Texas State Highway 87

State Highway 87
State Highway 87
Route information
	Maintained by TxDOT
Length	249.39 mi (401.35 km)
Existed	by 1939–present
Major junctions
South end	I-45 in Galveston
	US 69/US 96/US 287 in Port Arthur; I-10/US 90 in Orange; US 190 in Newton
North end	Future I-69/US 59/US 84/Loop 470 at Timpson
Location
Country	United States
State	Texas
Highway system
	Highways in Texas; Interstate; US; State; Toll; Loops; Spurs; FM/RM; Park; Rec;

State Highway 87 or SH 87 runs for 249.4 miles (401.4 km) between Galveston, Texas (at a terminus shared with Interstate 45 and Spur 342) to U.S. Highway 59 and U.S. Highway 84 in Timpson, Texas.

Highway 87 has a notable stretch between Sea Rim State Park and High Island, Texas that has been washed out repeatedly over the decades and has been closed continuously since 1990.^[2] Portions of this stretch were less than 100 feet (30 m) away from high tide in the 1990s. The storm surge from Hurricane Jerry which made landfall on October 15, 1989, left the highway in a state of disrepair.

While talk about rebuilding the destroyed segment of State Highway 87 happens from time to time (for example, in 1998), there is no serious effort underway to do so.

History

SH 87 was originally designated in 1926^[3] from Orange to Milam. The route was the previously proposed SH 8A before being renumbered. By 1928,^[4] it extended to Port Arthur. By 1933, it extended again, this time to High Island. In 1939, it was extended to its current terminus in Timpson, and replaced the section of SH 124 from High Island to Galveston. In 1970, road machinery used in its construction accidentally dug up several cannonballs and crumbling kegs of black powder about 10 miles west of Sabine Pass. Further excavation eventually produced more kegs of black powder and several hundred cannonballs. The ammunition had been buried there by Confederate soldiers in what were the ditches of Fort Manhassett in 1865. Fort Manhassett was a series of earthworks constructed by the Confederacy in 1863 to defend the western approaches to Sabine Pass.^[5]

Future work

Two ferries currently operate on Galveston Bay, taking passengers from Port Bolivar to Galveston Island. Because of increasing traffic, especially during summer months, TxDOT was studying the possibility of building a bridge to connect Galveston Island or Pelican Island to the Bolivar Peninsula; however, the decision was made not to build the bridge.

Major intersections

County	Location	Destinations	Notes
Galveston	Galveston	I-45 north / Spur 342 (61st Street) – Houston, Scholes International Airport	I-45 exit 1A
		SH 275 west (Harborside Drive / truck route)
		SH 168 north
	Bolivar Roads	Galveston-Port Bolivar Ferry
		Loop 108 north – Port Bolivar
		Loop 108 south
		SH 124 north
Gap in route
Jefferson		McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge
		PR 69 – Sea Rim State Park
	Sabine Pass	FM 3322 east – USCG
	Port Arthur	bridge over Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
		SH 82 – Houston, Cameron, Galveston
		Spur 215 north (Savannah Avenue)
		US 69 north / US 96 north / US 287 north (Woodworth Boulevard)
		SH 347 north (Jefferson Drive)
		SH 73 west	interchange; south end of SH 73 overlap
		FM 366 – Groves, Port Neches	interchange
Neches River		Veterans Memorial Bridge / Rainbow Bridge
Orange	Bridge City	FM 1442 north
	Cow Bayou	Cow Bayou Swing Bridge
		SH 62 north / SH 73 east to I-10 – Mauriceville	north end of SH 73 overlap
		FM 1006 east
	Orange	FM 105 to SH 62 / FM 1006 – West Orange
		Bus. US 90 west to I-10 – Pinehurst	south end of US 90 Bus. overlap
		Bus. US 90 east (West Green Avenue) – Lamar State College, Museums, Theaters	north end of US 90 Bus. overlap
		I-10 (US 90) – Lake Charles	I-10 exit 877
		FM 3247 north	south end of FM 3247 overlap
		FM 3247 south – Little Cypress	north end of FM 3247 overlap
Newton		SH 12 – Beaumont, Deweyville
		FM 253 – Buna
		FM 2829 east – Old Salem
		FM 1416 north – Bon Wier
	Trout Creek	FM 1004 south to US 96
		FM 2460 east to FM 1416
	Bleakwood	FM 363 – Kirbyville, Bon Wier
		FM 2939 west
	Newton	Loop 505 north – Newton
		US 190 – Jasper, Newton, Deridder
		Loop 505 south – Newton
		FM 2626 south to US 190
		FM 1414 north to SH 63
		FM 1415 north to SH 63 – Shankleville
	Burkeville	SH 63 – Jasper, Leesville
		FM 1415 south – Wiergate
	Mayflower	RE 255 to US 96 – Toledo Bend Dam
Sabine		FM 3315 east
		FM 2928 east
	Yellowpine	FM 2343 south
	Yellowpine	FM 2426 west – Pineland
	Hemphill	FM 944 east
		FM 83 west	south end of FM 83 overlap
		SH 184 west
		FM 83 east	north end of FM 83 overlap
	Milam	SH 21 – San Augustine, Many
	Isla	FM 276 east (Carters Ferry Road) – Toledo Bend Reservoir
	Sexton	FM 330 south – Geneva
Shelby		FM 353 west – San Augustine
		FM 1279 west
	Patroon	FM 2261 east – East Hamilton
		FM 139 south – East Liberty	south end of FM 139 overlap
		FM 139 north – Strong, Ragtown Recreation Area	north end of FM 139 overlap
		SH 147 south – San Augustine
	Shelbyville	FM 417 west	south end of FM 417 overlap
	Shelbyville	FM 417 east – Huxley	north end of FM 417 overlap
		FM 414 east
	Center	Loop 500 to US 96 / SH 7 – San Augustine, Shelby College Center
		SH 7 (San Augustine Street / Cora Street) / FM 699 north (Logansport Street)	traffic circle around Shelby County Courthouse
		US 96 (Hurst Street / Tenaha Street) to Loop 500 / SH 7 / SH 87 south – San Augustine, Tenaha
		FM 1645 south	south end of FM 1645 overlap
		FM 1645 north	north end of FM 1645 overlap
		FM 415 south – Silas, Stockman
	Timpson	Spur 470 (Bear Drive)
	Timpson	US 59 / US 84
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

[State_Highway_87-1] Texas Department of Transportation, [1]

[2] ttp://www.texasfreeway.com/statewide/Statewide/abandoned/TX87_closed/87_eroded.shtml

[3] Texas 1926 highway map

[4] Texas 1928 highway map

[5] Fort Manhassett: A Forgotten Chapter in the History of Sabine Pass, Texas

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]