Texas State Highway 71

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 1933 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 Farm to Market Road 93 and Farm to Market Road 734.

Counties and junctions

County	Junction	Notes
McCulloch	US 87/US 377 – near Brady
Mason	no intersections
San Saba	no intersections
Llano	SH 29 – Llano
	SH 16 – Llano
Burnet	US 281
Blanco	no intersections
Travis	US 290 – Austin
	Loop 1 – Austin
	I-35 – Austin
	US 183 – Austin
	SH 130 – Austin	under construction
Bastrop	SH 21
	SH 304 – near Bastrop
	SH 95 – Bastrop
Fayette	US 77 – La Grange
	SH 159 – La Grange
Colorado	US 90 – Columbus
	I-10 – Columbus
	File:Alt sign.svg US 90 Alt.
Wharton	US 59 – El Campo
Matagorda	SH 111 – Midfield
	SH 35 – Blessing