End of US highway 171

Note: since I don't have access to a comprehensive collection of historical road atlases, much of the info below is based on the research of Robert Droz and "Urban Prairie Schooner". Photo credits: James Allen; Jeff Morrison

US 171 has been around since the beginning in 1926, running from Shreveport to Lake Charles LA. The endpoints in both cities have changed over the years.

It's likely that US 171 originally met its "parent" route (US 71) in Shreveport. US 71 traffic probably used Market Street, and US 171 probably came in on Texas Street. The photo below is looking southwest on Texas in downtown Shreveport:

Google Maps Street View, 2008

Southbound US 71 was to the left on Market; northbound was to the right; and US 171 began straight ahead. In about 1945, US 171's multiplex with US 79/80 was eliminated by cutting 171 back to its junction with US 79/80. At the time, though, US 171 followed Mansfield Road all the way up to US 79/80 (instead of veering off onto Hearne Avenue, as it does today). The shot below is looking southwest on US 79/80, which continue to the right on Greenwood Road:

Google Maps Street View, 2008

The north beginning of US 171 was to the left on Mansfield until around 1965 - that was when US 171 traffic was redirected to follow its current corridor along Hearne. The photo below is looking north on Hearne, at the intersection with Greenwood (US 79/US 80):

Morrison, Dec. 2001

Although there was no sign to indicate it, the US 171 designation ends here. The photo below shows the signage visible in the distance (on the north side of Greenwood)...

Allen, May 2001

...no more US 171. The signs on the left say "To North LA hwy. 1" and "To North US 71". I think the US 171 designation ought to continue north from Greenwood on Hearne, along what is now LA 3094, to the intersection with Market (US 71) - in order to connect with its parent. Anyway, heading the opposite direction, the shot below shows the first southbound US 171 sign on Hearne:

Allen, May 2001

The photo below shows the sign at the bottom of westbound I-20's exit 16 at Hearne:

Morrison, Dec. 2001

Note that US 171 is only signed south on Hearne. But actually it also goes north (right) for another quarter-mile to its terminus at Greenwood (US 79/80).

The south end of US 171 is in Lake Charles. But US 90 originally ran along Broad Street, so US 171 extended about a half-mile further south than it does today. It was probably about 1965 when US 90 was redirected to use Fruge Street, so US 171 was truncated to its current endpoint. The photo below is looking north on Gerstner Memorial Drive (or MLK Highway):

Allen, 2000

That's LA hwy. 14 at this point, but it becomes US 171 straight ahead. The shot below is looking west on Fruge (US 90):

Allen, 2000

The south beginning of 171 is to the right. But it used to continue to the left, when US 90 was routed along Broad. The photo below was taken from that perspective:

Google Maps Street View, 2008

That's the historic south end of US 171 at Broad (which today is marked as Business 90).