U.S. Route 96

U.S. Highway 96 (US 96) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs for about 117.11 miles (188.47 km) entirely in the U.S state of Texas. Its number is a violation of the standard numbering convention, as even-numbered two-digit highways are east–west routes by rule. As of 2004, the highway's southern terminus (as well as those of US 287 and US 69) is in Port Arthur at an intersection with State Highway 87 (SH 87). Its northern terminus is in Tenaha at an intersection with US 59 (Future I-69)/(Future I-369) and US 84 (Future I-69).

Route description

US 96 begins at SH 87 in Port Arthur, at a southern terminus it also shares with US 69 and US 287. The three highways head in a northwest direction toward Beaumont. In Beaumont, the three highways briefly merge with Interstate 10 (I-10), but then split from that freeway continuing northwest. In Lumberton, US 96 separates from US 287 and US 69, and heads northeast towards Silsbee. In Silsbee, US 96 splits with US 96F, a special route of US 96 that serves downtown Silsbee, while being routed on a bypass freeway. After Silsbee, US 96 heads northeast to Buna, then north to Kirbyville and Jasper. After Jasper. US 96 comes near the Sam Rayburn Reservoir near Pineland. US 96 eventually comes to its northern terminus near Tenaha at a junction with US 59 (Future I-69)/(Future I-369) and US 84 (Future I-69).

History

When commissioned in 1927, US 96 was routed from Rosenberg via Wharton, Victoria, Beeville, Skidmore, Alice, Falfurrias, and San Juan to Brownsville.

In 1933, the present route of US 96 was originally proposed to be part of US 71. Under this plan, discussed at a meeting of the United States Good Roads Association in Beaumont, US 71 was to be diverted out of Louisiana altogether and instead re-routed from the Texarkana area southward through East Texas.

In 1935, US 96 was rerouted to Laredo instead of Brownsville. 03/01/1935 - Beginning at Rosenburg, Wharton, Victoria, Beeville, Skidmore, Mathis, Alice, Laredo. This is the current route of US 59.

In 1935, US 59 was initially routed from Teneha to Port Arthur following the basic route of the current US 96. US 96 began in Rosenburg (Near Houston) and roughly followed the current route of US 59 to Alice then on to Brownsville and later was rerouted to Laredo.

Minute Order 016701, dated 09/26/1939 radically re-aligned US 96 to travel a route formerly used by US 59: From Tenaha via Center, San Augustine, Jasper, Buna, Voth, and Beaumont to Port Arthur (Shelby, San Augustine, Sabine, Jasper, Hardin, and Jefferson Counties). This renumbered US 59 and 96 beginning in Teneha to roughly their current paths. SH 35 from Teneha to Houston had become US 59. The entirety of the pre-1939 US 96 had been changed to US 59 and US 59 South of Teneha had been renumbered to US 96.

Future

As part of the I-14 System in Texas project, US 96 between Jasper and Beaumont is proposed to be upgraded to interstate standards. The interstate segment would begin at either US 190/SH 63 (Future I-14) and head southward before terminating at I-10.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Jefferson	Port Arthur	0.0	0.0	SH 87 (Gulfway Drive)	Southern end of US 69 / US 287 concurrency
1.9	3.1	SH 73 – Winnie, Groves	Interchange; south end of freeway
2.8	4.5	60th Street / Jimmy Johnson Boulevard	Access to The Medical Center of Southeast Texas
Port Arthur–Nederland line	4.8	7.7	FM 365 – Port Neches, Fannett
5.8	9.3	Nederland Avenue
Nederland	6.6	10.6	Access to Jack Brooks Regional Airport
7.4	11.9	Beauxart Garden Road / Spurlock Road
Central Gardens	8.9	14.3	FM 3514
11.4	18.3	Jefferson County Prison Complex	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Beaumont	10.8	17.4	SH 347 – Nederland	no southbound entrance
12.4	20.0	Spur 380 (M.L. King Parkway)
13.8	22.2	Spur 93 (Avenue A) / Highland Avenue
14.7	23.7	Spur 93 (Avenue A) / Florida Avenue / Erie Street
15.6	25.1	4th Street
16.6	26.7	SH 124 (Fannett Road)
17.6	28.3	I-10 west – Houston	south end of I-10 overlap; US 96 south follows exit 849
17.8	28.6	Washington Boulevard	I-10 exit 850
18.8	30.3	US 90 – Liberty	I-10 exit 851, Access to Memorial Hermann Baptist Beaumont Hospital
20.2	32.5	Laurel Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; I-10 exit 852A
19.2	30.9	Calder Avenue / Harrison Avenue	I-10 exit 852B; no direct southbound exit (signed at Delaware Street)
20.4	32.8	I-10 east – Lake Charles	north end of I-10 overlap; US 96 north follows exit 853A
21.5	34.6	Delaware Street
21.9	35.2	11th Street	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
21.7	34.9	Lucas Drive
22.9	36.9	Dowlen Road
23.7	38.1	SH 105 – Sour Lake, Conroe
25.2	40.6	Chinn Lane	No southbound exit
25.6	41.2	Old Voth Road / RFD Road	No northbound exit
27.1	43.6	Tram Road
Hardin	Rose Hill Acres	28.1	45.2	Cooks Lake Road
29.0	46.7	Keith Road
30.2	48.6	FM 3513 / Mitchell Road	No direct southbound exit (signed at Keith Road)
Lumberton	30.8	49.6	US 69 / US 287 – Kountze, Lufkin	Interchange; north end of freeway; north end of US 69 / US 287 overlap
32.3	52.0	FM 421 west (Country Lane Drive)
Silsbee	36.7	59.1	Bus. US 96 north – Silsbee	Interchange; no northbound entrance
40.0	64.4	SH 327 – Silsbee	Interchange
41.4	66.6	Bus. US 96 south – Silsbee	Interchange
Jasper	Evadale	45.2	72.7	FM 105 / FM 2246 – Evadale, Vidor	Interchange
Buna	52.9	85.1	Bus. US 96 north
54.2	87.2	SH 62 south / FM 1004 north to Bus. US 96
Call Junction	65.1	104.8	FM 1004 south – Buna	south end of FM 1004 overlap
65.4	105.3	FM 1004 north – Trout Creek	north end of FM 1004 overlap
Kirbyville	68.7	110.6	FM 82 to FM 1013 – Airport, Trout Creek
70.0	112.7	FM 1013 (Main Street) – Spurger, Call, Trout Creek
70.8	113.9	FM 363 east to SH 87 – Bon Wier, Bleakwood
	78.4	126.2	FM 2245 east – Roganville
	83.0	133.6	FM 1005 south – Magnolia Springs
Jasper	88.6	142.6	US 190 / SH 63 – Woodville, Newton, Airport, Martin Dies Jr. State Park
89.3	143.7	FM 2799 west (East Houston Street)
89.5	144.0	FM 776 east (Milam Street)
90.4	145.5	FM 2800 west (Martin L. King Jr. Boulevard)
	98.8	159.0	RE 255 – Sam Rayburn Dam, Toledo Bend Dam
Browndell			FM 1007 to RE 255 – Browndell
		Loop 149 north – Brookeland, Mill Creek Park
Sabine	Brookeland			Loop 149 south – Browndell, Mill Creek Park
			FM 201 east
			Spur 414 south – Sam Rayburn Reservoir
Pineland			FM 1 north to FM 83 – Bronson, Hemphill
		FM 83 – Broaddus, Hemphill
Bronson			FM 2866 south
		SH 184 east – Hemphill, Patricia Huffman Smith NASA Museum
San Augustine				SH 103 – Lufkin, Milam, Many	Interchange
			FM 1751 south – Sam Rayburn Reservoir
			FM 2213 north – San Augustine
San Augustine			SH 147 – Broaddus, Zavalla, Shelbyville, El Camino Real Tourist Center (Mission Dolores)
		FM 1277 south – Broaddus
		SH 21 to SH 103 – Nacogdoches, Milam, Many
		FM 711 north
			FM 3451 east
			FM 1279 east – Bland Lake
Shelby				FM 2140 north – Neuville
			FM 417 east – Shelbyville, Neuville
Center			Loop 500 to SH 7 / SH 87 south – Nacogdoches, Shelbyville, Hemphill
		SH 7 (Nacogdoches Street / San Augustine Street) / SH 87 south – Nacogdoches, Hemphill, Logansport
		FM 138 west – Arcadia, Garrison
		SH 87 north (Moffett Drive / Tenaha Street) – Timpson
		FM 2026 west – Timpson
		Loop 500 to SH 7 / SH 87 south – Logansport, Shelbyville, Hemphill
Tenaha			Loop 157 north – Tenaha
		Future I-369 north / Future I-69 / US 59 / US 84 – Carthage, Nacogdoches, Joaquin	Interchange, I-69 will follow US 59 South to Houston, and US 84 east to Mansfield. I-369 will follow US 59 north to Texarkana. Interchange is open for US 59/US 84 traffic.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminusIncomplete accessUnopened

Business routes

Buna business highway

Business U.S. Highway 96-E (US 96 Bus.) is a 1.3-mile-long (2.1 km) spur of US 96 in the Jasper County census designated place of Buna. The highway was designated on September 25, 1939 as Texas State Highway Loop 68, going from US 59 through Buna to US 59. On January 18, 1955, Loop 68 became Texas State Highway Spur 68, and the route was moved to the current route. On June 21, 1990, the designation was changed to Business US 96-E, and a concurrency with SH 62 was added. It begins southwest of the community at US 96 and travels northeast paralleling a railroad. Except for one small industry, the highway travels past residential areas before it ends at SH 62 in the center of Buna. A left turn onto SH 62 can be made to access US 96 again.

Silsbee business highway

Business U.S. Highway 96-F (US 96 Bus.) is a five-mile-long (8.0 km) business loop of US 96 serving the Hardin County city of Silsbee. The highway begins at an interchange with US 96 south of the city and travels north to the city limits as a four-lane undivided road. Upon reaching the Silsbee city limits, the name of the road also becomes 5th Street. In the center of the city, US 96 Bus. reaches Avenue N which carries SH 327. At Avenue G, US 96 Bus. turns right while FM 92 continues north through the city. FM 418's eastern terminus occurs at a stop-controlled T intersection east of the city center. At the highway's northern intersection with US 96, US 96 Bus. briefly runs on two frontage roads on either side of US 96 before it terminates at right-in/right-out intersections with the divided US 96.

The route was originally designated on Texas State Highway Loop 498 on November 30, 1978. The route was changed to Business US 96-F on June 21, 1990.

The number was originally used for Texas State Highway Spur 498, designated on April 29, 1971 from SH 146 to Spur 501 in LaPorte via Wharton Weems Blvd. This was cancelled on July 28, 1977 and mileage was transferred to rerouted Loop 410 (not to be confused with I-410), whose alignment on Fairmont Parkway was cancelled and given to the city of LaPorte. Loop 410 was marked as Business SH 146, and became Business SH 146-D on June 21, 1990. Note that the sections of Business SH 146-D on Broadway Street and Main Street were cancelled on March 26, 2009 and given to the city of LaPorte.

External links

Media related to U.S. Route 96 at Wikimedia Commons