Ranch to Market Road 620

Ranch to Market Road 620 marker

Ranch to Market Road 620
Route information
Length: 23.329 mi[1] (37.544 km)
Existed: 1945[1] – present
Major junctions
West end: SH 71 in Bee Cave
  SH 45 in Austin
US 183 in Austin
East end: I-35 in Round Rock
Location
Counties: Travis, Williamson
Highway system
← FM 619FM 621 →

Ranch to Market Road 620, Ranch Road 620, or RM 620 is a Ranch to Market Road in the U.S. state of Texas maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The 27.1-mile (43.6 km) road begins at SH 71 in Bee Cave in Travis County west of Austin passing along southeastern Lake Travis, western Austin, and several suburban communities west and north of Austin before ending at Bus. I-35-L in Round Rock in Williamson County. The road has major intersections with I-35, US 183, and SH 45.

The road opened in 1945 as a Farm to Market Road. The road is now officially designated by TxDOT as Urban Road 620, but all Urban Roads in Texas retain their former Farm or Ranch to Market highway signs.

History

Image of FM 620 highway shield. The square shield has a white symbol in the shape of Texas as the state appears on maps on a black background. Inside this symbol is the number 620. The black background contains the word FARM in the upper right corner and the word ROAD in the lower left corner.

RM 620 was originally designated in 1945 as Farm to Market Road 620 from Round Rock to SH 29,[1] the former designation of US 183 south of Liberty Hill before 1951.[2][3] In 1946, the road was extended to the Travis County line.[1] Two years later, the road was extended to the former community of Hickmuntown,[1] also called Four Points, at the location of the current intersection with RM 2222.[4] The road was completed in 1952 when it was extended to SH 71,[1] known locally before 1965 as RM 93.[5] The road received its Ranch to Market designation in 1956,[1] and its Urban Road designation in 1995.[1][6] The SH 45 toll road running along a portion of RM 620 opened in 2006.[7]In 2013, the section from IH-35 to BI 35-L was cancelled and given to the city of Round Rock.

Route description

The western terminus of RM 620 is at SH 71 in Bee Cave in Travis County. From there, it travels north through the city of Lakeway, following along southeastern Lake Travis until it crosses the Colorado River at Mansfield Dam near Marshall Ford. To the northeast, RM 620 enters the city of Austin and intersects RM 2222. The road then intersects RM 2769 just inside the Williamson County line. To the east, the road travels concurrently with the free service roads of the SH-45 toll road crossing US-183, the 183A Toll Road, and FM 734 before separating from SH 45 and entering Round Rock. The road intersects I-35 before terminating at Bus. I-35-L in Round Rock.[8]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[9]kmDestinationsNotes
TravisBee Cave00 SH 71 – Llano, AustinWestern terminus
Austin12.920.8 RM 2222 (Koenig Ln.)
Williamson16.927.2 RM 2769 (Anderson Mill Rd.) – Volente
18.529.8 SH 45 Toll / SH 45Begin overlay of SH 45 over non-tolled service roads at SH 45 western terminus
18.930.4 183A Toll Road / US 183 – Lockhart, Briggs
20.933.6 FM 734 (W. Parmer Ln.) – Cedar Park
 22.235.7 SH 45 Toll east / SH 45 east – Round RockEnd overlay of SH 45
Round Rock26.743.0 I-35 – Austin, Waco
27.143.6 BL I-35 (Mays St.)Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Transportation Planning and Programming Division. "Ranch to Market Road No. 620". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
  2. ↑ Transportation Planning and Programming Division. "State Highway No. 29". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
  3. ↑ Transportation Planning and Programming Division. "U.S. Highway No. 183". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
  4. ↑ Smyrl, Vivian Elizabeth. "Four Points, TX". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
  5. ↑ Transportation Planning and Programming Division. "State Highway No. 71". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
  6. ↑ Transportation Planning and Programming Division. "Urban Road No. 620". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
  7. ↑ "More of SH 45 North toll road to open early" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation. October 10, 2006. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
  8. ↑ County Grid Map (PDF) (Map) (2010 ed.). 1:120,000. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 430-431. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
  9. ↑ Google (2010-11-16). "Route of RM 620" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2010-11-16.