Texas State Highway 71

State Highway 71
Route information
Maintained by TxDOT
Length	253.24 mi (407.55 km)
Existed	1926–present
Major junctions
West end	US 87/US 377 near Brady
Major intersections	US 281 US 290 I-35 US 183 US 77 US 90 I-10 File:Alt sign.svg Alt. US 90 US 59
East end	SH 35 at Blessing
Location
Country	United States
State	Texas
Counties	McCulloch, Mason, San Saba, Llano, Burnet, Blanco, Travis, Bastrop, Fayette, Colorado, Wharton, Matagorda previous_type=SH
Highway system
Highways in Texas Interstate US State Toll Loops Spurs FM/RM Park Rec
→ SH 72

State Highway 71 or SH 71 is a Texas state highway that runs 253 miles (407 km). The northern terminus is at US 87 and US 377 south of Brady and its southern terminus is at SH 35 near Blessing. This highway is designated the "10th Mountain Division Highway" from SH 95 to Interstate 35.

Through Austin, SH 71 is known as Ben White Boulevard and is one of Austin's newest freeways. Sections have opened regularly since 1996, when the first section west of Interstate 35 was opened. A 5-level stack was recently completed at Interstate 35, and the freeway east of Interstate 35 to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is still under construction.

Major displacements of commercial properties were required to build the Austin expansions. Most of the freeway had a 150 ft (46 m) wide right-of-way which was expanded to 300+ feet (91m+), and the western segment, which opened in 1998, was built on an 80 ft (24 m) right-of-way. The section at the western end required many more business displacements. The new freeway features depressed sections, elevated sections, and partial stack interchanges.

History

SH 71 was originally designated in 1926 from Austin to Matagorda Bay, absorbing SH 3D in the process. In 1935, U.S. Highway 290 was codesignated along the stretch from Austin to Bastrop, dropping SH 71 from this section completely by 1939. In 1951, this section was restored when US 290 was rerouted farther north. Late in 1965, the highway was extended to its current designation over the cancelled Ranch to Market Road 93 and Ranch to Market Road 734. It is currently the deadliest road in Texas.

Counties and junctions

County	Location	Junction	Notes
McCulloch	Brady	US 83 / US 377 – Brady, Mason
		FM 2309 north – Brady
		FM 1851 – Voca
		FM 1851 south – Voca
		FM 3293 west
Mason	Fredonia	RM 386 south – Mason
San Saba	No major junctions in San Saba County
Mason		RM 501 north – Cherokee
Llano		SH 29 west – Mason	West end of SH 29 overlap
	Llano	SH 29 east / SH 16 north – San Saba	East end of SH 29 overlap; west end of SH 16 overlap
		FM 152 west – Castell
		SH 16 south – Fredericksburg	East end of SH 16 overlap
		FM 2233 east – Sunrise Beach Village
		RM 962 south – Round Mountain
		RM 2831 north
		RM 2147 east – Horseshoe Bay, Cottonwood Shores, Marble Falls
Burnet		US 281 – Marble Falls, Johnson City	Interchange
Blanco	No major junctions in Blanco County
Travis	Bee Cave	RM 3238 west – Dripping Springs
		RM 620 east – Round Rock
		RM 2244 – West Lake Hills
	Austin	US 290 west – Johnson City	West end of US 290 overlap
		West end of freeway
		William Canyon Drive
		Industrial Oaks Boulevard/Montery Oaks Boulevard
		Loop 1 (Mo Pac Expressway)
	Sunset Valley	Brodie Lane	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
	Austin	Loop 343 north (Lamar Boulevard) / Loop 360 north (Capitol of Texas Highway) – West Lake Hills, Downtown
		FM 2304 (Manchaca Road) – ManchacaModule:Jct warning: "road" parameter is deprecated	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		Loop 275 (Congress Avenue)Module:Jct warning: "road" parameter is deprecated
		I-35 / US 290 east – Austin, Giddings, San Antonio	East end of US 290 overlap
		Woodward Street, Burleson Road, Todd Lane
		Montropolis Drive
		Frontage Road
		East end of freeway
		US 183 – Lampasas, Lockhart	Interchange
		Spirit of Texas Drive – Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Del Valle, Airport Parking	Interchange; eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		Presidential Boulevard/Cardinal Loop – Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Barbara Jordan Terminal	Interchange
		FM 973 north	West end of FM 973 overlap
		FM 973 south	East end of FM 973 overlap
		Frontage Road	Interchange; eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		SH 45 Toll / SH 130 Toll – Georgetown, Mustang Ridge	Interchange
		Frontage Road	Interchange; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Bastrop		FM 1209
		SH 21 west – San Marcos	Interchange; west end of SH 21 overlap
		FM 20 south – Lockhart
	Bastrop	FM 969 north – Webberville
		SH 304 south – Gonzales
		Loop 150 east (Chestnut Street)
		SH 21 east / SH 95 north – Caldwell, Elgin	East end of SH 21 overlap; West end of SH 95 overlap
		Loop 150 west – Bastrop State Park
		PR 1 east – Bastrop State Park
		SH 95 south / FM 153 east – Smithville, Winchester	East end of SH 95 overlap
	Smithville	FM 2571 west – Upton
Fayette		Loop 543 east – West Point
		FM 154 – Flatonia
		Loop 543 west – West Point
		Bus. SH 71 east – La Grange	West end of freeway
	La Grange	US 77 – Giddings, Schulenburg
		SH 159 – La Grange, Industry
		Bus. SH 71 east – La Grange	East end of freeway
		FM 955 north – Fayetteville
	Ellinger	FM 2503 north – Frelsburg
Colorado		FM 1890 west
		Bus. SH 71 east – Columbus	West end of freeway
	Columbus	US 90 – Weimar, Columbus
		I-10 west – San Antonio	West end of I-10 overlap
		FM 806
		I-10 east / Bus. SH 71 west – Houston, Columbus	East end of I-10 overlap; east end of freeway
		US 90 Alt. – Eagle Lake, Hallettsville
		FM 1693 north
	Garwood	FM 950 north – Eagle Lake
Wharton		FM 1160 south – Louise
		FM 961 east – Wharton
		FM 2546
		FM 2546 north
		FM 1300 west
	El Campo	FM 2765
		Loop 525
		FM 1163 south
		FM 1162 south – Markham
		US 59 – Wharton, Edna
		FM 2674 south
		FM 441 north
Matagorda		FM 1468 south – Markham
	Midfield	SH 111 west / FM 2431 east – Edna, Markham
		FM 456 east
		SH 35 – Port Lavaca, Bay City