 U.S. Route 281 | |
|---|---|
 US 281 highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Auxiliary route ofUS 81 | |
| Length | 1,875 mi[1] (3,018 km) |
| Existed | 1931[2]–present |
| Major junctions | |
| South end | |
| Major intersections | |
| North end |   ND 3 /PTH 10 at the U.S.–Canada border nearDunseith, ND |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| States | Texas,Oklahoma,Kansas,Nebraska,South Dakota,North Dakota |
| Highway system | |
U.S. Route 281 (US 281) is a north–southUnited States Numbered Highway. At 1,875 miles (3,018 km)[3] it is the longest continuous three-digit U.S. Route.
The highway's northern terminus is at theInternational Peace Garden, north ofDunseith, North Dakota, at theCanadian border, where it continues asHighway 10. The route between Dunseith and the border is shared withNorth Dakota Highway 3. US 281 has two southern termini. The western terminus, known as International Blvd. inHidalgo, begins from the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge. The southern eastern terminus of US 281 is inBrownsville, Texas, just short of theMexican border ending on Bus. 77. The two spurs come together at South Cage Blvd inLas Milpas, Texas going north intoPharr, Texas. Thus, US 281 is the only continuous three-digit US route to extend from the Canadian border to the Mexican border.
The originalMilitary Telegraph Road was incorporated into the US-281 route.[4]
US 281 is a "child" ofUS 81. As a result of decommissioning portions of the parent route that have been superseded by concurrent Interstate Highways, the length of US 281 is 672 miles (1,081 km) greater than that of its parent. US 281 no longer connects to its "parent", US 81.
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US 281, beginning at the west, or the lower Rio Grande Valley, at an intersection with Business US 77 andSH 48 about two miles (3.2 km) from the Mexico border.[5] It travels along close to the border through the Rio Grande Valley. At the east, or Upper Rio Grande Valley, turning north fromHidalgo, travelling through Las Milpas, Pharr, Edinburg, and many small towns while also having a Border Patrol checkpoint in Brooks County south of Falfurrias, Texas. It is alternating as a divided highway and main street, until joiningI-37. It splits with I-37 and travels throughPleasanton as Business 281, travelling north toSan Antonio. In San Antonio, US 281 overlapsI-410 on the south side of the city until the interchange with I-37. US 281 and I-37 then overlap north into downtown San Antonio until I-37 ends atI-35. US 281 continues north from downtown San Antonio as a freeway, intersecting I-410 again on the north side of the city, with access to theSan Antonio International Airport. A project to construct a stack interchange at I-410 (the "San Antonio Web"[6]) was completed June 9, 2008;[7] formerly there was no direct access between the two freeways and surface streets were required travel between the freeways. North of San Antonio, US 281 is not a freeway and forms theMain Street ofBlanco. It overlapsUS 290 south ofJohnson City. US 290 continues toward Austin, so US 281 and US 290 between San Antonio and Austin are available as a scenic and less congested alternate to I-35.
North of San Antonio, US 281 continues through central andnorth-central Texas, passing through many towns, includingStephenville,Mineral Wells andJacksboro before reachingWichita Falls, where the highway begins a concurrency withI-44 north across theRed River intoOklahoma.
US 281 enters the state of Oklahoma at the Red River bridge north ofBurkburnett, Texas on a route concurrent withI-44 starting inWichita Falls. About six miles (9.7 km) north of the Red River, US 281 leaves I-44 atRandlett and follows a two-lane roadway parallel to the newer I-44, which becomes the Wichita Falls–Lawton section of theH.E. Bailey Turnpike, from Randlett to a point six miles (9.7 km) south ofLawton.
Through the Lawton/Fort Sill metropolitan area, US 281 again overlaps a toll-free section of I-44, while the former US 281 alignment through the city of Lawton is designated as Business US 281 between I-44 exits 34 and 39B. About eight miles (13 km) north of downtown Lawton, US 281 departs from I-44 to continue north through the cities of Apache,Anadarko, Gracemont, Binger and Hinton. About two miles (3.2 km) north of its junction with I-40 near Hinton, US 281 crosses a 1930s-vintage 38-span steel pony truss bridge over the South Canadian River that served traffic of the former east–westUS 66 before that highway was superseded by I-40 in the 1960s. A four-mile (6.4 km) section of US 281's paving from north of I-40 to a point south of Geary is the original 18-foot (5.5 m) concrete surface of US 66.
Through central and northern Oklahoma, US 281 then proceeds through the cities of Geary, Watonga, Seiling, Waynoka and Alva. The highway crosses the Kansas state line about 14 miles (23 km) north of Alva at Hardtner, Kansas.
Passing largely through sparsely populated areas of central Kansas, US 281 enters the state atHardtner inBarber County and passes throughMedicine Lodge,Pratt,St. John andGreat Bend, the only city along the route in Kansas which has more than 7,000 people. Along its venture through southern Kansas, US 281 intersects several major east–west routes: firstUS 54 andUS 400, which heads east toWichita and west toDodge City,Garden City andLiberal;US 50, which veers east toHutchinson and west to Garden City; andUS 56, heading to Dodge City westbound and Overland Park eastbound.
Following a four-mile (6 km) concurrency withK-4 nearHoisington, the highway intersectsI-70 atRussell before joiningK-18 nearParadise for an eight-mile (13 km) concurrency.
The two highways split atLuray, and US 281 turns north intoOsborne County, passing through the town ofOsborne before joiningUS 24 andK-9 for another concurrency. US 281 joinsUS 36 atSmith Center, turning east before the two highways split; US 281 turns north for its final stretch in the state, passing throughLebanon. All sections of US 281 in Kansas are two-lane. The last stretches of the highway overlaid with bricks, through downtown Pratt and Hoisington, were recently resurfaced with concrete.
US 281 enters Nebraska south ofRed Cloud and meetsUS 136 there. It continues north toHastings and meetsUS 6 andUS 34. Between Hastings andGrand Island, US 281 overlaps US 34 and is designated as theTom Osborne Expressway after the former Nebraska Cornhuskers football coach and U.S. Representative, who is a native of Hastings.
At Grand Island, US 281 intersectsI-80, loses US 34 and intersectsUS 30. US 281 continues north of Grand Island toSt. Libory as American Legion Memorial Highway. From there northward, US 281 is a two-lane undivided highway passing mostly through unpopulated areas, with the exception of the regional trade centerO'Neill, where it junctionsUS 20 andUS 275. US 281 exits the state north ofSpencer.
US 281 enters South Dakota inGregory County. Just north of the South Dakota-Nebraska border, it is cosigned with US 18. It crosses theMissouri River atFort Randall Dam. Just south ofArmour, US 18 leaves the US 281 alignment. North of Armour, US 281 makes a short jaunt west onSouth Dakota Highway 44, then continues north. US 281 andI-90 intersect atPlankinton. On both sides ofWolsey, US 14 is cosigned with US 281 for a stretch of seven miles (11 km) - from 3 miles south of Wolsey to 4 miles north of town. US 281 becomes an expressway atSouth Dakota Highway 20. This expressway continues throughAberdeen to a point nearWestport.South Dakota Highway 10 is cosigned with US 281 for three miles (4.8 km) nearBarnard. It exits the state north ofFrederick.
US 281 was recently realigned in the city of Aberdeen. A bypass was built that travels on the west side of Aberdeen, and the US 281 designation was moved onto that new roadway. It runs north fromUS 12 and connects with the old alignment south of 24th Avenue Northeast.
The South Dakota section of US 281, with the exception of concurrencies withUS 18 andUS 14, is defined at South Dakota Codified Laws § 31-4-229.[8]
In North Dakota, US 281 is a major north–south artery. It enters south ofEllendale and intersectsI-94 andUS 52 atJamestown. US 281 and US 52 remain paired together toCarrington. From there, US 281 continues northward throughSheyenne. Ten miles (16 km) north of Sheyenne, the highway curves in order to go aroundDevil's Lake, and it then continues to west ofMinnewaukan, North Dakota. From there it goes toNorth Dakota Highway 5 atRocklake. US 281 follows ND 5 westward toDunseith, where the highway turns north in concurrence withNorth Dakota Highway 3 to its end at the Canadian border in theInternational Peace Garden. The northernmost section of US 281 passes through North Dakota'sTurtle Mountains. Recently, US 281 was rebuilt nearMinnewaukan, North Dakota to accommodate flooding close to the city.
US 281 will be upgraded betweenUS 59 inGeorge West in Texas toI-2 inPharr to become I-69C, a spur of I-69. An 18-mile (29 km) segment exists running from Business US 281 inEdinburg to I-2 in Pharr.[citation needed]
US 281 betweenGrand Island andSt. Paul in Nebraska is planned to be a four-lane expressway for its entire length. Currently, some sections are still two lanes, with stubs and grading in place for expansion to four lanes in these areas.[9]
Bus. US 77 /SH 48 inBrownsville
I-2 /I-69C /US 83 inPharr. I-69C/US 281 travels concurrently toEdinburg. They will travel concurrently to George West
Future I-69W /US 59 /Future I-69C inGeorge West
I-37 north ofThree Rivers. The highways travel concurrently to southeast ofPleasanton.
I-410 inSan Antonio. The highways travel concurrently through San Antonio.I-37 /I-410 in San Antonio. I-37/US 281 travels concurrently through San Antonio.
I-10 /US 87 /US 90 in San Antonio
I-35 /I-37 in San AntonioI-410 in San Antonio
US 290 south-southeast ofJohnson City. The highways travel concurrently to Johnson City.
US 183 /US 190 inLampasas. The highways travel concurrently through Lampasas.
US 84 inEvant
US 67 inStephenville
US 377 in Stephenville
I-20 south-southeast ofBrazos
US 180 inMineral Wells
US 380 south-southeast ofJacksboro. The highways travel concurrently to Jacksboro.
US 82 /US 287 inWichita Falls. The highways travel concurrently through Wichita Falls.
US 82 /US 277 in Wichita Falls. US 277/US 281 travels concurrently to east ofMedicine Park, Oklahoma.
I-44 in Wichita Falls. The highways travel concurrently to west-southwest ofRandlett, Oklahoma.
I-44 /US 70 west-southwest of Randlett. US 70/US 281 travels concurrently to Randlett.I-44 inWaltersI-44 northwest ofGeronimo. The highways travel concurrently to east of Medicine Park.
US 62 inLawton. The highways travel concurrently toAnadarko.
I-40 inHinton
US 270 inGeary. The highways travel concurrently toSeiling.
US 60 in Seiling. The highways travel concurrently toChester.
US 412 south ofWaynoka
US 64 inAlva. The highways travel concurrently through Alva.
US 160 west-southwest ofMedicine Lodge. The highways travel concurrently to Medicine Lodge.
US 54 /US 400 inPratt
US 50 south ofSt. John
US 56 inGreat Bend
I-70 /US 40 south ofRussell
US 24 inOsborne. The highways travel concurrently to south ofPortis.
US 36 inSmith Center. The highways travel concurrently to south ofLebanon.
US 136 inRed Cloud
US 6 /US 34 inHastings. US 6/US 281 travels concurrently through Hastings. US 34/US 281 travels concurrently toGrand Island.
I-80 south of Grand Island
N-2 in Grand Island. The highways travel concurrently from the junction of US 34/US 281 to the north end of Grand Island.
US 20 /US 275 inO'Neill. US 20/US 281 travels concurrently through O'Neill.
US 18 east-southeast ofFairfax. The highways travel concurrently to south ofArmour.
I-90 southeast ofPlankinton
US 14 south-southeast ofWolsey. The highways travel concurrently to north-northwest of Wolsey.
US 212 inRedfield. The highways travel concurrently through Redfield.
US 12 inAberdeen
I-94 /US 52 inJamestown. I-94/US 281 travels concurrently through Jamestown. US 52/US 281 travels concurrently toCarrington.
US 2 west-northwest ofChurchs Ferry. The highways travel concurrently to west of Churchs Ferry.ND 3 /PTH 10 at theCanada–United States border north-northeast ofDunseith U.S. Highway 281 Alternate | |
|---|---|
| Location | Great Bend, Kansas |
| Length | 1.4 mi (2.3 km) |
| Existed | c. 1955–c. 1983 |
U.S. Route 281 Alternate was a 1.4-mile (2.3 km) longalternate of U.S. Route 281 running within the northeastern and eastern portions ofGreat Bend, Kansas. US-281 Alternate was formed in 1955 and was decommissioned about 1983. Since then it has been known as US 281 Bypass, which is mostly unsigned, two-lane surfacehighway bypasses downtown Great Bend. The only visible indication of this being a bypass is via street signs along intersecting streets; thus it is not a truebypass route, but a local street that is named as a bypass.[citation needed]
281 Bypass begins its journey near the intersection of 10th (US-56/K-96/K-156) and Pine Streets. 10th Street, which is normally east–west, travels slightly southwest-northeast for one block with its intersection with the bypass.[citation needed]
The bypass travels mostly to the northwest until near Park and Frey Streets. Then, it steers towards the north-northwest.[citation needed]
After intersecting with 22nd Street, 281 Bypass starts to curve to the west until it intersects with 24th Street. It remains unsigned on 24th Street until its northwestern terminus with its parent route on Main Street (US-281).[citation needed] The northwestern terminus of U.S. Highway 281 Bypass is directly adjacent toBrit Spaugh Park in Great Bend.[11]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)| Browse numbered routes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
← US 277 | OK | → US 283 | ||
← K-279 | KS | →US-283 | ||
← US 275 | NE | →US 283 | ||
← SD 273 | SD | → SD 296 | ||
