Historic US Highway ends
in Laredo TX

Photo credits: Steven Nelson

When the US route system was first implemented in 1926, Laredo was served only by US 81. At the time, US 96 went south from Alice to McAllen, and ended in Brownsville. But in 1934, the US 96 designation was changed such that, from Alice, it followed what is now TX hwy. 359 through Hebbronville, ending in Laredo. By then, the US 83 designation had been extended through Laredo, so it's possible that US 96 could've ended at its junction with US 83 on the outskirts of town. If so, then this photo shows the place:

Nelson, Feb. 2004

There we're looking north on US 83. East (right) on TX 359 used to be eastbound on US 96. And, beginning a few years later (when US 59 replaced US 96), that would've been east on US 59. But was this actually the terminus of US 96/59? We may never know, but I doubt it was. Seems more likely that US 96/59 would've been co-signed ahead from there with US 83 at least to US 81, if not all the way to the Mexico border crossing. Below is a photo of where old US 96/59 intersects US 83/old US 81:

Nelson, Feb. 2004

That's looking south on US 83, which turns left ahead (the shield below the "South" is obscured). Southbound US 81 used to continue ahead, and my suspicion is that the US 96 (and later US 59) designation would've gone that way as well. US 81 jogged over to Convent Street and continued south, ending at the original border crossing to Nuevo Laredo (now known as "Bridge #1"):

Apr. 2008, BridgeCam

It's possible that US 96 and US 59 were co-signed with US 81 to that bridge. Looking the opposite direction, the US customs building marked the historic south beginning of US 81...

1997, uncredited from here

...and possibly US 96 and US 59 as well.

It was sometime after 1960 that modern US 59 between Beeville and Laredo was completed. Even after that, it's possible that US 59 was still co-signed with US 81 to the border, but at some point the designation was truncated to its current terminus north of downtown. You can view my main US 59 page for more info and photos. US 81 was truncated to Ft. Worth in 1993 (see the main US 81 page for more).