Texas State Highway 87
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SH 87 highlighted in red | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by TxDOT | ||||
Length | 249.39 mi[1] (401.35 km) | |||
Existed | 1923–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
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North end | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |||
Highway system | ||||
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State Highway 87 (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.
A section of highway which is now known as the Warden Michael C. Pauling[3] Memorial Highway stretches from the Intracoastal Waterway Bridge to Sabine Pass on Texas 87.[4]
History[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/FEMA_-_38469_-_The_Shoreline_Near_High_Island%2C_Texas_After_Hurricane_Ike.jpg/200px-FEMA_-_38469_-_The_Shoreline_Near_High_Island%2C_Texas_After_Hurricane_Ike.jpg)
SH 87 was originally designated on August 21, 1923[5] from Orange to Milam. The route was the previously proposed to be SH 8A before being renumbered. On September 16, 1926, SH 87 was extended to Port Arthur, though this was not taken over for maintenance until January 1, 1927.[6] An extension via High Island to Galveston was planned to be taken over when TxDOT could afford it. On March 19, 1930, the north end was shortened to Hemphill. On August 1, 1930, SH 87 extended back to Milam, replacing SH 21 Spur. On May 5, 1931, it was extended again, this time to High Island.[7] On November 22, 1933, SH 87 extended to Carter's Store.[8] On March 17, 1936, SH 87 replaced the section of SH 124 from High Island to Galveston.[9] On December 22, 1936, SH 87 was extended to its current terminus in Timpson.[10] On May 23, 1939, SH 87 Spur was designated to Wiergate.[11] On September 26, 1939, The spurs were changed to Spur 24 (Wiergate) and Spur 69 (Deweyville). On August 20, 1952, SH 87 was no longer concurrent with US 96 from Center to Carter's Store. 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.[12] On January 28, 1987, SH 87 was extended 4.1 miles west to Spur 342, replacing a section of US 75, which was decommissioned south of Dallas.
On November 19, 1926, a spur, SH 87A was designated from Bronson to Hemphill. On March 19, 1930, this route was erroneously omitted from the state highway log. On November 30, 1932, this road was added back to the state highway log, but was renumbered as SH 184. Another SH 87A was designated on November 19, 1928, from Deweyville to Louisiana. This was redesignated as Spur 69 on September 26, 1939.
Failed bridge proposal[]
Two ferry routes and up to five 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 | mi | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
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Galveston | Galveston | 0.0 | 0.0 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | I-45 exit 1A | ||
4.7 | 7.6 | ![]() | |||||
5.0 | 8.0 | ![]() | |||||
| 5.6– 8.2 | 9.0– 13.2 | ![]() | ||||
Bolivar Peninsula | 9.3 | 15.0 | ![]() | ||||
11.9 | 19.2 | ![]() | |||||
35.5 | 57.1 | ![]() | |||||
Gap in route | |||||||
Jefferson | | McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge | |||||
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Sabine Pass | ![]() | ||||||
Port Arthur | bridge over Gulf Intracoastal Waterway | ||||||
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![]() ![]() ![]() | Southern terminus of US 69/US 96/US 287 | ||||||
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![]() | interchange; south end of SH 73 overlap | ||||||
![]() | interchange | ||||||
Neches River | Veterans Memorial Bridge / Rainbow Bridge | ||||||
Orange | Bridge City | ![]() | |||||
| ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | north end of SH 73 overlap | |||||
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Orange | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | south end of US 90 Bus. overlap | ||||||
![]() ![]() | north end of US 90 Bus. overlap | ||||||
![]() | I-10 exit 877 | ||||||
![]() | south end of FM 3247 overlap | ||||||
![]() | north end of FM 3247 overlap | ||||||
Newton | | ![]() | |||||
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Bleakwood | ![]() | ||||||
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Newton | ![]() | ||||||
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Burkeville | ![]() | ||||||
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Sabine | | ![]() | |||||
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Hemphill | ![]() | ||||||
![]() | south end of FM 83 overlap | ||||||
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![]() | north end of FM 83 overlap | ||||||
Milam | ![]() | ||||||
Isla | ![]() | ||||||
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Shelby | | ![]() | |||||
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| ![]() | south end of FM 139 overlap | |||||
| ![]() | north end of FM 139 overlap | |||||
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Shelbyville | ![]() | south end of FM 417 overlap | |||||
![]() | north end of FM 417 overlap | ||||||
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Center | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||
![]() ![]() | traffic circle around | ||||||
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| ![]() | south end of FM 1645 overlap | |||||
| ![]() | north end of FM 1645 overlap | |||||
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Timpson | ![]() | ||||||
![]() ![]() | U.S. 59/U.S. 84 are the future Interstate 69 | ||||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
References[]
- ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway No. 87". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 22, 2006.
- ^ "TexasFreeway > Statewide > Photo Gallery > Texas 87 Closed".
- ^ "Slain Texas Game Warden Memorialized in Highway Dedication". Game Warden Education. Dec 14, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- ^ "House Bill 1963" (PDF). State of Texas. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
- ^ "A791" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation. August 21, 1923. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ "A791" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ "A791" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ "A791" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ "A791" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ "A791" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ "A791" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ Fort Manhassett: A Forgotten Chapter in the History of Sabine Pass, Texas
External links[]
Route map:
( • help)
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Media related to Texas State Highway 87 at Wikimedia Commons
- State highways in Texas
- Transportation in Chambers County, Texas
- Transportation in Galveston, Texas
- Transportation in Galveston County, Texas
- Transportation in Jefferson County, Texas
- Transportation in Newton County, Texas
- Transportation in Orange County, Texas
- Transportation in Sabine County, Texas
- Transportation in Shelby County, Texas