Historic endpoints of US highway 377

Photo credits: Robert Brooks; Steven Nelson; Eric Stuve; Stephen Taylor

US 377 was commissioned in 1930; at the time its south end was at US 81 in Fort Worth. I'm not sure when one-ways were introduced in FtW, but today historic US 81 is split into the one-way couplet of Commerce and Houston Streets, and old 377 splits into the Belknap/Weatherford Streets couplet. Below is a view from what's likely the historic south end of US 377:

Brooks, May 2004

We're heading west on Belknap, looking at Commerce and the Tarrant County Courthouse. A right turn here would've been north on US 81, or a left turn on the far side of the courthouse (on Houston) would've been south on US 81...

...but it was only two years later that the south end was extended to Stephenville TX. Here's a 1936 TXDoT map scan:

TXDoT

It's possible that the 377 designation would've ended at its junction with US 281 on the east edge of town, but it seems more likely that the two routes would've been co-signed to the junction with US 67 downtown. The photo below is looking west on Washington Street:

Taylor, Aug. 2004

US 377 was likely signed to this intersection at Graham Street. Southbound US 281 turned left, joining eastbound US 67. Westbound 67 was straight ahead. Note that - thanks to a couple recent bypasses - none of the mainline US routes are directed through this intersection anymore, although Washington is Business 377.

Below we're looking north on Graham:

Taylor, Aug. 2004

That used to be westbound US 67 (which turned left here on Washington) and northbound US 281 (which turned right). Also to the right was the south beginning of US 377. That lasted about 20 years. Then in 1951 the US 377 designation was extended further south, to its current terminus in Del Rio TX (you can view photos from both locations and get more info on my main US 377 page).

Now, on to the north end of US 377: originally it was in Denton TX. Here's a clip from the 1936 TX DoT map of Denton County:

That makes it look like 377 has a simple at-grade rail crossing and came in on Locust Street. If so, it would've ended at the "Y" junction south of downtown, where US 77 came in on Dallas Drive. Below is a perspective from there:

Nelson, Dec. 2005

That's looking north on Locust at Eagle Drive. Then, as today, US 77 came in from the right and continued straight ahead, so US 377 would've ended right there. Up ahead, right near the courthouse (the spire of which is visible in the distance), US 77 turned left for one block before heading north again on Elm Street. So in later years, after US 377 had been upgraded to its current viaduct over the railroad and came into town on Fort Worth Drive (one block to the left from here), it continued up Elm to end right downtown, at the jog in US 77. My guess is that US 77 used McKinney Street to jog between Elm and Locust. If so, then the blue car shown below is following what used to be southbound US 77:

Nelson, Aug. 2007

That's looking east on McKinney. The blue car was heading south on Elm - if he would've continued straight, he'd be at a former north beginning of US 377.

In 1968, US 377 was extended north from Denton. Upon crossing into Oklahoma, it was routed along OK 99 to Madill. Originally OK 99 came into town via 5th Avenue, then east on Lilley Boulevard and out of town via Main Street. But by the time US 377 was signed along OK 99, a bypass had been built along the south edge of town, so US 377 ended where that bypass junctions with US 70:

Stuve, May 2004

Today US 377 continues to the left, but it once ended here. That assembly is also visible in the photo below, which is looking north on First Street, or west on US 70:

Stuve, May 2004

US 377 used to begin to the left. Although not indicated on that assembly, northbound US 377 is straight ahead (but notice the route is sometimes signed east/west in this area). Not so on the photo below, which was taken looking the opposite direction (south on 1st):

Nelson, May 2006

The north beginning of US 377 was once to the right. In 1991 OK DoT extended the US 377 designation further north, to its present terminus at Stroud (you can view photos from there on my main US 377 page).