U.s. Highway 290 (Texas) Information

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

United States Numbered Highways List • Bannered • Divided • Replaced

Highways in Texas Interstate • US • TX (Loops – Spurs – Rec – FM)

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.

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.^[7]

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

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. ^ ^{a b} Houston Freeways

Categories:

• Three-digit U.S. Highways
• U.S. Highways in Texas
• Interstate 10

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See Also:

• Big Bend (Texas)
• Ellington Airport (Texas)
• Fredericksburg Historic District (Texas)
• Golden Triangle (Texas)
• Sabine River (Texas-louisiana)
• Trinity River (Texas)