Texas State Highway 87

State Highway 87
SH 87 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by TxDOT
Length	249.39 mi[1] (401.35 km)
Existed	1923–present
Major junctions
South end	I-45 in Galveston
Major intersections	US 69 / US 96 / US 287 in Port Arthur I-10 / US 90 in Orange US 190 in Newton US 96 in Center
North end	Future I-69 / US 59 / US 84 at Timpson
Highway system
Highways in Texas Interstate US State Toll Loops Spurs FM/RM Park Rec ← US 87 → SH 88

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[]

SH 87 approaching Gilchrist with damage from Hurricane Ike

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
Galveston	Galveston	0.0	0.0	I-45 north / Spur 342 (61st Street) / 71st Street – Houston, Scholes International Airport	I-45 exit 1A
		4.7	7.6	SH 275 west (Harborside Drive / truck route)
		5.0	8.0	SH 168 north
	​	5.6– 8.2	9.0– 13.2
	Bolivar Peninsula	9.3	15.0	Loop 108 north – Port Bolivar
		11.9	19.2	Loop 108 south
		35.5	57.1	SH 124 north
Gap in route
Jefferson	​			McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge
	​			PR 69 – Sea Rim State Park
	Sabine Pass			FM 3322 east –
	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)	Southern terminus of US 69/US 96/US 287
				SH 347 north (Jefferson Drive)
				SH 73 west / Taft Avenue / Procter Street	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
	​			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
				US 90 Bus. west to I-10 – Pinehurst	south end of US 90 Bus. overlap
				US 90 Bus. 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 –
	​			FM 1416 north – Bon Wier
				FM 1004 south to US 96
	​			FM 2460 east to FM 1416
	Bleakwood			FM 363 – Kirbyville, Bon Wier
	​			FM 2939 west
	Newton			north – Newton
				US 190 – Jasper, Newton, Deridder
				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
				RE 255 to US 96 – Toledo Bend Dam
Sabine	​			FM 3315 east
	​			FM 2928 east
				FM 2343 south
				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
				FM 330 south –
Shelby	​			FM 353 west – San Augustine
	​			FM 1279 west
				FM 2261 east –
	​			FM 139 south –	south end of FM 139 overlap
	​			FM 139 north – ,	north end of FM 139 overlap
	​			SH 147 south – San Augustine
	Shelbyville			FM 417 west	south end of FM 417 overlap
				FM 417 east – Huxley	north end of FM 417 overlap
	​			FM 414 east
	Center			to US 96 / SH 7 – San Augustine,
				SH 7 (San Augustine Street / Cora Street) / FM 699 north (Logansport Street)	traffic circle around
				US 96 (Hurst Street / Tenaha Street) to  / 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 – ,
	Timpson			(Bear Drive)
				US 59 / US 84 (Future I-69)	U.S. 59/U.S. 84 are the future Interstate 69
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References[]

External links[]

Route map:

Media related to Texas State Highway 87 at Wikimedia Commons