End of US highway 81 |
1926-1991
|
1991-present
|
Mileage: as of 2020, US 81 measures 1222.6 miles in total distance. Want historic mileages? Our handy reference book includes the mileages that were published in all 13 of AASHO/AASHTO's historic route logs (spanning the years 1927 to 1989).
|
That was a brand-new sign at the time, and all the signs for that exit on southbound I-35 consistently showed the US shield at the time (however, northbound signs use the Texas highway marker, which is the correct designation for that road). Sometimes the entity replacing the highway signs (whether that is the DOT or a contractor) will first do an existing-sign inventory, and then just replace them verbatim -- without giving any thought to whether or not the old signs were correct. At any rate, all mistake US 81 signage in Texas had been fixed by 2006.
Today US 81 exists only north of its junction with I-35W (exit 60, in north Fort Worth). Here are shots of the signage at the south beginning from northbound I-35W/US 287 (both from the free lanes and the express lanes)...
|
Incidentally, the US 287 designation does not end there, but rather continues ahead with I-35W for a few miles before exiting again.
Research and/or photo credits: Robert Brooks; Brent Ivy; Jeff Morrison; Steven Nelson; Alex Nitzman; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa; Ed Wilson
Page originally created 2002;
last updated Apr. 16, 2025.
last updated Apr. 16, 2025.