# Texas State Highway 71

State Highway 71 (SH 71) is a Texas state highway that runs 253 miles (407 km). The western terminus is at US 87 and US 377 south of Brady and its eastern terminus is at SH 35 near Blessing. This highway is designated the "10th Mountain Division Highway" from SH 95 to Interstate 35.

## History

SH 71 was originally designated on August 21, 1923 from Austin to Columbus, replacing SH 3D and the western half of SH 3A. On June 8, 1925, SH 71 was extended to Midfield, though this was not effective until 1926. On March 19, 1928, it was extended south to its current end. On June 21, 1938, SH 71 Spur was designated in Columbus. In 1935, U.S. Highway 290 was codesignated along the stretch from Austin to Bastrop, dropping SH 71 from this section completely on September 26, 1939. SH 71 Spur was renumbered as Spur 52. On May 23, 1951, this section was restored when US 290 was rerouted farther north. On October 24, 1955, SH 71 was signed, but not designated along Ranch to Market Road 93 to Llano. On October 31, 1965, the highway was extended to its current designation over the cancelled Ranch to Market Road 93 and Ranch to Market Road 734. On February 16, 1982, SH 71 was relocated in Columbus.

### Austin and Bastrop

Through Austin, SH 71 is known as Ben White Boulevard and is one of Austin's newest freeways. Sections have opened regularly since 1996, when the first section west of Interstate 35 was opened. A five-level stack was completed at Interstate 35 in December 2011, and the freeway east of Interstate 35 to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was completed in 2014. Construction commenced in 2015 east of US 183 (Bastrop Freeway) where a section of SH 71 to the SH 130 tollway has been converted into a tollway with a two lane bridge crossing SH 130.
Major displacements of commercial properties were required to build the Austin expansions. Most of the freeway had a 150-foot (46 m) wide right-of-way which was expanded to over 300 feet (91 m), and the western segment, which opened in 1998, was built on an 80-foot (24 m) right-of-way. The section at the western end required many more business displacements. The new freeway features depressed sections, elevated sections, and partial stack interchanges.
An interchange over Ross Road and Kellam Road southeast of Austin was completed circa mid-2024.

## Business routes

SH 71 has two business routes.

### La Grange business loop

Business State Highway 71-E (Bus. SH 71-E) is a business loop that runs through La Grange. The road was designated in 1991 upon completion of a bypass around the city.

### Columbus business loop

Business State Highway 71-F (Bus. SH 71-F) is a business loop that runs through Columbus. The city was bypassed on February 16, 1982, and the original route was designated as Loop 329. The route received the Bus. SH 71-F designation on June 21, 1990.

## Major intersections

| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
| McCulloch | Brady | | | US 87 / US 377 – Brady, Mason | |
| McCulloch | ​ | | | FM 2309 north – Brady | |
| McCulloch | ​ | | | FM 1851 – Voca | |
| McCulloch | ​ | | | FM 1851 south – Voca | |
| McCulloch | ​ | | | FM 3293 west | |
| Mason | Fredonia | | | RM 386 south – Mason | |
| San Saba | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions |
| Mason | Pontotoc | | | RM 501 east – Cherokee | |
| Llano | ​ | | | SH 29 west – Mason | West end of SH 29 overlap |
| Llano | Llano | | | SH 16 north / SH 29 east – San Saba, Burnet | East end of SH 29 overlap; west end of SH 16 overlap |
| Llano | Llano | | | RM 152 west – Castell | |
| Llano | Llano | | | SH 16 south – Fredericksburg | East end of SH 16 overlap |
| Llano | ​ | | | FM 2333 east – Sunrise Beach Village | |
| Llano | ​ | | | RM 962 east – Round Mountain | |
| Llano | ​ | | | RM 2831 north | |
| Llano | ​ | | | RM 2147 east – Horseshoe Bay, Cottonwood Shores | |
| Burnet | Marble Falls | | | US 281 – Marble Falls, Burnet, Johnson City, San Antonio | Cloverleaf Interchange |
| Burnet | ​ | | | Spur 191 north – Spicewood | |
| Blanco | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions |
| Travis | ​ | | | RM 2322 north (Pace Bend Road) – Briarcliff, Pace Bend State Park | |
| Travis | Bee Cave | | | RM 3238 west (Hamilton Pool Road) | |
| Travis | Bee Cave | | | RM 620 north – Lakeway, Round Rock | |
| Travis | Bee Cave | | | RM 2244 east – West Lake Hills | |
| Travis | Austin | | | US 290 west – Johnson City, Fredericksburg | West end of US 290 overlap |
| See US 290 ||||||
| Travis | Austin | | | I-35 / US 290 east – Waco, San Antonio | East end of US 290 overlap |
| Travis | Austin | | | Woodward Street / Todd Lane / Burleson Road | |
| Travis | Austin | | | Montopolis Drive | |
| Travis | Austin | | | Riverside Drive | |
| Travis | Austin | | | US 183 (Bastrop Highway) / 183 Toll Road (Bergstrom Expressway) – Lampasas, Lockhart | East end of freeway |
| Travis | Austin | | | Spirit of Texas Drive – Austin-Bergstrom International Airport | Interchange; no direct westbound exit and eastbound entrance (signed at Presidential Boulevard / Cardinal Loop) |
| Travis | Austin | | | Cardinal Loop / Presidential Boulevard – Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Del Valle | Interchange; West end of 71 Toll Lanes |
| Travis | Austin | | | FM 973 – Manor, Mustang Ridge | Interchange; no direct westbound exit and eastbound entrance (signed at SH 130) |
| Travis | Austin | | | SH 45 Toll north / SH 130 Toll north – Waco | Interchange; eastbound exit and westbound entrance; SH 130 exit 449 |
| Travis | Austin | | | SH 45 Toll / SH 130 Toll – Bastrop, San Antonio | SH 130 exit 449; East end of 71 Toll Lanes |
| Travis | Del Valle | | | Ross Road / Kellam Road | Interchange |
| Bastrop | ​ | | | FM 1209 – Webberville | |
| Bastrop | ​ | | | SH 21 west – San Marcos | Interchange; west end of SH 21 overlap |
| Bastrop | ​ | | | FM 20 south to FM 969 north – Lockhart, Webberville | West end of expressway |
| Bastrop | Bastrop | | | SH 304 south to FM 969 – Gonzalez | |
| Bastrop | Bastrop | | | Loop 150 east / Hasler Boulevard / Childers Drive – Bastrop, Bastrop State Park | East end of expressway |
| Bastrop | Bastrop | | | SH 21 east / SH 95 north – Bryan, Elgin | Interchange; east end of SH 21 overlap; west end of SH 95 overlap |
| Bastrop | Bastrop | | | Loop 150 west / Tahitian Drive – Bastrop, Bastrop State Park | Interchange |
| Bastrop | ​ | | | SH 95 south / FM 153 east / Loop 230 east – Smithville, Flatonia, Winchester | Interchange; east end of SH 95 overlap |
| Bastrop | Smithville | | | Colorado Street (County Road 319) | Interchange |
| Bastrop | Smithville | | | Loop 230 west – Smithville | Interchange |
| Fayette | ​ | | | Loop 543 east – West Point | |
| Fayette | ​ | | | FM 154 – West Point, Muldoon | |
| Fayette | ​ | | | Loop 543 west – West Point | |
| Fayette | ​ | | | Loop 220 east – Plum | |
| Fayette | ​ | | | Loop 220 west – Plum | |
| Fayette | ​ | | | Bus. SH 71 east – La Grange | West end of freeway |
| Fayette | La Grange | | | US 77 / Von Minden Street – Giddings, Schulenburg | Access to St Mark's Medical Center |
| Fayette | La Grange | | | SH 159 – Bellville, La Grange | |
| Fayette | ​ | | | Bus. SH 71 west – La Grange | East end of freeway |
| Fayette | ​ | | | FM 955 north – Fayetteville | |
| Fayette | Ellinger | | | FM 2503 north | |
| Colorado | Hillcrest | | | FM 1890 west (Shaws Bend Road) | |
| Colorado | ​ | | | Bus. SH 71 east – Columbus | Interchange |
| Colorado | Columbus | | | Round House Road | Interchange |
| Colorado | Columbus | | | US 90 – Weimar, Sealy | Interchange; westbound exit and eastbound entrance |
| Colorado | ​ | | | I-10 west – San Antonio | Interchange; west end of I-10 overlap, exit 693 eastbound, 695 westbound; no eastbound entrance |
| Colorado | Columbus | | | I-10 east / Bus. SH 71 west – Houston, Columbus | East end of I-10 overlap, exit 696 |
| Colorado | Altair | | | US 90 Alt. – Hallettsville, Eagle Lake | |
| Colorado | ​ | | | FM 1693 west | |
| Colorado | Garwood | | | FM 950 east – Matthews | |
| Colorado | ​ | | | FM 333 west | |
| Wharton | ​ | | | FM 1160 south – Louise | |
| Wharton | ​ | | | FM 961 east – Wharton | |
| Wharton | ​ | | | FM 2546 – Jones Creek | |
| Wharton | ​ | | | FM 2546 north – Jones Creek | |
| Wharton | ​ | | | FM 1300 west | |
| Wharton | El Campo | | | FM 2765 (Loop Street) | |
| Wharton | El Campo | | | FM 653 south (Wharton Street) | |
| Wharton | El Campo | | | I-69 BL / Bus. US 59 – Pierce, Louise | |
| Wharton | El Campo | | | FM 1163 south (2nd Street) | |
| Wharton | El Campo | | | FM 653 north (Wharton Street) | |
| Wharton | El Campo | | | Future I-69 / US 59 – Houston, Wharton, Ganado | I-69/US 59 exit 61; U.S. 59 is the future Interstate 69 |
| Wharton | ​ | | | FM 2674 south | |
| Wharton | Danevang | | | FM 441 north – Hillje | |
| Matagorda | ​ | | | FM 1468 east – Markham | |
| Matagorda | Midfield | | | SH 111 west / FM 2431 east – Edna, Markham | |
| Matagorda | ​ | | | FM 456 east | |
| Matagorda | Blessing | | | SH 35 – Bay City, Palacios | |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access ||||||