Farm to Market Road 50
Encyclopedia
Farm to Market Road 50, Farm Road 50, or FM 50, is a Farm to Market Road in the U.S. state
of Texas
maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)
. The 52.9 miles (85.1 km) route begins at State Highway 105 near Brenham
and passes to the north through Independence
to U.S. Route 79 and U.S. Route 190
near Hearne
. The road has a brief concurrency
with along a bridge crossing the Brazos River
. The road is in Washington, Burleson, Brazos
, and Robertson counties.
The road was originally designated in 1942 along the portion of the present route north of SH 21. The road was briefly extended through Snook
to at Lyons
before being rerouted over its current route through Independence to SH 105.
FM 50 was first designated in 1942 between US 79 and SH 21 and then extended later that year to the intersection of the present known before then as and then continued to the southwest along the current FM 60 through Snook and Center Line to SH 36 at Lyons. SH 230 was then decommissioned being replaced by FM 50 to Lyons and the newly designated FM 60 to College Station
.
The following year, the stretch of road to Lyons was added as an extension of FM 60, and FM 50 was rerouted southward through Independence incorporating SH 211 to the former , now SH 105, near Brenham.
FM 50 begins at SH 105 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Brenham in Washington County. The road proceeds to the north passing Brenham Municipal Airport and intersecting FM 2621 near Prairie Hill before crossing at Independence. The road continues northward passing through Jerry's Quarters and crossing Yegua Creek where the road enters Burleson County. North of the creek, the road crosses the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway at Clay.
Further north, FM 50 intersects FM 1361 at Wilcox. After crossing Old River, the road changes course to the northwest crossing north of Snook and FM 166 near Foster Store. Further northwest, the road passes through Grant before merging with SH 21. The combined route to the northeast crosses the Brazos River entering Brazos County with FM 50 separating from SH 21 on the other side. The route then goes to the north largely following the Union Pacific Railroad
through Law, Sims, an intersection with at Mudville, and Mooring.
North of Mooring, FM 50 crosses into Robertson County and crosses merging Union Pacific tracks at Mumford
. The road then follows along the railroad to the northwest crossing the tracks immediately before the road terminates at the combined route of US 79 and US 190 southeast of Hearne.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)
Texas Department of Transportation
The Texas Department of Transportation is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of Texas. Its stated mission is to "work cooperatively to provide safe, effective and efficient movement of people and goods" throughout the state...
. The 52.9 miles (85.1 km) route begins at State Highway 105 near Brenham
Brenham, Texas
Brenham is a city in east-central Texas in Washington County, Texas, United States, with a population of 16,147 according to the 2009 census. It is the county seat of Washington County...
and passes to the north through Independence
Independence, Texas
Independence is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Texas, United States. Located twelve miles northeast of Brenham, it was founded in 1835 in Austin's colony of Anglo Americans. It became a Baptist religious and educational center of the Republic of Texas...
to U.S. Route 79 and U.S. Route 190
U.S. Route 190 in Texas
US 190 is a major east-west highway that starts in Texas. The highway begins at I-10 about 20 miles west of Iraan. The highway shares overlaps with Interstates 35 and 45. US 190 is a freeway from Fort Hood near Copperas Cove to I-35 in Belton. The freeway is known as Central Texas Expressway...
near Hearne
Hearne, Texas
Hearne is a city in Robertson County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,690 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area...
. The road has a brief concurrency
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
with along a bridge crossing the Brazos River
Brazos River
The Brazos River, called the Rio de los Brazos de Dios by early Spanish explorers , is the longest river in Texas and the 11th longest river in the United States at from its source at the head of Blackwater Draw, Curry County, New Mexico to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a drainage...
. The road is in Washington, Burleson, Brazos
Brazos County, Texas
Brazos County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas in the Central Texas region. In 2010, its population was 194,851. The county seat is Bryan and it is part of the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area. Brazos is named for the Brazos River, along with Brazoria...
, and Robertson counties.
The road was originally designated in 1942 along the portion of the present route north of SH 21. The road was briefly extended through Snook
Snook, Texas
Snook is a city in Burleson County, Texas, United States. The population was 568 at the 2000 census.Snook is home to Frank Sodolak of Sodolak's Original Country Inn, the inventor and first known restaurant to serve chicken fried bacon....
to at Lyons
Lyons, Texas
Lyons is an unincorporated community in Burleson County, Texas, United States. Although it is unincorporated, Lyons has a post office, with the ZIP code of 77863.-External links:...
before being rerouted over its current route through Independence to SH 105.
History
The portion of FM 50 south of Independence was originally designated sometime between 1933 and 1936. By 1939 that highway was decommissioned but reinstated in 1940.FM 50 was first designated in 1942 between US 79 and SH 21 and then extended later that year to the intersection of the present known before then as and then continued to the southwest along the current FM 60 through Snook and Center Line to SH 36 at Lyons. SH 230 was then decommissioned being replaced by FM 50 to Lyons and the newly designated FM 60 to College Station
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
.
The following year, the stretch of road to Lyons was added as an extension of FM 60, and FM 50 was rerouted southward through Independence incorporating SH 211 to the former , now SH 105, near Brenham.
Route description
Further north, FM 50 intersects FM 1361 at Wilcox. After crossing Old River, the road changes course to the northwest crossing north of Snook and FM 166 near Foster Store. Further northwest, the road passes through Grant before merging with SH 21. The combined route to the northeast crosses the Brazos River entering Brazos County with FM 50 separating from SH 21 on the other side. The route then goes to the north largely following the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
through Law, Sims, an intersection with at Mudville, and Mooring.
North of Mooring, FM 50 crosses into Robertson County and crosses merging Union Pacific tracks at Mumford
Mumford, Texas
Mumford is an unincorporated community in Robertson County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area. Its elevation is , and it is located at...
. The road then follows along the railroad to the northwest crossing the tracks immediately before the road terminates at the combined route of US 79 and US 190 southeast of Hearne.