U.S. Route 80

U.S. Route 80 is an east–west United States highway, much of which was once part of the early auto trail known as the Dixie Overland Highway. As the "0" in the route number indicates, it was originally a cross-country route, from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. However, the entire segment west of Dallas, Texas, has been decommissioned in favor of various Interstate highways and state highways. Currently, the highway's western terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 30 on the Dallas–Mesquite, Texas city line. The highway's eastern terminus is in Tybee Island, Georgia, at the intersection of Butler Avenue, Inlet Avenue, and Tybrisa Street, near the Atlantic Ocean.

Route description

Texas

Modern US 80 begins as a significant component of the urban freeway system of Dallas, Texas. With Spur 557, it serves as the shortest freeway route from the central and northern portions of Dallas to Interstate 20, heading east towards Shreveport, Louisiana.

From its origin at Interstate 30 in eastern Dallas, through its interchange with the Interstate 635 "LBJ" Loop, to its junction with Interstate 20 southwest of Terrell, US 80/Texas Spur 557 is a full interstate-grade limited-access freeway. (This freeway was originally built as Interstate 20 but was rerouted south of Dallas in 1971 and 1991.) In western Terrell, US 80 leaves the freeway, which continues southeast as (unsigned) Spur 557 to Interstate Highway 20, while US 80 runs north of Interstate 20 through a number of small towns and cities, including Terrell, Mineola, Longview, and Marshall. It rejoins Interstate Highway 20 for about five miles, before splitting to pass through downtown Waskom before crossing into Louisiana.

U.S. Route 80 in New Mexico

U.S. Route 80 (US 80) was a major transcontinental highway in the U.S. state of New Mexico from November 11, 1926, to October 12, 1991. Nationally, US 80 stretched from San Diego, California to Tybee Island, Georgia, going through southern New Mexico from El Paso, Texas, through the towns of Las Cruces, Deming and Lordsburg before entering Arizona. US 80 was a modest 191 miles (307 km) long (compared to US 80 in Arizona which was almost 500 miles (800 km) long) and was eventually replaced by Interstate 10, US 70 and child route US 180, leading to the complete removal of US 80 in New Mexico.State Road 80 is a remnant of this route.

History

U.S. Route 80 in Texas

U.S. Route 80 is a U.S. highway that begins in the state of Texas in Dallas at an interchange with I-30. US 80 runs in an east-west direction for most of its length from Dallas to Louisiana.

History

The current route of US 80 in Texas is significantly shorter than it was when the highway was completed in 1931. The highway used to run from the New Mexico state line, near El Paso, to the Louisiana state line. Much of the highway was bypassed/replaced by the Interstate Highway System. US 80 has been replaced by I-10 from New Mexico to I-20, southwest of Pecos. The rest of the highway has been replaced by I-20 from here to the highway's current start in Dallas. The old highway has since been replaced by local roads and state highways (see below).

Route description

Dallas to Terrell

The current highway begins as a freeway at I-30 in Dallas, almost in Mesquite. This freeway runs from Dallas to Spur 557 between Forney and Terrell. This freeway was originally part of I-20 and is built to Interstate standards. The freeway passes through the suburbs of Mesquite, Sunnyvale (the only freeway to directly serve the town), and Forney.