas to the south, losing the center turn lane. The highway turns northeast onto Bushland Boulevard at this point and continues south of the golf course. Loop 279 narrows into a two-lane road and heads past businesses, turning east onto SW 6th Avenue. The road heads through more commercial areas with some homes before heading into an area of more businesses. The highway heads into the commercial downtown of Amarillo, widening into a four-lane road. Here, Loop 279 crosses the southbound direction of US 287 before ending at an intersection with the northbound direction of US 87.[1][3][4]

History

The route was originally the main line of U.S. Highway 66, which turned north on Fillmore Street (concurrent with US 87) to the current Business IH 40. A new alignment along Amarillo Boulevard was built ca. 1953[5], and in mid-1954[1] the old alignment (west of Fillmore Street) was designated Loop 279 and signed as Business US 66 (Business US 66 continued north on Fillmore Street to new US 66). At some point, Fillmore Street became one-way northbound, and westbound Business US 66 was moved to either Taylor Street or Pierce Street. When US 66 was decommissioned in Texas in 1985,[6] the Business US 66 designation was dropped.

Junction list

The entire route is in Amarillo, Potter County.

Mile[1] Junction Notes
0.000 I-40 Bus. (West Amarillo Boulevard) / Bell Street Interchange
US 287 south (South Taylor Street)
4.049 US 87 north (South Fillmore Street)

References

  1. ^ a b c d Texas Department of Transportation. "Highway Designation File - State Highway Loop No. 279". http://www.dot.state.tx.us/tpp/hwy/SL/SL0279.htm. Retrieved October 17, 2011. 
  2. ^ Potter County Texas Supplementary Sheet C
  3. ^ Google, Inc. Google Maps – overview map of Loop 279 (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=SW+9th+Ave&daddr=SE+6th+Ave&hl=en&sll=35.208407,-101.900382&sspn=0.008503,0.021136&geocode=FTQzGQIdOhbt-Q%3BFZg4GQId8iDu-Q&vpsrc=0&mra=ls&t=h&z=14. Retrieved October 17, 2011. 
  4. ^ Texas Department of Transportation (2010). County Grid Map 184 (Map). http://www.txdot.gov/travel/countymapbook2006/Pages/184.pdf. Retrieved October 17, 2011. 
  5. ^ National Bridge Inventory
  6. ^ Texas Department of Transportation. "Highway Designation File - U.S. Highway No. 66". http://www.dot.state.tx.us/tpp/hwy/US/US0066.htm. Retrieved October 17, 2011.