End of US highway 79

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Photo credits: Justin Cozart; H.B. Elkins; Alex Nitzman; Steven Taylor; me

Approx. time period North terminus South terminus
1935-1944 West Memphis, AR Austin, TX
1944-1987 Russellville, KY (east) Austin, TX
1987-2007 Russellville, KY (east) Round Rock, TX
2007-present Russellville, KY (west) Round Rock, TX

US 79 wasn't among the original 1926 routes; it was commissioned in 1935. Originally its north end was near West Memphis AR. At the time, US 79 was routed north on what is now AR 147. It crossed US 70, and then ended just north of there, at US 64. This first photo is looking north on AR 147:

Taylor, Oct. 2004

This was the original north end of US 79; eastbound US 64 out of Crawfordsville came towards the camera, and then continued right towards Marion. But by 1940, the northernmost segment of US 79 was truncated, and the route ended about three miles behind the camera in the shot above. Below we're looking north on AR 147 at US 70:

Taylor, Oct. 2004

That was a short-lived endpoint of US 79; by the following year the route had been extended east, co-signed with US 70 to the Tennessee border:

Taylor, Oct. 2004

That's the view from what used to be eastbound US 70 (this bridge also used to carry US 61, 63, and 64). Steven explains that drivers had to negotiate this tricky S-curve approaching the bridge, the deck for which ran underneath the railroad bridge. For a few years, the US 79 designation ended just ahead, at the stateline over the Mississippi River. Tennessee didn't pick up the route until 1944, which is when it was extended through that state and into Kentucky...

...since then the north end of US 79 has been in Russellville KY (although the specific location of the terminus there was changed in 2007). The photo below was taken looking east on 9th Street, or Business US 68:

me, July 2007

That used to be mainline US 68, but when the Russellville bypass was completed in 1998, it was re-signed as a business loop. To the right was the north beginning of US 79. The sign assembly in the background is for traffic at the north end of US 79; it's shown close-up in the photo below:

me, July 2007

To the right is actually Business 68, but it meets mainline 68 about a half-mile in that direction. The photo below shows what used to be the begin US 79 sign for westbound Business 68:

me, July 2007

To the left on 9th was the north beginning of US 79. If you were to turn that way, the shot below shows what was once the first US 79 sign heading south...

me, July 2007

...but in 2007, the US 79 designation was truncated by about two miles. The photo below shows the signage two miles ahead (although it was taken before the truncation took place, there wouldn't really be any reason to change this particular assembly):

Elkins, June 2006

That's heading southwest on 9th (which is actually Clarksville Road at this point), or northbound US 431, which is directed to the north on the bypass here. Now US 79 begins straight ahead. Below we're looking the opposite direction (northeast on Clarksville):

me, July 2007

At the time of that photo, signage still reflected US 79's historic extent, which continued ahead for another two miles, but now the designation ends here. It's interesting that the bypass is signed as "Truck 79", because that route never rejoins mainline 79, and actually continues about three miles further than mainline US 79. That assembly has since been reworked:

Google Maps Street View, 2008

I believe that's an "End US 79", third from the left. However, straight ahead is signed as "Formerly US 79", as it is in several other places. To the left is still signed "Truck US 79", but there's no longer any reference to US 68. Below we're looking south on the bypass:

me, July 2007

That's southbound US 431, which continues to the left. US 79 used to go to the left as well, but now it begins to the right. If you turn that direction, the first confirming assembly looks like this:

me, July 2007

Today the south end of US 79 is at its interchange with I-35 in Round Rock TX. Let's start with the view from northbound I-35:

Taylor, Sep. 2000

Those signs have since been replaced with Clearview versions (you'll see that in a shot below). The US 79 off-ramp takes you to the frontage road shown below:

Taylor, Sep. 2000

The white car is turning onto eastbound Palm Valley Boulevard, and the south beginning of US 79. Soon, the driver will see the first sign on northbound 79, shown below:

Taylor, Sep. 2000

If one were to continue past that sign for a ways, and then make a u-turn, they'd see the last southbound US 79 sign, shown below:

Taylor, Sep. 2000

Continuing south from there (which is actually west), one passes Mayes Street,which used to handle US 81 traffic through town, but is now Business Loop I-35 (more on that below). About a quarter-mile further is the interchange with I-35. That's shown in the photo below, and it marks the southern end of US 79:

Taylor, Sep. 2000

The shot below is from southbound I-35:

Cozart/Nitzman, Oct. 2007

You can see the new Clearview panels there. As you exit to the frontage road, these are the signs at the beginning of US 79:

Taylor, Sep. 2000

The partially-obscured green sign indicates that the town of Taylor is 17 miles to the left.

Originally US 79 was co-signed with US 81 about 10 miles further south from Round Rock, ending in Austin. From 1935 to about 1955, US 79/81 was routed along what is now Loop 275 through Austin: south on Lamar Boulevard and Guadalupe Street, then east on 1st Street (which today is also known as Cesar Chavez Street). At Congress Avenue, US 81 crossed the Colorado River and continued south, but the US 79 designation ended at that point:

Google Maps Street View, 2008

That's looking east on Chavez - US 79 ended here, but US 81 continued to the right on Congress. The shot below is looking north on Congress:

Google Maps Street View, 2008

That was northbound US 81, which continued to the left on Chavez (called 1st back then). To the left was also the south beginning of US 79.

In about 1955, US 79/81/290 were re-routed along East Avenue - part of the "Interregional Highway" which would later become I-35. US 290 exited at 7th Street, joining TX hwy. 71 on a path through downtown. That's where the US 79 designation ended. The photo below shows this spot:

Taylor, Sep. 2000

We're looking west on 7th at I-35 (which was built over the alignment of East Av). Left from here was southbound US 81. Straight ahead was westbound US 290 and TX 71. Behind the camera was southeastbound TX 71. To the right was northbound US 79, northbound US 81, and eastbound US 290. That was the situation until sometime between 1979 and 1991 (depending which source you believe), when the US 79 designation was truncated back to Round Rock.