Texas State Highway 31
State Highway 31 (SH 31) runs from U.S. 84 northeast of Waco via Corsicana, Athens, Tyler, Kilgore to U.S. 80 in Longview.
History edit
SH 31 was a route proposed on October 9, 1917 to run from Waco northeast via Corsicana and Athens to Tyler, which remains the western portion of its current route to this day.[2] On November 27, 1922, the route had been extended northeast to Gladewater, replacing part of SH 15 so that SH 15 had only one route west of Gladewater. On October 26, 1932, SH 31 Spur was designated through Malakoff.[3] On September 26, 1939, the section from Tyler to Gladewater was reassigned to U.S. 271 (which it had been cosigned with earlier), with SH 31 now being extended east to Kilgore over former SH 176. SH 31 Spur was renumbered as Spur 63. On June 30, 1971, SH 31 was extended north to I-20 concurrent with US 259. When U.S. 259 was rerouted on July 25, 1985, SH 31 was extended northeast into Longview. In 2013, a new route was designated around Corsicana for a proposed bypass. Construction on the bypass began in 2016 and opened to traffic in 2021.[4][5]
Route description edit
SH 31 begins at an interchange with US 84 northeast of Waco. The highway travels through rural areas of McLennan County, passing just north of Axtell. SH 31 intersects FM 939 then enters Hill County. In Hill County, the highway bypasses the towns of Mount Calm and Hubbard. Entering Navarro County, SH 31 runs through Dawson and has an overlap with FM 709 through the town then intersects FM 667 near Navarro Mills Lake. The highway then bypasses Corsicana, passing near or through the towns of Oak Valley, Retreat, and Mildred and intersects I-45 and US 287 in southeast Corsicana. SH 31 passes just north of the Richland-Chambers Reservoir before entering the town of Powell. The highway then travels through the town of Kerens before crossing the Trinity River into Henderson County.
In Henderson County, the route becomes less rural. SH 31 passes just south of the Cedar Creek Reservoir while serving the towns of Trinidad and Malakoff. The highway then enters Athens, bypassing the town on Loop 7; along with Loop 7, SH 31 also has overlaps with US 175 and SH 19 around Athens. SH 31 then leaves the loop in northeast Athens near an intersection with FM 317 then travels through the towns of Murchison and Brownsboro. The highway crosses over the northwestern segment of Lake Palestine, travels through Chandler, then crosses the Neches River into Smith County. SH 31 intersects Loop 49 Toll and travels through suburban areas of Smith County before entering Tyler. The highway travels through Tyler along Front Street, passing just south of the downtown area and serves as the southern terminus of US 271 near The Health Science Center at UT Tyler, then leaves the city just after intersecting Loop 323 for a second time. Leaving Tyler, the highway's route becomes more rural again, traveling through wooded areas before entering Kilgore. In Kilgore, SH 31 has a brief overlap with US 259 that lasts until I-20. The highway has an interchange with Loop 281 then enters Longview. SH 31 turns in a more northward direction at South Street then ends at US 80 near downtown, with the road continuing north as Spur 63.
Major intersections edit
| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McLennan | | 0.0– 0.4 | 0.0– 0.64 | US 84 / League Ranch Road – Waco, Mexia, Fairfield | Interchange |
| | 3.2 | 5.1 | FM 1330 south – Axtell | Interchange | |
| | 5.0 | 8.0 | FM 2311 west / Sutherland Road – Leroy | ||
| | 7.8 | 12.6 | FM 939 south / County Line Road – Mart | ||
| Hill | | 12.1 | 19.5 | Bus. SH 31-K to FM 339 – Mount Calm, Birome | Interchange; eastbound exit and entrance |
| | 12.5 | 20.1 | FM 339 – Mount Calm, Birome | Interchange; westbound exit and entrance | |
| | 13.0 | 20.9 | Bus. SH 31-K | Interchange; eastbound exit and entrance | |
| | 16.9 | 27.2 | Bus. SH 31-C | Interchange | |
| | 18.4 | 29.6 | FM 936 | Interchange | |
| Hubbard | 20.3 | 32.7 | SH 171 – Hubbard, Coolidge | Interchange | |
| | 22.2 | 35.7 | Bus. SH 31-C | Interchange; westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |
| Navarro | | 24.1 | 38.8 | FM 709 east | |
| Dawson | 26.5 | 42.6 | FM 709 east – Dawson | West end of FM 709 overlap | |
| 26.7 | 43.0 | FM 709 west – Spring Hill | East end of FM 709 overlap | ||
| | 30.8 | 49.6 | FM 667 north – Navarro Mills | ||
| | 33.5 | 53.9 | FM 55 north – Blooming Grove | West end of FM 55 overlap | |
| | 33.9 | 54.6 | FM 55 south | East end of FM 55 overlap | |
| | 38.9 | 62.6 | FM 1126 – Barry | ||
| | 40.3 | 64.9 | FM 2452 south – Corbet | ||
| | 41.1 | 66.1 | Bus. SH 31-D east – Corsicana | ||
| Retreat | 44.0 | 70.8 | FM 2555 | Interchange | |
| 45.5 | 73.2 | FM 709 | Interchange | ||
| Corsicana | 46.7 | 75.2 | I-45 | I-45 exit 227 | |
| 48.0 | 77.2 | US 287 – Corsicana, Palestine | Interchange | ||
| | 52.9 | 85.1 | Bus. SH 31-D west – Corsicana | ||
| | 55.0 | 88.5 | FM 1129 north – Roane | ||
| Powell | 56.2 | 90.4 | FM 633 south to FM 1393 | ||
| | 58.2 | 93.7 | FM 1393 south to FM 633 | ||
| Kerens | 61.9 | 99.6 | FM 636 north | ||
| 62.3 | 100.3 | SH 309 south to US 287 – Goodlow | |||
| | 67.5 | 108.6 | FM 3096 south – Samaria | ||
| Henderson | Trinidad | 70.2 | 113.0 | SH 274 north / FM 764 south – Seven Points, Tool, Trinidad Business District | |
| 70.9 | 114.1 | FM 1667 south | |||
| Malakoff | 75.2 | 121.0 | SH 198 north / FM 2636 south – Gun Barrel City, Caney City, Log Cabin, Cross Roads | ||
| | 79.7 | 128.3 | FM 753 south | ||
| Athens | 81.5 | 131.2 | Loop 7 west / Bus. SH 31-H east – Downtown Athens, Airport | Interchange; west end of Loop 7 overlap; access to UT Health Athens | |
| 83.9 | 135.0 | US 175 west / Bus. US 175 east – Mabank, Downtown Athens | Interchange; west end of US 175 overlap | ||
| 85.6 | 137.8 | SH 19 north / Bus. SH 19-J south – Canton, Downtown Athens | Interchange; west end of SH 19 overlap | ||
| 87.5 | 140.8 | FM 1616 | |||
| 88.0 | 141.6 | Bus. SH 31-H west / Loop 7 south (US 175 east / SH 19 south) – Airport | Interchange; east end of Loop 7, US 175, and SH 19 overlaps; access to UT Health Athens | ||
| 88.4 | 142.3 | FM 317 east – Leagueville | |||
| Murchison | 93.3 | 150.2 | FM 773 north (North Second Street) – Ben Wheeler | ||
| | 95.5 | 153.7 | FM 1803 south / County Road 3823 | West end of FM 1803 overlap | |
| | 96.3 | 155.0 | FM 1803 north / County Road 3622 | East end of FM 1803 overlap | |
| Brownsboro | 100.6 | 161.9 | FM 607 south – Leagueville, La Rue | ||
| 101.7 | 163.7 | FM 314 – Edom, Poynor, Moore Station | |||
| 102.1 | 164.3 | FM 3204 east | |||
| | 107.0 | 172.2 | FM 3204 west | ||
| Chandler | 109.8 | 176.7 | FM 315 (North Broad Street) | ||
| Smith | | 112.4 | 180.9 | FM 2661 | |
| | 113.7 | 183.0 | Loop 49 Toll | ||
| | 115.0 | 185.1 | Spur 364 east | ||
| | 115.6 | 186.0 | FM 206 south | ||
| | 116.1 | 186.8 | Spur 164 south / County Road 1125 | ||
| Tyler | 118.4 | 190.5 | Loop 323 | ||
| 118.8 | 191.2 | Loop 235 east (Chandler Highway) | |||
| 120.0 | 193.1 | US 69 / SH 64 / SH 110 (South Glenwood Boulevard) | |||
| 121.2 | 195.1 | SH 155 / US 271 north (South Beckham Avenue) | Access to The Health Science Center at UT Tyler | ||
| 121.4 | 195.4 | Saunders Avenue / Fleishel Avenue | Interchange | ||
| 122.4 | 197.0 | Loop 124 east (Old Henderson Highway) – Henderson | |||
| 122.8 | 197.6 | Loop 323 (South Southeast Loop 323) | |||
| | 125.6 | 202.1 | FM 850 west | West end of FM 850 overlap | |
| | 125.7 | 202.3 | FM 850 east – Overton | East end of FM 850 overlap | |
| | 128.5 | 206.8 | FM 2908 north | ||
| | 132.1 | 212.6 | FM 757 north / County Road 21 – Starrville | ||
| Gregg | | 140.3 | 225.8 | FM 2767 west | |
| | 140.7 | 226.4 | FM 3053 – Liberty City, Overton | ||
| | 142.8 | 229.8 | FM 1639 south | ||
| | 142.9 | 230.0 | FM 2012 south | ||
| Kilgore | 145.1 | 233.5 | SH 135 – Gladewater, Overton | Interchange | |
| 146.6 | 235.9 | SH 42 – White Oak, Kilgore Business District | |||
| 147.8 | 237.9 | Bus. US 259 south / FM 349 east – Kilgore | West end of US 259 Bus. overlap | ||
| 149.1 | 240.0 | US 259 south / Bus. US 259 ends – Henderson | Interchange; westbound exit and eastbound entrance; east end of US 259 Bus. overlap; west end of US 259 overlap | ||
| | 149.9 | 241.2 | I-20 / US 259 north – Dallas | I-20 exit 589 westbound, 589A-B eastbound; east end of US 259 overlap | |
| | 150.3 | 241.9 | FM 1252 west | ||
| Longview | 154.4 | 248.5 | Loop 281 | Interchange | |
| 155.7 | 250.6 | FM 2205 west | |||
| 156.5 | 251.9 | US 80 (West Marshall Avenue) / Spur 63 north – Gladewater, Marshall | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
Business routes edit
SH 31 has four business routes.
Hubbard business loop edit
Business State Highway 31-C (Bus. SH 31-C) is a business loop that runs through Hubbard. The highway is known locally as North 4th Street.
- Junction list
The entire route is in Hill County.
| Location | mi[6] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 0.0 | 0.0 | SH 31 | Interchange | |
| | 1.5 | 2.4 | FM 936 south | ||
| Hubbard | 3.4 | 5.5 | SH 171 – Hillsboro, Mexia | ||
| | 4.6 | 7.4 | SH 31 | Interchange | |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
Corsicana business loop edit
Business State Highway 31-D (Bus. SH 31-D) is a business loop that runs through Corsicana. The route was designated in 2013.
The highway is known locally as 7th Avenue or Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Just east of FM 2555 (45th Street) the road passes by Navarro College.
- Junction list
The entire route is in Navarro County.
| Location | mi[7] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 0.0 | 0.0 | SH 31 | ||
| Corsicana | 2.9 | 4.7 | FM 2555 (North 45th Street) | Access to Navarro Regional Hospital | |
| 5.3 | 8.5 | SH 22 west / FM 709 west (South 15th Street) – Barry, Pursley | Access to Navarro Regional Hospital | ||
| 5.9 | 9.5 | I-45 BL (South 7th Street) | Interchange | ||
| 7.0 | 11.3 | I-45 (US 287) – Ennis, Richland | I-45 exit 231 | ||
| | 10.5 | 16.9 | SH 31 | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
Athens business loop edit
Business State Highway 31-H (Bus. SH 31-H) is a business loop that runs through Athens. The route was designated in 2004 when SH 31 was re-routed along Loop 7.
The highway is known locally as Corsicana Street west of downtown and east of downtown it is known as Tyler Street and briefly runs along Prairieville Street for a block near the Henderson County Courthouse. SH 31 Bus. H has an overlap with US 175 Bus. in the western part of town.
- Junction list
The entire route is in Athens, Henderson County.
| mi[9] | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | SH 31 / Loop 7 – Corsicana, Mabank | Interchange | ||
| 2.4 | 3.9 | Bus. US 175 west – Kaufman | West end of US 175 Bus. overlap | ||
| 3.2 | 5.1 | Bus. US 175 east (Corsicana Street) / FM 2494 south (Prairieville Street) – Jacksonville, Trinity Valley Community College | East end of US 175 Bus. overlap | ||
| 3.4 | 5.5 | Bus. SH 19-J (Palestine Street) – Airport | Access to UT Health Athens | ||
| 4.8 | 7.7 | FM 2495 east (Flat Creek Road) – Lake Athens | |||
| 5.5 | 8.9 | FM 1616 north | |||
| 6.4 | 10.3 | SH 31 / Loop 7 (US 175 / SH 19) – Corsicana, Jacksonville | Interchange | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
Mount Calm business loop edit
Business State Highway 31-K | |
|---|---|
| Location | Mount Calm |
| Length | 0.8 mi[10] (1,300 m) |
| Existed | July 30, 2015[10]–present |
Business State Highway 31-K (Bus. SH 31-K) is a business loop that runs near Mount Calm. The road was designated on July 30, 2015 when SH 31 was rerouted to the west.
Both ends of the highway have no access to westbound SH 31 with traffic only be able to access eastbound SH 31. The only highway SH 31 Bus. K intersects between its termini is FM 339.
- Junction list
The entire route is in Hill County.
| Location | mi[11] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 0.0 | 0.0 | SH 31 east | ||
| Mount Calm | 0.3 | 0.48 | FM 339 to SH 31 west – Birome | ||
| | 0.8 | 1.3 | SH 31 east – Hubbard | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway No. 31". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- ^ "Minutes for State Highway Commission - February 20, 1918" (PDF).
- ^ "Minutes for State Highway Commission - October 24, 1932" (PDF).
- ^ "No Matter What Happens, Corsicana Team Is Building This Bypass". Sundt Construction Company. July 8, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
- ^ Kormos, Michael (October 23, 2021). "TxDOT opens Hwy 31 relief route to traffic". Corsicana Daily Sun. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
- ^ a b Google (July 28, 2022). "Overview Map of SH 31 Bus. C" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ^ a b Google (July 28, 2022). "Overview Map of SH 31 Bus. D" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ^ a b Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Business State Highway No. 31-H". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation.
- ^ Google (July 28, 2022). "Overview Map of SH 31 Bus. H" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ^ a b Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Business State Highway No. 31-K". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation.
- ^ Google (July 28, 2022). "Overview Map of SH 31 Bus. K" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
External links edit
Media related to Texas State Highway 31 at Wikimedia Commons