U.S. Route 290

U.S. Highway 290
Route information
Maintained by TxDOT
Length: 261 mi[1] (420 km)
Existed: 1927[1] – present
Major junctions
West end: I-10 southeast of Junction, TX
 

US 87 at Fredericksburg, TX
US 281 at Johnson City, TX
I-35 at Austin, TX
US 183 at Austin, TX

US 77 at Giddings, TX
East end: I-610 at Houston, TX
Highway system

United States Numbered Highways
List • Bannered • Divided • Replaced

Highways in Texas
Interstate • U.S. • TX (LoopsSpursRecFM)

US 287 US 377

U.S. Highway 290 (or U.S. 290) is an east–west U.S. Highway located entirely within the State of Texas. Its current western terminus is at Interstate 10 north of Sheffield], and its eastern terminus is at Interstate 610 on the northwest side of Houston.

Contents

Route Description

West of Austin, U.S. 290 is a rather scenic route through the Texas Hill Country, passing through the towns of Fredericksburg and Johnson City, and hence close to the historical sites connected with Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, a top commander during the War in the Pacific (1941 - 45) and the deceased President from Texas, Lyndon Baines Johnson. East of Austin, U.S. 290 is a divided highway that passes through or near the towns of Giddings and Brenham.

In Austin, U.S. 290 runs concurrently with Interstate 35 for approximately 8 miles (13 km), including the Downtown Austin area.

U.S. 290 is part of a hurricane evacuation route. That route starts at SH 6 in Galveston. SH 6 is taken to U.S. 290. Then U.S. 290 is taken to where SH 6 and US 290 break apart. Then SH 6 is taken to Waco.

In Harris County outside of Houston, State Highway 6 (SH 6) joins with U.S. 290 and the two highways run concurrently until splitting just north of Hempstead.

The large remnant of U.S. 290 continues to be an important highway, one that connects Austin with Interstate 10, and from there eastward to Houston. Parts of U.S. 290 in Austin and near Houston are multilane freeways.

In Houston, U.S. 290 is sometimes called the Northwest Freeway. The Texas Legislature officially designated this highway within Harris County as the Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway in 2005.[2]

History

U.S. 290 originally had an eastern terminus in San Antonio before 1935 when it was re-routed further north and extended eastward. The old highway into San Antonio was redesignated US 87.[1][3]

Prior to the Interstate era, it extended nearly 300 miles (483 km) farther west to an intersection with US 80 (now Interstate 20) before Interstate 10 supplanted it.

Prior to construction of the Northwest Freeway, U.S. 290 through Houston followed Hempstead Highway, which runs parallel to the freeway approximately one-half mile to the southwest. The eastern terminus of U.S. 290 was also approximately one mile to the southeast at the intersection of Hempstead Highway, Washington Avenue and Old Katy Road. There is a small directional T interchange at this intersection.

Because of truncations in its length, U.S. 290 no longer intersects with its "parent" route, U.S. 90.

Toll roads are planned along segments of U.S. 290 in Houston and Austin. In Houston, the Harris County Toll Road Authority is planning to construct toll managed lanes along and adjacent to the U.S. 290 right-of-way, to be called the Hempstead Tollway.[4] In Austin, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority is constructing the Manor Expressway along U.S. 290 from Austin to Manor.[5]

In 2011 two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, John Culberson and Michael T. McCall, asked TxDOT to advocate for the relabeling of U.S. 290 as an interstate highway.[6]

Houston

Prior to construction of the Northwest Freeway, U.S. 290 through Houston followed Hempstead Highway, which runs parallel to the freeway approximately one-half mile to the southwest. The eastern terminus of U.S. 290 was also approximately one mile to the southeast at the intersection of Hempstead Highway, Washington Avenue and Old Katy Road. There is a small directional T interchange at this intersection.

The Interchange with I-610 and first part of frontage roads opened in 1963. The first freeway section opened in 1975. In 1982, freeway main lanes completed to just inside Beltway 8. In 1990, the stack interchange with Beltway 8 were completed. From 1985 to 2005, the main lanes outside Beltway 8 were completed.[7]

The freeway was constructed to only 3 lanes in each direction, but a major investment study in 2002 requested expansion to 5 lanes in each direction inside Beltway 8 and 4 lanes in each direction from Beltway 8 to the proposed Grand Parkway. It also recommended a new tollway along Hempstead Highway.[8]

Business routes

US 290 has three business routes.

Business U.S. Route 290-F is the original routing of U.S. 290 through the town of Brenham. The route was established in 1990 when the main line of US 290 was rerouted along with State Route 36 around the western and southern sides of Brenham. The routing begins to the west of town at an intersection with State Highway 36. The business route continues east into downtown on Main Street. Before reaching downtown, the route splits into two parallel one-way streets: Main Street carrying westbound traffic and Alamo Street carrying eastbound traffic. It passes through downtown, meeting the business routing of State Highway 36 and the western terminus of State Highway 105. At this intersection, the business route turns south on Market Street, and continues out of Brenham, rejoining the mainline U.S. 290 near an intersection with Farm to Market Road 544. The entire route is 4.59 miles in length.

Business U.S. Route 290-H is the original routing of US 290 through the towns of Hempstead, Waller, and Hockley. This route was designated between 1995 and 1998 in stages as a limited access bypass route was constructed to the north of these towns.

Business U.S. Route 290-L is the original routing of US 290 through the town of Cypress. The route was designated in 1993 as a limited access bypass was built to the northeast of the original routing.

Junction list

County Location Destinations Notes
Kimble I-10 – Junction
RM 479 north
RM 385 north
Gillespie Harper RM 783 south – Kerrville West end of RM 783 overlap
RM 783 east / FM 2093 East end of RM 783 overlap
US 87 north – Mason West end of US 87 overlap
Fredericksburg RM 965 north (N Milam Street) – Enchanted Rock
SH 16 south (S Adams Street) – Kerrville West end of SH 16 overlap
SH 16 north (N Llano Street) – Llano East end of SH 16 overlap
US 87 (S Washington Street) – Comfort, San Antonio East end of US 87 overlap
RM 1631 north
RM 1376
Stonewall RM 1623 north West end of RM 1623 overlap
RM 1623 south – Blanco East end of RM 1623 overlap
Blanco Hye RM 1320 north
Johnson City Spur 356 north (Nugent Avenue)
US 281 north – Marble Falls West end of US 281 overlap
RM 2766 east (Robinson Road)
US 281 south – Blanco East end of US 281 overlap
RM 3232 north
Hays RM 165
Dripping Springs RM 12 – San Marcos
Travis RM 1826 west
Austin SH 71 west – Marble Falls, Llano West end of SH 71 overlap; west end of freeway
W William Cannon Road
Loop 1 (S MoPac Expressway)
Southwest Parkway
Loop 360 (Capital of Texas Highway)
Loop 343 (S Lamar Boulevard)
Manchaca Road
S 1st Street
Loop 275 (S Congress Avenue)
I-35 south / SH 71 east – San Antonio, Bastrop west end of IH-35 overlap, east end of SH 71 overlap
Woodward Street Northbound exit is via exit 230
Oltolf Street
Woodland Avenue
Riverside Drive
Bridge over the Colorado River (Lady Bird Lake)
Holly Street Northbound exit only
Cesar Chavez Street, Holly Street Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Cesar Chavez Street, 2nd-4th Streets Northbound exit and southbound entrance
8th-3rd Streets – Huston-Tillotson University Southbound exit and northbound entrance
6th-12th Streets Northbound exit and southbound entrance
12th-11th Streets – State Capitol Southbound exit and northbound entrance
15th Street, MLK Boulevard – University of Texas , State Capitol
Manor Road
Dean Keeton Street, 32nd-38½ Streets Signed as exits 236A (Dean Keeton Street, 32nd Street) and 236B (38½ Street) southbound
Loop 111 (Airport Boulevard)
51st Street, Cameron Road
RM 2222 west
I-35 north – Waco West end of Spur 69 overlap, east end of IH-35 overlap
Cameron Road East end of Spur 69 overlap
US 183 – Lampasas, Lockhart
Springdale Road
Giles Lane
Harris Branch Parkway
Blue Goose Road
FM 3177 (Decker Lane)
SH 45 / SH 130 – Georgetown, Austin
FM 734 (Parmer Lane)
Manor Loop 212 east
FM 973 / Loop 212
FM 1100 east
Bastrop Elgin SH 95 north – Taylor West end of SH 95 overlap
Loop 109 (Harris Street) – Elgin
FM 1704 south (S Main Street)
SH 95 south – Bastrop East end of SH 95 overlap
FM 696 north – Lexington
FM 2336 south
SH 21 – Bastrop, Caldwell
Paige FM 2104 south – Smithville
Lee Giddings US 77 (Main Street) – Lexington, La Grange
FM 141 north (N Orange Street)
FM 180 north
Fayette Ledbetter FM 1291 south
Carmine Spur 458 east
SH 237 south – Round Top, Warrenton, La Grange
Washington FM 2502 east
Burton Spur 125 – Burton
FM 1948 north
FM 2679 north – Zionville
Brenham
US 290 Bus. east / SH 36 north – Brenham, Caldwell
West end of SH 36 overlap
FM 389 (Prairie Lea Street)
SH 36 south – Bellville, Sealy East end of SH 36 overlap
FM 577 (Blue Bell Road)
Chappell Hill FM 1155 north (Main Street)
FM 1371 south
Waller Hempstead FM 1736
SH 6 north – Bryan, Hempstead, College Station West end of SH 6 overlap
FM 1488 – Hempstead, Magnolia
FM 359 – Brookshire Eastbound exit is via the FM 1488 exit
Prairie View Liendo Parkway
FM 1098 – Prairie View
James Muse Parkway
Harris Waller FM 362
Field Store Road
FM 2920 – Waller, Tomball
Binford Road
Kickapoo Road
Hockley Kermier Road
Hegar Road
Badtke Road
Roberts Road, Katy Hockley Road
Becker Road
Bauer Road
Mason Road
Mueschke Road
Cypress
US 290 Bus. / Spring-Cypress Road, Cypress-Rosehill Road, Fry Rd.
No eastbound exit
Skinner Road, Spring-Cypress Road
Barker-Cypress Road
Telge Road
Hempstead Road, Huffmeister Road
SH 6 south / FM 1960 east East end of SH 6 overlap
Satsuma Eldridge Parkway, West Road
Jersey Village Jones Road
Houston Beltway 8 (Frontage Road) / FM 529 / Senate Avenue
Sam Houston Tollway
Beltway 8 (Frontage Road) / West Little York Road, North Gessner Road
Fairbanks-North Houston Road
West Tidwell Road, Hollister Road
Pinemont Drive, Bingle Road, West 43rd Street
Antoine Drive, West 34th Street
Mangum Road, Dacoma Street
I-610 Eastbound exit and westbound entrance

References

  1. ^ a b c Texas Department of Transportation U.S. Highway 290 Designation File. URL accessed 8 December 2006.
  2. ^ "Bill: HB 540 Legislative Session: 79(R)." Texas Legislature. Retrieved on February 12, 2009.
  3. ^ Texas Department of Transportation U.S. Highway 87 Designation File. URL accessed 8 December 2006.
  4. ^ "Hempstead/US 290 Managed Lanes". HCTRA. https://www.hctra.org/about_construction2/hempsteadus-290-managed-lanes.html. Retrieved October 19, 2011. 
  5. ^ "290 East Manor Expressway Toll Road". CTRMA. http://www.mobilityauthority.com/projects/manor-expressway.php. Retrieved October 19, 2011. 
  6. ^ Foster, Robin. "Officials favoring upgrade by TXDOT." Houston Chronicle. Tuesday September 20, 2011. Retrieved on October 1, 2011.
  7. ^ Houston Freeways [1]
  8. ^ Houston Freeways [2]