U.S. Route 281: Difference between revisions

|type=line|from=U.S. Route 83281 in Texas.map

*{{Jct|country=USA|I|20}} near [[Brazos, Texas|Brazos, TX]]

The highway's northern terminus is at the [[International Peace Garden]], north of [[Dunseith, North Dakota]], at the [[Canada–United States border|Canadian border]], where it continues as [[Manitoba Highway 10|Highway 10]]. The route between Dunseith and the border is shared with [[North Dakota Highway 3]]. US 281 has two southern termini. The western terminus, known as International Blvd. in [[Hidalgo, Texas|Hidalgo]], begins from the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge. The southern eastern terminus of US 281 is in [[Brownsville, Texas]], just short of the [[US-Mexico border|Mexican border]] ending on Bus. 77. The two spurs come together at South Cage Blvd in [[Las Milpas, Pharr, Texas|Las Milpas, Texas]] going north into [[Pharr, Texas]]. Thus, US 281 is the only continuous three-digit US route to extend from the Canadian border to the Mexican border.

The original ''Military Telegraph Road'' was incorporated into the US-281 route.<ref>{{Cite book|lastlast1=Lincoln|firstfirst1=Laura|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=15hEjLRSTEQC&pg=PA44|title=Donna, Texas|last2=Gerhardt|first2=Karen|date=2002|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=978-0-7385-1943-2|language=en}}</ref>

US&nbsp;281 is a "child" of [[U.S. Route 81|US&nbsp;81]]. As a result of decommissioning portions of the parent route that have been superseded by concurrent Interstate Highways, the length of US&nbsp;281 is {{convert|672|mi|km}} greater than that of its parent.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} US&nbsp;281 no longer connects to its "parent", US&nbsp;81.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

US&nbsp;281, beginning at the west, or the lower Rio Grande Valley, at an intersection with Business US&nbsp;77 and [[Texas State Highway 48|SH 48]] about {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} from the Mexico border.<ref name="Texas Mapbook 4122265">{{Texas Mapbook|page=2265|year=20142018|pagelink=412no|access-date=December 123, 20142022}}</ref> It travels along close to the border through the Rio Grande Valley. At the east, or Upper Rio Grande Valley, turning north from [[Hidalgo, Texas|Hidalgo]], 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 joining [[Interstate 37|I-37]]. It splits with I-37 and travels through [[Pleasanton, Texas|Pleasanton]] as Business 281, travelling north to [[San Antonio]]. In San Antonio, US&nbsp;281 overlaps [[Interstate 410 (Texas)|I-410]] on the south side of the city until the interchange with I-37. US&nbsp;281 and I-37 then overlap north into downtown San Antonio until I-37 ends at [[Interstate 35|I-35]]. US&nbsp;281 continues north from downtown San Antonio as a freeway, intersecting I-410 again on the north side of the city, with access to the [[San Antonio International Airport]]. A project to construct a stack interchange at I-410 (the "San Antonio Web"<ref name=web>{{cite news |first=Patrick |last=Driscoll |title=Now there's a name for it |url=http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/traffic/archives/2006/01/missing_interch.html |work=[[San Antonio Express-News]] |date=January 16, 2006 |access-date=June 20, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080223203630/http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/traffic/archives/2006/01/missing_interch.html |archive-date=February 23, 2008 }}</ref>) was completed June 9, 2008;<ref name=saen>{{cite news |first=Patrick |last=Driscoll |title=U.S. 281/Loop 410 interchange ramps are complete |url=http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA061008.1A.Lastramps.389a3a1.html |work=[[San Antonio Express-News]] |date=June 10, 2008 |access-date=June 20, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611023107/http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA061008.1A.Lastramps.389a3a1.html |archive-date=June 11, 2008 }}</ref> formerly there was no direct access between the two freeways and surface streets were required travel between the freeways. North of San Antonio, US&nbsp;281 is not a freeway and forms the [[Main Street]] of [[Blanco, Texas|Blanco]]. It overlaps [[U.S. Highway 290|US&nbsp;290]] south of [[Johnson City, Texas|Johnson City]]. US&nbsp;290 continues toward Austin, so US&nbsp;281 and US&nbsp;290 between San Antonio and Austin are available as a scenic and less congested alternate to I-35.

US&nbsp;281 will be upgraded between [[U.S. Route 59|US&nbsp;59]] in [[George West, Texas|George West]] in Texas to [[Interstate 2|I-2]] in [[Pharr, Texas|Pharr]] to become I-69C, a spur of I-69. An {{convert|18|mi|km|adj=on}} segment exists running from Business US&nbsp;281 in [[Edinburg, Texas|Edinburg]] to I-2 in Pharr.{{Cn|date=October 2022}}

'''U.S. Route 281 Alternate''' was a {{convert|1.4|mi|adj=on}} long [[Alternate route|alternate]] of U.S. Route 281 running within the northeastern and eastern portions of [[Great 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 surface [[highway]] 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 true [[bypass route]], but a local street that is named as a bypass.{{Cn|date=October 2022}}

281 Bypass begins its journey near the intersection of 10th ([[U.S. Route 56 (Kansas)|US-56]]/[[K-96 (Kansas highway)|K-96]]/[[K-156 (Kansas highway)|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.{{Cn|date=October 2022}}

The bypass travels mostly to the northwest until near Park and Frey Streets. Then, it steers towards the north-northwest.{{Cn|date=October 2022}}

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).{{Cn|date=October 2022}} The northwestern terminus of U.S. Highway 281 Bypass is directly adjacent to [[Brit Spaugh Park]] in Great Bend.<ref>{{google maps |url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=10th+St%2FKS-156%2FKS-96%2FUS-56&daddr=US-281+Bypass+to:US-281+Bypass+to:Main+St%2FUS-281&geocode=FexZSQIdniwd-g%3BFQx5SQIdMRYd-g%3BFc2QSQIdOwgd-g%3BFSmTSQIdcPYc-g&hl=en&mra=mr&mrcr=0&via=1,2&sll=38.370665,-98.757563&sspn=0.022543,0.038581&ie=UTF8&z=15 |title=U.S. Highway 281 Bypass |access-date=June 8, 2009}}</ref>