1926-present
  • North: Shreveport, LA
  • South: Lake Charles, LA
US 171 has been around since the beginning in 1926.  Although it has always run between Shreveport and Lake Charles, the specific endpoints in both cities have changed over the years.  
​In Shreveport, originally, it is likely that US 171 connected with its "parent" route (US 71):
Picture
c. 1936, Gousha
At the bottom of that map, US 171 was shown coming into the city via Mansfield Road.  Although I have yet to see a map that confirms this, US 171 likely overlapped with US 79-80 along Texas Avenue, then Texas Street past the courthouse, ending at Market Street, where it junctioned US 71.  This photo was looking southwest on Texas in downtown Shreveport:
Picture
Karners, Apr. 2014
Southbound US 71 was to the left on Market; northbound was to the right; and US 171 began straight ahead.  In about 1945, US 171's overlap with US 79-80 was eliminated by cutting 171 back to its junction with US 79-80.  At the time, US 171 traffic was still following Mansfield Road (instead of veering off onto Hearne Avenue, as it does today).  This shot was looking southwest on US 79-80, which continue to the right on Greenwood Road:
Picture
Karners, Apr. 2014
The north beginning of US 171 was to the left on Mansfield until around 1958 -- that was when US 171 traffic was redirected to follow its current corridor along Hearne.  These photos were looking north on Hearne, at the intersection with Greenwood (US 79-80):
Picture
Morrison, Dec. 2001
Picture
Karners, Apr. 2014
​Although there was no sign to indicate it, the US 171 designation ends there.  The assembly visible at far left is shown close-up here:
Picture
Taylor, Mar. 2011
There is no apparent reason why the US 171 designation does not continue straight ahead on Hearne, along what is now LA 3094, to the intersection with Market (US 71), in order to connect with its parent.  In fact, in 2012 an LADoTD official explained that LA 3094 in Shreveport was the temporary route number assigned to the staged construction of the US 171 extension to US 71 in north Shreveport.  However, when construction was completed in 1970, the temporary route number was not changed to US 171.  At last report, that entire northbound stretch of 3094 was signed as "TO US 71", and the southbound stretch had "TO US 171" shields.  Heading the opposite direction, this shot shows the first southbound US 171 sign on Hearne:
Picture
Taylor, Mar. 2011
This photo shows the sign at the bottom of westbound I-20's exit 16 to Hearne:
Picture
Morrison, Dec. 2001
Note that US 171 is signed only to the south on Hearne.  But actually it also goes north (right) for another quarter-mile to its terminus at Greenwood (US 79-80). 
The south end of US 171 has always been in Lake Charles; this photo was looking south on Gerstner Memorial Drive (or MLK Highway) at Fruge Street:
Picture
Taylor, Mar. 2011
Today US 171 ends there, at its junction with US 90, while ahead the designation becomes LA hwy. 14.  But US 90 traffic has been directed to use Fruge Street only since about 1965:
Picture
c. 1960, LADoTD
US 90 originally ran along Broad Street (and on the left edge of the map, note the label for "Old US 90", which ran along Shell Beach Drive and "Front Street", which is now vacated, essentially replaced by today's Lakeshore Drive).  So historically US 171 continued about a half-mile further south from Fruge.  This interactive image shows that perspective: 
That is the historic south end of US 171 at Broad (which today is marked as Business 90).  Heading the opposite direction (north on Gerstner), this view shows the current south beginning of US 171 at Fruge:
Picture
Allen, 2000
Drivers at that point are on LA hwy. 14, but the road ahead becomes US 171.  

These shots were taken looking east and west on Fruge (respectively):
Picture
Karners, Dec. 2009
Picture
Allen, 2000
Drivers turning to the north from there are soon greeted with the first confirming assembly:
Picture
Karners, Dec. 2009
Research and/or photo credits: James Allen; Karin and Martin Karner; Andrew McDonald; Jeff Morrison; Dale Sanderson; Stephen Taylor; "Urban Prairie Schooner"
Page originally created 2000;
last updated Dec. 2, 2016.