Texas State Highway 44
State Highway 44 | |||||||
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Route information | |||||||
Maintained by TxDOT | |||||||
Length: | 128.9 mi[1] (207.4 km) | ||||||
Existed: | by 1938 – present | ||||||
Major junctions | |||||||
West end: | US 83 near Encinal | ||||||
I-35 in Encinal | |||||||
East end: | SH 358 in Corpus Christi | ||||||
Highway system | |||||||
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State Highway 44 is a Texas state highway that runs from west of Encinal to Corpus Christi, Texas. This highway is also known as the Cesar Chavez Memorial Highway outside the city limits of Robstown, Banquete, Agua Dulce, Alice and Corpus Christi in Nueces and Jim Hogg Counties.
History
SH 44 was originally proposed in 1919 as a connector route between Waco and Giddings. By 1926, construction was continuing on the highway, with the southern terminus extended south to LaGrange, and was cosigned with U.S. Highway 77. By 1938, this route had been fully converted to US 77, with a new designation from Sinton to Alice via Robstown over former SH 128. In 1939, the section from Sinton to Robstown was reassigned as an extension of SH 96 designation. The eastern terminus was shifted to Corpus Christi. The western terminus was then extended to Freer in 1940. The section west of Freer approximately 56.4 miles (90.8 km) was Farm to Market Road 863[2] which traveled west to United States Route 83 in Webb County, today's State Highway 44 terminus.
From 1948 to 1953, FM 863 went from Beaver Creek to the town of Hilda which became RM 648 and is now RM 783. FM 863 was designated over a new route and part of FM 133 from Encinal to Freer in 1953. Before 1955, FM 863 ended at the Webb/Lasalle County Line. In 1990 FM 863 mileage was transferred to State Highway 44.
Possible future
A Bill has been submitted by House Representative Blake Farenthold to Congress to approve turning Texas State Highway 44 into an Interstate Highway. The Bill is called H.R. 4523 or 44 to 69 Act of 2014.[3] The plans are to turn Texas State Highway 44 into an interstate highway between Freer, Texas (where it will intersect I-69W) and Corpus Christi, Texas (about 73 miles (117 km)) in order to have a network of interstate highways connecting Laredo, Texas (the largest inland port on the United States–Mexican border) with Corpus Christi (a major seaport and manufacturing center). In Corpus Christi, State Highway 44 is already at interstate highway standard and it is a four-lane divided highway westward to the city of San Diego, Texas. The 23 miles from San Diego to Freer is a two-lane section.[4]
Major intersections
County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
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Webb | 0.0 | 0.0 | US 83 – Laredo, Carrizo Springs | Western terminus | |
La Salle | Encinal | BL I-35 south (Main Street) to I-35 south – Encinal, Laredo | West end of I-35 Bus. overlap | ||
I-35 – Cotulla, San Antonio, Laredo | East end of I-35 Bus. overlap; I-35 exit 39 | ||||
Duval | US 59 south – Laredo | West end of US 59 overlap; Future I-69W South. | |||
Freer | SH 16 – Tilden, Hebbronville, Falfurrias | ||||
US 59 north – George West, Houston | East end of US 59 overlap; Future I-69W North. | ||||
FM 3196 south / County Road 330 – Los Reyes, La Rosita, Benavides | |||||
San Diego | SH 359 west – Hebbronville | West end of SH 359 overlap | |||
Jim Wells | FM 625 east | ||||
FM 2507 south | |||||
US 281 – George West, Premont, Falfurrias | Interchange (future I-69C) | ||||
Alice | FM 1554 south (Beam Station Road) | ||||
Bus. US 281 – Falfurrias, George West | Interchange | ||||
FM 665 east (Cameron Street) | |||||
FM 1931 north (Flournoy Road) – Airport | |||||
SH 359 east – Orange Grove, Mathis | East end of SH 359 overlap; interchange | ||||
FM 2044 west | |||||
Nueces | Agua Dulce | FM 70 – Sandia, Bishop | |||
Banquete | FM 666 – Mathis, Driscoll | ||||
Robstown | Bus. SH 44 east (Western Avenue) | ||||
Bus. US 77 north (via Avenue J) – Victoria | interchange | ||||
I-69E / US 77 | interchange | ||||
Bus. SH 44 west (East Avenue A) | |||||
I-69E south / US 77 south | interchange | ||||
FM 1694 – Petronila | |||||
Violet | FM 24 north (Violet Road) | ||||
FM 3386 north | |||||
Corpus Christi | FM 2292 (Clarkwood Road / Bus. SH 44 east) | interchange; west end of freeway | |||
Bus. SH 44 west (Agnes Street) | direct westbound exit only | ||||
Corpus Christi International Airport | access to FM 763 south | ||||
Hopkins Road | direct westbound exit only | ||||
Talbert Road / Agnes Street (Bus. SH 44 east) | no direct westbound exit (signed at Heinsohn Road) | ||||
Heinsohn Road | |||||
SH 358 to I-37 – Bayfront, NAS, CCAD, Padre Island | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
- ↑ Texas Department of Transportation,
- ↑ Transportation Planning and Programming Division. "Farm to Market Road No. 863". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation.
- ↑ Congress.gov: H.R. 4523
- ↑ Bill Would Add SH 44 to I-69 Priority Corridor
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