U.S. Route 87
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| Image:US 87.svg | |||||||||
| U.S. Route 87 | |||||||||
| Image:US 87 map.png | |||||||||
| Length: | 1,998[1] mi (3,215 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1926[1] | ||||||||
| South end: | Image:Texas 238.svg TX-238 in Port Lavaca, TX | ||||||||
| Major junctions: | Image:I-35.svg I-35 at San Antonio, TX Image:I-10.svg I-10 from San Antonio to Comfort, TX | ||||||||
| North end: | Image:US 2.svg US 2 at Havre, MT | ||||||||
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U.S. Highway 87 is a north-south United States highway (though it is signed east-west in New Mexico) that runs for 1,998 miles (3,215 km) from northern Montana to southern Texas. The entire portion from Billings, Montana, to Raton, New Mexico, is co-signed along Interstates 90 and 25. It is also co-signed along the entire length of Interstate 27 in Texas.
As of 2004, the highway's northern terminus is Havre, Montana, at U.S. Highway 2. Its southern terminus is Port Lavaca, Texas.
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[edit] Route description
[edit] Texas
US 87's southern terminus is at an intersection with Farm to Market Road 1090 and Texas State Highway 238 in Port Lavaca, Texas. It takes a northwesterly route out of the town, and follows this path all the way to Cuero, where it merges with (and is briefly co-signed with) US 183 before turning back toward the north. US 87 follows a gentle northwesterly route until just before Smiley, where it takes a more due-westerly turn. At Nixon, US 87 merges with Texas State Highway 97 and continues west as a co-signed route until just west of Stockdale, where SH 97 leaves the route and US 87 continues to the northwest to San Antonio.
On the southeast side of the city, US 87 merges with I-10, where it continues through San Antonio as an unsigned, concurrent route. With the exception of a spur into Boerne, US 87 remains unsigned until an exit at Comfort, where the highway once again picks up its own signage and continues on, in an almost due northern heading before making a slight turn back to the northwest to Mason, where it merges with US 377.
From Mason, US 87/377 continues north/northwest to Brady, where US 377 leaves the route and US 87 makes a hard turn to the west before taking yet another slight turn to the north and continuing on to San Angelo, and on to the northwest. After intersecting with I-20 at Big Spring, US 87 continues the same northwesterly path to Lamesa, where it takes a turn back to the northeast. After making another turn back to the north just outside of O'Donnell, US 87 continues on to Lubbock, where it merges with I-27 on the south side of the city.
From this point, US 87 continues as a co-signed, concurrent route with I-27 all the way north to Amarillo, occasionally deviating from the interstate route to spur into rural towns along the route (such as Kress, Tulia, and Canyon) before merging with US 287 in Amarillo. US 87/287 continues almost due north until Dumas, where US 87 splits off of the route with a sharp turn to the west before merging with US 385 in Hartley and turning to the northwest. US 385 leaves the route in Dalhart, and US 87 continues on a slight northwesterly path, crossing into New Mexico approximately a mile west of Texline.
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[edit] New Mexico
US 87 continues in a northwesterly direction in New Mexico, merging with US 64 (and thus the Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway) in Clayton, shortly after entering New Mexico. It continues to the northwest until Des Moines, when it takes a more westerly approach to Raton. In Raton, it sheds US 64 and merges with Interstate 25, with which it remains concurrent but unsigned northward until it terminates at Interstate 90, which it then follows west to Billings, Montana.
[edit] Colorado
US 87 remains concurrent with Interstate 25 throughout the state of Colorado.
[edit] Wyoming
US 87 remains concurrent with Interstate 25 northward until the terminus with Interstate 90. It then follows I-90 west into Montana.
[edit] Montana
US 87 remains concurrent with Interstate 90 westward until Billings, where it breaks off and heads north. Between Crow Agency and Billings, US 87 and I-90 are merged with US 212. It intersects with (and briefly merges with) US 12 in Roundup and continues north with a slight bend to the northwest until, at Grass Range it takes a sharp turn to the west at an intersection with Montana State Highway 200. US 87 remains concurrent with Montana State Highway 200 until Great Falls. In Lewistown, it merges with US 191 and remains heading generally west. Some ten miles out of Lewistown, it breaks with US 191 and merges with Montana State Highway 3, heading generally northwest and merging briefly with US 89 before breaking with all three in Great Falls. US 87 heads northeast then east to Fort Benton and then generally northeast to its terminus with US 2 about two miles west of Havre.
[edit] History
U.S. Route 185 was formed in 1926, and extended from US 85 in Cheyenne north to Orin. It became part of a southern extension and realignment of US 87 in 1936.
[edit] See also
[edit] Related routes
[edit] Bannered and suffixed routes
- U.S. Route 87 Business in Cheyenne, Wyoming
[edit] References
- ^ a b Droz, Robert V. U.S. Highways : From US 1 to (US 830). URL accessed 02:55, 4 July 2006 (UTC).
| Image:US blank.svg | Main U.S. Routes | ||||||||||||||||||
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| 101 | 163 | 400 | 412 | 425 | |||||||||||||||
| Lists | U.S. Routes - Bannered - Divided - Bypassed - Portal | ||||||||||||||||||
| Browse numbered routes | ||||
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| < Image:MT-86.svg MT 86 | MT | MT 87 Image:MT-87.svg > | ||
| < Image:US 85.svg US 85 | WY | US 89 Image:US 89.svg > | ||
it:U.S. Route 87 pt:U.S. Route 87
