Texas State Highway 16

State Highway 16
State Highway 16
Route information
	Maintained by TxDOT
Length	541.8 mi (871.9 km)
Existed	before 1939–present
Major junctions
South end	US 83 in Zapata
	US 59 in Freer; I-410 in San Antonio; I-35 in San Antonio; US 90 in San Antonio; I-10 in Kerrville; US 87 / US 290 in Fredericksburg; US 190 in San Saba; US 84 / US 183 in Goldthwaite; US 67 / US 377 in Comanche; I-20; US 180; US 380 in Graham
North end	US 281 south of Wichita Falls
Location
Country	United States
State	Texas
Highway system
	Highways in Texas; Interstate; US; State; Toll; Loops; Spurs; FM/RM; Park; Rec;

State Highway 16, or SH 16, is a south–north state highway that runs from Zapata on the Texas-Mexico boundary to U.S. Highway 281 24 miles (38.6 km) south of Wichita Falls. It is the longest state highway in Texas at almost 542 miles, but is only the 9th longest highway overall in the state.^[2]

Route description

SH 16 begins at an intersection at US 83 in Zapata. The route continues through south Texas ranchlands, then to the north through San Antonio's far south side. The routes enters San Antonio from the southeast, and goes around the east side of the city concurrent with Interstate 410. The route veers to the northwest as it passes through Bandera, Kerrville, and Fredericksburg, and then reaches the Texas Hill Country. After passing through the cities of Comanche and Llano, it continues north through ranchland and farms. Its next intersection is with I-20 south of the town of Strawn. It continues to the northwest, wrapping around the northern and eastern sides of Possum Kingdom Lake. It reaches an intersection with US 380 in the town of Graham. In North Texas, the highway finally reaches its final terminus between Antelope and Windthorst, almost 542 miles from its starting point.

Previous routes

Historic SH 16

SH 16 was one of the original twenty six state highways proposed in 1917, overlaid on top of the Fort Worth-Oklahoma Highway. From 1917 the routing mostly followed present day Interstate 35W from Fort Worth to Denton. It continued on, routed along present day Interstate 35 from Fort Worth through to Oklahoma. By 1919, the route was cancelled. It was then reassigned to the future route of U.S. Highway 181 (which was routed over it in 1926) from San Antonio to Corpus Christi. SH 16 then went west on SH 44 to Robstown, south on U.S. Highway 77, and west on SH 285. This route replaced portions of SH 9 and SH 12. It was reassigned by 1933 to a new section between Santa Anna and Brady over previous SH 4 and was rerouted over SH 51 from Crowell to Sagerton, and was being extended northward to the Oklahoma State line via Quanah. By 1939, the section from Brady to Santa Anna was promptly reassigned to U.S. Highway 183.

SH 16 was designated by 1939 from south of Graham to near Buena Vista south of San Antonio, replacing SH 81. In 1965 the road was significantly extended via its current routing to Zapata, replacing State Highway 346 from San Antonio to Jourdanton, and was rerouted over Interstate 410 in San Antonio. SH 16 also replaced portions of SH 173 and FM 496.^[3] In 1969, SH 16 extended north to US 281, replacing portions of SH 254 and FM 61.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	Destinations	Notes
Zapata	Zapata		US 83 / FM 496 west – Rio Grande City, Laredo
Jim Hogg			FM 649 north – Mirando City	South end of FM 649 overlap
	Randado		FM 649 south – Rio Grande City	North end of FM 649 overlap
			FM 3073 west
	Hebbronville		SH 285 east – Falfurrias
			SH 359 east (Galbraith Street) – San Diego	South end of SH 359 overlap
			SH 359 west (Viggie Street) – Laredo	North end of SH 359 overlap
Duval			FM 2295 east – Benavides
			SH 339 south – Benavides
	Freer		US 59 / SH 44 – Laredo, San Diego, George West
			FM 2359 east to US 59
La Salle			FM 624 – Cotulla, Orange Grove
			FM 1962 east
	Tilden		SH 72 east – Three Rivers, Choke Canyon State Park	South end of SH 72 overlap
			SH 72 west – Fowlerton	North end of SH 72 overlap
			FM 3445 east – James E. Daughtrey Wildlife Management Area
			FM 791 east – Campbellton
Atascosa			FM 3387 east
			FM 140 – Charlotte, Christine
	Jourdanton		FM 1332 west
	Jourdanton		SH 97 – Charlotte, Pleasanton
			Loop 162 west to SH 97
			SH 173 north – Devine
			FM 3350 east – Pleasanton, Pleasanton Municipal Airport
	Poteet		Loop 282 north – Poteet
			Loop 282 south / FM 476 east – Poteet	South end of FM 476 overlap
			FM 476 west – Rossville	North end of FM 476 overlap
Bexar	San Antonio		Loop 1604 (Anderson Loop) – Somerset, Elmendorf	interchange
			Watson Road / Lone Star Pass - Toyota Plant	former Spur 66 east
			I-410 east / SH 130 north / Spur 422 north (Palo Alto Road) – Palo Alto College	South end of I-410 / SH 130 overlap; SH 16 south follows exit 49
		see I-410
			I-410 east / Spur 421 south (Bandera Road) – San Antonio	North end of I-410 overlap; SH 16 north follows exit 13
	Leon Valley		Wurzbach Road
	Leon Valley		Spur 471 south (Grissom Road)	former FM 471 south
	San Antonio		Eckhert Road	former FM 1517 east
	San Antonio		Loop 1604 (Anderson Loop) to I-10 / FM 471 – University of Texas at San Antonio	interchange
	Helotes		FM 1560 north (Hausman Road)	South end of FM 1560 overlap
	Helotes		FM 1560 south	North end of FM 1560 overlap
	San Geronimo		SH 211 south to FM 471
Medina			PR 37 west – Medina Lake
Bandera			SH 46 east – Boerne
	Pipe Creek		FM 1283 south to PR 37 – Medina Lake
	Bandera		SH 173 south – Hondo, Hill Country State Natural Area	South end of SH 173 overlap
	Bandera		SH 173 north – truck route to Kerrville	North end of SH 173 overlap
			FM 470 west – Tarpley, Utopia
			RM 2828 east to SH 173
	Medina		RM 337 west – Vander Pool
			FM 2107 west
Kerr			FM 1273 west (Upper Turtle Creek Road)
			FM 2771 east (Lower Turtle Creek Road / truck route) to SH 173
	Kerrville		SH 173 south to Loop 534 – truck route to Bandera, Kerrville-Schreiner Regional Park
			Spur 98 west (Thompson Drive South)
			SH 27 (Main Street) – Ingram, Schreiner University, Center Point
			FM 1341 east (Golf Avenue)
			Loop 534 (Veterans Highway) to SH 173 – Kerrville-Schreiner Regional Park, Airport
			I-10 – Junction, San Antonio	I-10 exit 508
Gillespie	Fredericksburg		FM 2093 west
			US 87 north / US 290 west (Main Street) – Mason, Junction	South end of US 87 / US 290 overlap
			US 87 south / US 290 east (Main Street) – San Antonio, Austin	North end of US 87 / US 290 overlap
	Eckert		RM 1323 east – Willow City
Llano			RM 965 south – Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
	Llano		RM 2323 south – Prairie Mountain
			SH 71 east – Austin	South end of SH 71 overlap
			RM 152 west (Main Street) – Castell
			SH 29 / SH 71 west (Young Street) – Mason, Brady, Burnet	North end of SH 71 overlap
San Saba	Cherokee		RM 501 east – Bend	South end of RM 501 overlap
	Cherokee		RM 501 west – Pontotoc	North end of RM 501 overlap
	San Saba		US 190 – Brady, Lampasas
			FM 1480 east – Pecan Grove
			FM 500 west – Regency Bridge
Mills			FM 3023
	Goldthwaite		US 183 south – Lampasas, Austin	south end of US 183 overlap
			Loop 15 east to US 84 east / FM 572 – Waco
			FM 574 west
			US 84 east – Evant, Gatesville, Waco	south end of US 84 overlap
	Durenville		US 84 west / US 183 north – Brownwood	north end of US 84 / US 183 overlap
			FM 218 west – Zephyr	south end of FM 218 overlap
	Priddy		FM 218 east – Pottsville, Hamilton	north end of FM 218 overlap
Comanche			FM 1476 north – Newburg
			FM 3200 south
	Comanche		FM 590 south – Zephyr
			US 67 / US 377 / SH 36
			FM 2247 north (West Wrights Avenue)
			FM 3381 east
			FM 2861 east
	Downing		FM 2318 east	south end of FM 2318 overlap
	Downing		FM 2318 west	north end of FM 2318 overlap
	De Leon		FM 587 west (West Sipe Springs Road)
			SH 6 east (East Navarro Street) – Dublin	south end of SH 6 overlap
			SH 6 west – Gorman	north end of SH 6 overlap
			FM 2921 west
			FM 2156 east – Victor
Eastland	Desdemona		FM 8 – Gorman, Eastland, Stephenville
Eastland			I-20 – Abilene, Fort Worth	I-20 exit 361
Palo Pinto	Strawn		FM 2372 west
	Strawn		SH 108 south – Mingus
			FM 207 west – Necessity
	Metcalf Gap		US 180 east – Mineral Wells	south end of US 180 overlap
	Brad		US 180 west – Breckenridge, Possum Kingdom State Park	north end of US 180 overlap
			FM 2353 north
			PR 36 west – Possum Kingdom Lake
			SH 254 east – Graford
			FM 2353 south – Possum Kingdom Lake
			Loop 533 north
			SH 337 south – Graford, Mineral Wells
			Loop 533 south
Young			FM 1191 north
	Graham		FM 1287 south – Ivan
			US 380 east / SH 67 south – Fort Belknap	south end of US 380 overlap
			US 380 west – Throckmorton	north end of US 380 overlap
			FM 2652 north
			FM 3491 south
			FM 2075 east
	Loving		SH 114 – Olney, Jacksboro
	Markley		FM 1769 south
Archer			US 281 – Wichita Falls, Jacksboro
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi