Ranch Road 1

Ranch Road 1 marker

Ranch Road 1
Route information
Maintained by TxDOT
Length: 6.587 mi[1] (10.601 km)
Existed: 1963[1] – present
Major junctions
West end: US 290 in Stonewall
  RM 1623 in Stonewall
East end: US 290 near Hye
Location
Counties: Gillespie, Blanco
Highway system
← FM 1PR 1 →
Route sign for Ranch Road 1.

Ranch Road 1 (RR 1) is a Ranch Road located in Gillespie and Blanco counties, in the central region of the U.S. state of Texas. The highway is approximately 6.6 miles (10.6 km), and begins at U.S. Route 290 (US 290) in Stonewall, running along the Pedernales River through Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, the late President Lyndon Johnson's former ranch, and through Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site, before terminating at US 290 near Hye. The road, designated in 1963, is the only road in the state that TxDOT has designated as a "Ranch Road". In the earliest days of the state highway system, the route was a part of State Highway 20, and was later part of US 290 before that highway was relocated to the south.

Route description

Ranch Road 1 begins at US 290 on the west side of Stonewall, as a two-lane, paved road. The highway follows along the south bank of the Pedernales River around the town's north side and intersects RM 1623 on the town's east side. The route continues along the river briefly passing through a narrow southwestern portion of Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Site before entering Lyndon B Johnson State Park and Historic Site.[2] The route crosses the length of the state park at its northern edge along the riverbank and exits the park before intersecting PR 49, which crosses the river accessing the national historic site. After crossing into Blanco County, the route turns away from the riverbank to the southeast returning to SH 290 west of Hye.[3][4] Although the road is located in the Texas Hill Country, the road only encounters gentle grades within the channel of the Pedernales River.[5][6]

Classification

Ranch Road 1 is classified by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) as a Ranch Road, and is the only highway in the state to be currently categorized as so.[7] The route is not officially part of the state's Farm and Ranch to Market Road System, although it is considered similar to the Farm to Market Road system.[8] RR 1 is signed with a shield similar to a Ranch to Market Road.[9] The highway fits almost perfectly with the Recreational Road classification, but is not considered part of the system.[8]

History

Ranch Road 1 was designated on December 19, 1963, 27 days after Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as president, from its current western terminus at US 290 near Stonewall to a point 1.2 miles (1.9 km) west of the county line between Gillespie and Blanco counties. The following year, the road was extended 2.1 miles (3.4 km) eastward to its present terminus near Hye. The route was originally part of SH 20.[10] In 1935, US 290 was routed over the road,[11] and the SH 20 designation was dropped in the 1939 general redescription of the state highway system.[12] US 290 was rerouted south to its current location sometime between 1941[13][14] and 1961.[15][16]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi<ref name=Map">{{cite map |cartography=Transportation Planning and Programming Division |publisher=Texas Department of Transportation |url=http://www.txdot.gov/apps/statewide_mapping/StatewidePlanningMap.html |title=Statewide Planning Map |accessdate=July 30, 2012}}</ref>kmDestinationsNotes
GillespieStonewall0.0000.000 US 290 – FredericksburgWestern terminus
1.2592.026 RM 1623 – Blanco
 3.1745.108 PR 52
 4.7347.619 PR 49
Blanco 6.58710.601 US 290 – Johnson CityEastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Transportation Planning and Programming Division. "Ranch Road No. 1". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 24, 2010.
  2. ↑ Texas Department of Transportation Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2014). Texas County Map Book (PDF) (Map) (2014 ed.). 1:120,000. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 336. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  3. ↑ Texas Department of Transportation Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2014). Texas County Map Book (PDF) (Map) (2014 ed.). 1:120,000. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 306. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  4. ↑ Google (July 24, 2010). "Route of Ranch Road 1" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 24, 2010.
  5. ↑ Stonewall Quadrangle, Texas (Map) (1961 ed.). 1:24,000. 7.5 Minute Series (Topographic). Cartography by United States Geological Survey. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved July 24, 2010.
  6. ↑ Hye Quadrangle, Texas (Map) (1961 ed.). 1:24,000. 7.5 Minute Series (Topographic). Cartography by United States Geological Survey. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved July 24, 2010.
  7. ↑ Transportation Planning and Programming Division. "Highway Designation File – Search Results for Ranch Road". Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Transportation Planning and Programming Division. "Highway Designation Glossary". Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
  9. ↑ Staff. "TxDOT Official Sign Detail" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation. p. 3-5.7. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
  10. ↑ Official Highway Map of Texas (Map) (1926 ed.). 1"=30 mi. Texas State Highway Commission. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
  11. ↑ Transportation Planning and Programming Division. "U.S. Highway No. 290". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
  12. ↑ Transportation Planning and Programming Division. "State Highway No. 20". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
  13. ↑ General Highway Map, Gillespie County, Texas (Map) (1936 ed.). 1"=2 mi. Texas State Highway Department. Partially revised to February 1, 1941. Retrieved July 24, 2010. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ↑ General Highway Map, Blanco County, Texas (Map) (1936 ed.). 1"=2 mi. Texas State Highway Department. Partially revised to February 1, 1941. Retrieved July 24, 2010. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ↑ General Highway Map, Gillespie County, Texas (Map) (1958 ed.). 1"=2 mi. Texas State Highway Department. Partially revised to January 1, 1961. Retrieved July 24, 2010. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ↑ General Highway Map, Blanco County, Texas (Map) (1958 ed.). 1"=2 mi. Texas State Highway Department. Partially revised to January 1, 1961. Retrieved July 24, 2010. Check date values in: |date= (help)

Route map: Bing