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100 years of US routes: 1926-2026
Endpoints of
1926-present
North: San Antonio, TX
South: Corpus Christi, TX
Mileage: in 1989 AASHTO listed a figure of 149 miles for US 181... however, they seemed to think the route ended north of downtown San Antonio, but I have not seen any evidence that was ever the case. As far as I know, US 181 never went any farther north than the Plaza, and at that time it was about 146 miles long. But by 1989 it had long since been truncated to the south edge of the city, and our own 2020 measurement yielded 135.9 miles. 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).
San Antonio
Historically, before I-37 was built, US 181 extended a few miles further northwest from its current terminus on the outskirts of San Antonio. Today, heading northbound just before its terminus, travelers come to this junction:
Google Maps Street View, 2009
Spur 122 to the right is the original alignment of US 181 along Presa Street and into downtown. Today the north end of US 181 is straight ahead, at its junction with I-37 (just outside the I-410 loop). This photo shows the last northbound marker:
Sanderson, Mar. 2012
It seems a little odd to have a trailblazer there, since that is the merge point with I-37. These photos were taken looking south on I-37:
Wiley, 2000
Sanderson, Mar. 2012 (unchanged as of 2019)
That exit marks the north beginning of US 181 -- traffic exits to the right and then crosses the freeway via the overpass visible in the distance. Drivers taking that exit will see some of the first southbound confirming markers:
Karners, Jan. 2015
Sanderson, Mar. 2012
Corpus Christi
The south end of US 181 is in Corpus Christi... also at its junction with I-37. Shown here is the last southbound trailblazer:
Karners, Jan. 2015
That was posted after the on-ramp from Burleson Street. Just ahead is the elevated portion that aligns with the Harbor Bridge, which carries traffic over the Corpus Christi Industrial Channel and into the downtown area. There, US 181 does not have an obvious endpoint, as the highway simply curves a bit and transitions into I-37. However, this sign bridge shows one's options at the south terminus:
Trinkle, Jul. 2005
Drivers can take the left exit, or the right exit, or else commit to heading north on I-37.
This shot was taken at essentially the south end of I-37, and it shows the ramp that marks the south beginning of US 181:
Trinkle, Jul. 2005
That is Corpus Christi Bay straight ahead. About 15 miles in that direction is Mustang Island, which separates Corpus Bay from the Gulf of Mexico.
Heading west from the Bayfront, this sign bridge references the south beginnings of both US 181 and I-37:
Brooks, Jul. 2010
Likewise, heading north on Carancahua Street, signage indicates the south terminus of both routes:
Karners, Jan. 2015
To the left is an overpass that leads to a frontage road for I-37. To the right, Carancahua becomes an on-ramp for US 181. Drivers heading that direction will see the first confirming marker in the form of a BGS...
Brooks, Jul. 2010
...but just beyond that sign bridge is also the first standalone trailblazer:
Karners, Jan. 2015
Before all these freeways and the Harbor Bridge were built, US 181 ended at a different location; more info and photos on the Corpus Christi page.
Research and/or image credits: Robert Brooks; Karin and Martin Karner; JP Nasiatka; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa; Stephen Taylor; Kevin Trinkle; Mike Wiley
Page originally created 2000;last updated Aug. 04, 2025.
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