End of US highway 171 |
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As of 2020, US 171 measured 178 miles in length. Historically it was 182 miles long.
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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, US 171 originally connected with its "parent" route (US 71): |
c. 1936, Gousha
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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 illustrates this, US 171 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 taken looking southwest on Texas in downtown Shreveport:
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Karners, Apr. 2014
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Southbound US 71 was to the left on Market; northbound was to the right; and US 171 began straight ahead. This next photo (a detail from the one at the very top of this page) was taken from roughly the same perspective, but a block further ahead. It shows the confirming assembly for traffic turning off US 71, including the first southbound US 171 marker:
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c. 1962, Shreveport Times Collection, LSUS Noel Memorial Library
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(Note that was during the brief timeframe when Louisiana used white-on-green US route shields.) At the time, US 171 traffic was still following Mansfield (instead of veering off onto Hearne Avenue, as it does today). I suspect that change happened in about 1965, concurrent with the opening of I-20 through town, because of its interchange with Hearne. I also suspect that is when US 171's overlap with US 79-80 was eliminated by cutting 171 back to its current terminus at its junction with US 79-80. These photos were looking north on Hearne, at the intersection with Greenwood (US 79-80):
Morrison, Dec. 2001
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Karners, Apr. 2014
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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:
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Taylor, Mar. 2011
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So US 171 no longer connects to its parent route, US 71. But 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 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. Construction was completed in 1970, and in 1978 Louisiana sought AASHTO's approval to extend the US 171 northward along that road, but the proposal was denied (for unknown reasons). 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:
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Taylor, Mar. 2011
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This photo shows the sign at the bottom of westbound I-20's exit 16 to Hearne:
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).
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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:
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Taylor, Mar. 2011
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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:
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c. 1960, LADoTD
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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:
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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:
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Allen, 2000
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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): |
Karners, Dec. 2009
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Allen, 2000
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Drivers turning to the north from there are soon greeted with the first confirming assembly:
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Karners, Dec. 2009
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Research and/or photo credits: James Allen; Josh Bumgardner; Karin and Martin Karner; Andrew McDonald; Jeff Morrison; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa; Stephen Taylor; "Urban Prairie Schooner"
Page originally created 2000;
last updated Mar. 13, 2020.
last updated Mar. 13, 2020.
