 U.S. Route 181 | |
|---|---|
 US 181 highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Auxiliary route ofUS 81 | |
| Length | 136.76 mi[1] (220.09 km) |
| Existed | 1927[1]–present |
| Major junctions | |
| South end |   I-37 /SH 35 atCorpus Christi |
| Major intersections | |
| North end | I-37 nearSan Antonio |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Counties | Nueces,San Patricio,Bee,Karnes,Wilson,Bexar |
| Highway system | |
U.S. Highway 181 is a south–northU.S. Highway located entirely in the state ofTexas. Both termini are atInterstate 37, the road that it mainly parallels to the east. US 181 begins inCorpus Christi, Texas at mile marker 0[citation needed] to the south, through south-central Texas to just south ofSan Antonio to the north (mile marker 131), for a total length of 137 miles (220 km).[1]
The highway's northern terminus is at an intersection with Interstate 37 one mile (1.6 km) south of San Antonio'sInterstate 410 loop, about 12 miles (19 km) northwest ofFloresville. Prior to the Interstate era, US 181 traveled intoDowntown San Antonio along Presa St. to an intersection with its parent route,US 81, which then ran along Alamo St.
Its southern terminus is inCorpus Christi, Texas atInterstate 37 near theGulf of Mexico. I-37 and US 181 have mutual termini, such that traffic traveling southbound on I-37 will automatically merge onto northbound US 181, and vice versa.
Proceeding northbound, US 181 runs through the following Texas counties: Nueces, San Patricio, Bee, Karnes, Wilson, and Bexar. At its southern terminus with Interstate 37 in Corpus Christi, TX, US 181 traverses as a freeway in the northeast direction across Harbor Bridge and the Nueces Bay Causeway, before entering Portland, TX. Past the Nueces Bay Causeway through Portland, US 181 shares a duplex with Texas State Highway 35.
Immediately after Portland is Gregory, where US 181 and TX 35 splits, and the freeway portion of US 181 ends. SH 35 proceeds eastbound to Aransas Pass and Rockport while US 181 proceeds northwest towards Taft and Sinton. US 181 shares a duplex with SH 188 and US 77 Business in Sinton, and makes a right turn at San Patricio Street, proceeding northbound.
North of Sinton, US 181 passes through the towns of St. Paul, Papalote, and Skidmore, before reaching Beeville. US 181 business runs through downtown Beeville while drivers passing by can use the US 181 freeway bypass on the east side of town. In Beeville, US 181 intersects withUS 59 (FutureI-69W) (northbound to Victoria/Houston & southbound to Laredo).
North of Beeville US 181 passes through a number of unincorporated towns including Normanna, Pettus, and Tuleta before reaching Kenedy. US 181 business serves downtown while US 181 runs on the west side of town. Immediately north of Kenedy is Karnes City, where US 181 business runs parallel again east of US 181 through Karnes City.
North of Karnes City US 181 passes through Hobson (unincorporated), followed by Falls City, Poth, and Floresville. US 181 business runs west of US 181 through downtown Floresville.
North of Floresville US 181 passes through the town limits of Elmendorf before intersection with State Loop 1604 (Anderson Loop, surrounding San Antonio), and ends 8 miles north at its northern terminus at I-37, just south of I-37 and I-410 on San Antonio's far south side.
US 181 is one of the original routes accepted byAASHO (now-AASHTO) in November 1926. Its original northern terminus was at a junction with its parent,US 81, andUS 90 inDowntown San Antonio. By 1968, the portion between Downtown andLoop 13 had been removed from the state highway system.[1] The completion ofI-37 in San Antonio during the 1970s resulted in the truncation of US 181 to its interchange with that freeway, although the AASHTO route log in 1989 stated that US 181 extended northward along I-37 to a common northern terminus atI-35/US 281. The segment north of this point along Presa Street was transferred toSpur 122.[2]
In 2003, TXDOT began planning to replace the existingCorpus Christi Harbor Bridge due to maintenance and safety issues as well as to provide long term access to the Port of Corpus Christi to larger ship vessels (includingPanamax). Construction has begun to replace the bridge with theNew Harbor Bridge, which will be acable-stayed bridge compared to the currentthrough arch bridge. The alignment of the new bridge. which is west of the old bridge, would begin at the northern terminus ofSH 286 (exit 1C onI-37) and cross theCorpus Christi Ship Channel before merging with the current US 181 alignment. Once completed, the Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge will be demolished, and US 181 will be rerouted onto the new bridge.[3] Groundbreaking on construction took place on August 8, 2016 and was scheduled to be completed by the spring of 2020, but was extensively delayed due to engineering and design issues, and is tentatively planned to be completed in 2025.[4][5]
| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nueces | Corpus Christi |     I-37 toSH 286 / Shoreline Boulevard / Broadway Street /Spur 544 –Bayfront,Corpus Christi Museum,Airport,San Antonio,Chapman Ranch,Robstown | south end of freeway; south end ofSH 35 concurrency | ||
| Tancahua Street / Staples Street | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||||
| Port Area | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||||
| Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge overCorpus Christi Channel | |||||
| Burleson Street -Corpus Christi Beach | |||||
| Beach Avenue -Corpus Christi Beach | |||||
| Nueces Bay | Nueces Bay Causeway | ||||
| San Patricio | Portland | Indian Point Park | |||
| Frontage Road | southbound access only | ||||
 FM 893 (Moore Avenue) –Taft | no direct southbound exit (signed at FM 2986) | ||||
 FM 2986 (Wildcat Drive) –Sinton | |||||
| Lang Road | southbound exit only | ||||
 FM 3239 (Buddy Ganem Drive) to Northshore Boulevard /FM 2986 | |||||
| | La Quinta Terminal | northbound access only | |||
| Gregory |    SH 35 north toSH 361 south –Aransas Pass,Rockport,Houston,Port Aransas | Interchange; northbound exit and southbound entrance; north end of SH 35 concurrency | |||
| Childress Street / Sunset Road | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||||
| | ToSH 361 south /SH 35 north (viaSpur 202 /FM 2986) –Ingleside,Port Aransas,Aransas Pass,Houston | Interchange; north end of freeway | |||
| Taft |   FM 631 east | South end of FM 631 concurrency | |||
 FM 631 west (Davis Road) –Odem | South end of FM 631 concurrency | ||||
| |  FM 1074 south | ||||
| Sinton |       SH 89 north /SH 188 east toFuture I-69E /US 77 –Rockport,Refugio,Beeville | Interchange; south end of SH 188 concurrency | |||
 FM 2046 south (Sodville Avenue) | |||||
 Bus. US 77 north (Vineyard Avenue) –Calallen,Corpus Christi | South end of US 77 Bus. concurrency | ||||
| Bus. US 77 south (San Patricio Street) /SH 188 west (Sinton Street) –Mathis,Victoria | North end of US 77 Bus. and SH 188 concurrencies | ||||
| Future I-69E /US 77 –Corpus Christi,Calallen,Victoria,Refugio | interchange; U.S. 77 is the future Interstate 69E | ||||
| SH 89 south –Refugio,Rockport,Gregory | interchange | ||||
| St. Paul |  FM 3089 west | ||||
| Bee | Skidmore |  SH 359 west toI-37 –Mathis,Alice,Lake Corpus Christi State Recreational Area | |||
 FM 797 west (Main Street) | |||||
| |  Bus. US 181 north –Kenedy | interchange; south end of freeway | |||
| | Emily Drive south | northbound exit only | |||
| |  SH 202 –Refugio,George West | ||||
| Beeville |   Future I-69W /US 59 –Laredo,George West,Victoria,Goliad | U.S. 59 is the future Interstate 69W | |||
| |  FM 351 south –George West,Sinton | ||||
| |  FM 3355 (Charco Road) | interchange; north end of freeway | |||
| | Bus. US 181 south –Sinton | ||||
| Tuleta |   FM 1465 west toFM 623 –Mineral | ||||
| Pettus | FM 623 –Mineral | ||||
| Tulsita |  FM 798 west –Pawnee | ||||
| Karnes | |   FM 743 north toFM 623 west /FM 1348 west –Kenedy,Pettus | |||
| Green |  FM 2509 north –Kenedy | ||||
| |  FM 632 east (Allen B. Polunsky Drive) –TDCJ Connally Unit | ||||
| | Bus. US 181 north toFM 2509 –Karnes City,Pettus | ||||
| Kenedy |    FM 1145 /SH 72 Truck east – truck route toSH 239 east /FM 792,Three Rivers,Goliad,Cuero | south end of SH 72 Truck overlap | |||
 SH 72 /SH 239 east –Three Rivers,Goliad,Cuero | north end of SH 72 Truck overlap | ||||
  FM 719 east toFM 792 –Helena | |||||
| Bus. US 181 south –Pettus | |||||
| Karnes City |   SH 80 north /SH 123 north (US 181 Bus. north) –Seguin,Floresville,San Marcos,Luling | ||||
 FM 1353 | |||||
 FM 99 –Coy City,Peggy,Whitsett | |||||
 Bus. US 181 south /FM 1144 west –Floresville,Peggy | |||||
| Hobson |  FM 81 east –Panna Maria,Runge | South end of FM 81 concurrency | |||
| FM 81 west | North end of FM 81 concurrency | ||||
| Falls City |  FM 791 west (West Maverick Street) –Campbellton | ||||
 FM 887 west toFM 791 –Campbellton | South end of FM 887 concurrency | ||||
| FM 887 east –Pawelekville,Gillett | North end of FM 887 concurrency | ||||
| Wilson | Poth |  FM 541 toI-37 –McCoy,Kosciusko | |||
  FM 427 north toFM 537 –Stockdale | |||||
| | FM 537 east –Stockdale | ||||
| |  Loop 181 north (Sgt. Hugo Lange Loop) –Floresville Business District,Pleasanton,San Antonio | ||||
| Floresville |   SH 97 west (Hospital Boulevard) toUS 281 –Pleasanton,Jourdanton | South end of SH 97 concurrency | |||
 SH 97 east /FM 536 west (Standish Street) toUS 281 –Stockdale,Espey | North end of SH 97 concurrency | ||||
| | Loop 181 south (Sgt. Hugo Lange Loop) –Floresville Business District,Pleasanton,Karnes City | ||||
| Calaveras |  FM 775 –La Vernia | ||||
| Bexar | |  Loop 1604 (Anderson Loop) –Elmendorf,Converse | interchange | ||
| | CPS EnergyCalaveras Power Station | interchange | |||
| San Antonio |  Spur 122 north (South Presa Street) | ||||
 I-37 north –San Antonio | I-37 exit 132 | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
US 181 hasbusiness routes inBeeville,Kenedy, andKarnes City. The routes are previous alignments of US 181 through these cities, and were previously designated in the state highway system with other route numbers. The designations were changed to Business US 181 by TxDOT in 1991. Ade facto fourth route, along a former alignment throughFloresville, is designated Loop 181.
Business US 181 in Beeville travels through central Beeville while mainline US 181 uses a freeway bypass to the east of the city. It is officially designated by TxDOT asBusiness US 181-J, and was designated asLoop 516 on May 31, 1973 (which was signed as a business route of US 181), but was changed to Business US 181-J on June 21, 1990.[6][7]
Business US 181 in Kenedy travels through central Kenedy while mainline US 181 passes to the west of the city. It is officially inventoried by TxDOT as two separate routes, with a discontinuity atSH 72.
Although not officially concurrent with SH 72, the signage in the area directs traffic from one segment to the other, effectively completing the loop.
Business US 181 in Karnes City travels northward and then westward through central Karnes City while mainline US 181 skirts the southwestern edge of the city. It is officially inventoried by TxDOT as two separate routes, which connect at the intersection withSH 80 /SH 123 in the east side of the city.
US 181's former alignment in Floresville is inventoried asLoop 181 by TxDOT.[16] The route was designated on October 15, 1946 when US 181 was realigned to the east. The route begins north of the city limits; within the city, it has a brief concurrency withFM 536 and intersectsSH 97 before rejoining US 181 in the southeastern section of the city.[17]
