State Highway 211 (SH 211), also known as the Texas Research Parkway and the Hill Country Parkway, is an 18.8-mile (30.3 km) state highway west of the city of San Antonio in the U.S. state of Texas. It runs from U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) to SH 16, crossing between Bexar County and Medina County. Designated in 1986 as an access route to the Texas Research Park, the route was composed of two disconnected sections—a southern segment from US 90 to Farm to Market Road 1957 (FM 1957) and a northern segment from FM 471 to SH 16—before the gap was closed in 2022.
 State Highway 211 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hill Country Parkway | ||||
 SH 211, highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by TxDOT | ||||
| Length | 18.807 mi[1][2] (30.267 km) | |||
| Existed | 1986–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  US 90 near Castroville | |||
| North end |  SH 16 in San Geronimo | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Texas | |||
| Counties | Bexar, Medina | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Route description
editSH 211 begins at a diamond interchange with US 90 in western Bexar County. The route travels to the north as a two-lane highway and is known as either the Texas Research Parkway or the Hill Country Parkway, providing access to the Texas Research Park and a Citi service center.[3][4] After 3.7 miles (6.0 km), it reaches FM 1957 just east of the Bexar–Medina county line.[5] The route continues north, crossing back and forth between the two counties before reaching FM 471 in Medina County. From here, SH 211 crosses back over into Bexar County, passing briefly through the San Antonio city limits, before ending at an at-grade intersection with SH 16.[6] The section between FM 471 and SH 16 features the occasional passing lane in both directions.[citation needed]
The northern segment of the roadway includes a design to provide protection to the Edwards Aquifer, the drinking water supply of San Antonio. To prevent runoff from the highway entering the aquifer, a 555-foot-long (169 m) bridge was sealed to prevent it from leaking and an aqueduct was constructed nearby to carry the runoff.[7]
The traffic volume of the highway differs between the southern and northern sections, with the southern section seeing a traffic volume six times that of the northern section. In 2005, the southern section had a traffic volume of 6,450 annual average daily traffic (AADT), which increased to 6,700 AADT in 2006. The traffic volume of the northern section saw a slight increase from 2005 to 2006 as well: in 2005, it had a traffic volume of 1,000 AADT near the southern end of the road and 1,300 AADT near the northern end, and in 2006, these numbers had increased to 1,050 and 1,550 AADT, respectively.[2][needs update]
History
editA previous route numbered SH 211 was designated on August 1, 1934,[8] on a route from Brenham northward to Independence.[9] On January 26, 1935, it was extended north to Clay.[10] On July 15, 1935, this extension was cancelled.[11] On January 6, 1939, the remainder of SH 211 was cancelled.[12] On January 22, 1940, the SH 211 was restored south of Old Independence. On October 26, 1942, SH 211 was cancelled, and its mileage was transferred to FM 50 and Spur 197.
The current alignment was designated on March 31, 1986, from US 90 northward to SH 16. On November 29, 1988, the designation was extended northeastward from SH 16 to FM 3351; however, this segment was never constructed.[1] The southern portion, from US 90 to FM 1957, was the first to be completed with the interchange at US 90 and the bridge over Lucas Creek completed in 1990.[13][14][15] The northern portion, from FM 471 to SH 16, was completed in 1991 with the completion of the bridges over San Geronimo Creek.[16][17][7]
Plans to close the gap between FM 1957 and FM 471 were stymied by insufficient funds available to complete the nearly 8-mile (12.9 km) project and right-of-way acquisition. In 2007, TxDOT only had $7.7 million of the $30 million required for construction costs.[18] Bexar County was to pay for the balance of the project costs, with TxDOT reimbursing the county when funds became available.[19] Relocation assistance was provided to landowners to persuade them to sell their property for the project. Local opposition to the extension cited greater highway needs elsewhere, environmental concerns in the corridor, and a reluctance to sell land needed for the highway as chief concerns of the highway, while support for the route indicated the belief that it would provide relief to nearby Loop 1604.[18]
The findings for the environmental impact study were released by July 2017, and construction broke ground in late 2020.[20] The route was completed and opened to traffic in November 2022.[21][22] The total cost of the project was $33 million.[23]
Major intersections
edit| County | Location | mi[2] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bexar | | 0.0 | 0.0 | US 90 – Hondo, San Antonio | Southern terminus; continues as Masterson Road |
| | 3.7 | 6.0 |  FM 1957 – Rio Medina, San Antonio | ||
| Medina | | 11.4 | 18.3 |  FM 471 – Castroville, San Antonio | |
| Bexar | | 18.8 | 30.3 | SH 16 (Bandera Road) – Bandera, San Antonio | Northern terminus |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway No. 211". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 12, 2006.
- ^ a b c "Statewide Planning Map". Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ Lorek, L.A. (August 4, 2004). "Texas Research Park might sell 200 acres to fund venture capital". San Antonio Express-News.
- ^ Hipp, Laura (June 12, 1998). "Citicorp starts new building". San Antonio Express-News. p. 1E.
- ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2018). Texas County Mapbook (PDF) (Map) (2018 ed.). 1:72,224. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 1867. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
- ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2018). Texas County Mapbook (PDF) (Map) (2018 ed.). 1:72,224. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 1828. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
- ^ a b Coburn, James (October 30, 1991). "W. Bexar highway section opens New part of Texas 211 designed to protect aquifer". San Antonio Express-News. p. 9A.
- ^ Texas State Highway Commission (1935). Official Map of the Highway System of Texas (Map) (1935 ed.). Austin: Texas State Highway Commission.
- ^ Texas State Highway Department. "Minute Orders of the July 30, 1934 Meeting of the Texas State Highway Department" (PDF). Austin: Texas State Highway Department. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- ^ Texas State Highway Department. "Minute Orders of the January 26, 1935 Meeting of the Texas State Highway Department" (PDF). Austin: Texas State Highway Department. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- ^ Texas State Highway Department. "Minute Orders of the July 15, 1935 Meeting of the Texas State Highway Department" (PDF). Austin: Texas State Highway Department. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- ^ Texas State Highway Department. "Minute Orders of the January 6, 1939 Meeting of the Texas State Highway Department" (PDF). Austin: Texas State Highway Department. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- ^ Staff. "US 90 interchange". National Bridge Inventory. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved March 31, 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Staff. "Lucas Creek bridge". National Bridge Inventory. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved March 31, 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Staff. "Texas Research Park Timeline". Texas Research & Technology Foundation. Archived from the original on September 16, 2007. Retrieved April 1, 2008.
- ^ Staff. "Southern San Geronimo Creek bridge". National Bridge Inventory. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved March 31, 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Staff. "Northern San Geronimo Creek bridge". National Bridge Inventory. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved March 31, 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Lucio, Valentino (July 30, 2007). "Funds, right of way lacking to begin building Texas 211". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved February 20, 2008. [dead link]
- ^ Conger, Joe (August 10, 2007). "TxDOT plans to extend SH 211 to relieve traffic congestion". San Antonio, Texas: KENS-TV. Archived from the original on August 13, 2007. Retrieved April 1, 2008.
- ^ "San Antonio Area Roads & More – SH 211". texashighwayman.com. July 22, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
- ^ Santana, Steven (November 10, 2022). "Bexar County to open $30M Highway 211 extension on the Far Westside next week". mysanantonio.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ Torres, Chelsea (November 28, 2022). "New West side highway helps expand growth". KABB. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ Bailey, W. Scott (November 15, 2022). "New state highway project to drive more Far West development". San Antonio Business Journal. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
External links
edit