State Highway 4 (Texas)
Encyclopedia
State Highway 4 or SH 4 is an east–west state highway that runs from the Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville
to the Gulf of Mexico
at Boca Chica State Park
. Outside of Brownsville, it parallels the Rio Grande
river. It is the southernmost Texas state highway.
from Perryton
, Childress
, to Aspermont
. From there, it followed present-day FM 610 and SH 70
to Blackwell
. It then continued down U.S. Highway 277 into Sweetwater
, San Angelo and Sonora
. From there, it split into two routes. The western branch terminated in Del Rio
and the eastern terminated at Uvalde
. The road at this time also had numerous alternate routes simultaneously marked as SH 4, along with occasionally signed SH 4A routes (although most of those routes were given their own numbers by the 1930s).
In 1926, U.S. Highway 83 was routed over SH 4 from Oklahoma
to Del Rio. The eastern branch from Sonora to Del Rio was then given the designation State Highway 55
. Both SH 4 and US 83 were marked concurrently at the time. Unable to create the proposed road, by 1928, a new route was under construction southeast from Aspermont, taking SH 4 through Abilene
and Coleman
to end at Brady
By 1933, SH 4 and US 83 extended through Junction
, Uvalde, Carrizo Springs, Laredo
and finally, Brownsville
, taking over the proposed Del Rio–Laredo
segment of the now severely reworked SH 12
. By 1936, this route was swapped with SH 48. By 1939, the route was turned over to U.S. Route 83, with the only remaining portion of SH 4 being the current routing from Brownsville eastward.
in downtown Brownsville, travelling northeast on International Blvd. A mile later, it reaches the US 77/83 expressway. This first one mile (1.6 km) section was previously the final stretch of US 77 and 83 before they were rerouted to the southeast around downtown to the Veteran's International Bridge
. SH 4 continues northeast, passing the intersection with Farm to Market Road 1418, until it reaches an intersection with SH 48 at Boca Chica Blvd. SH 4 turns east onto Boca Chica Blvd. About a mile to the east is the cutoff for Farm to Market Road 2519, which leads to the Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport
. SH 4 continues east, passing along the north side of the airport grounds and meeting intersections with Farm to Market Roads 313 and 511. SH 4 exits Brownsville continuing east near the southern side of the Port of Brownsville. This section passes a few historical landmarks, including the site of the Battle of Palmito Ranch
, site of the final battle of the American Civil War
. The highway continues east-northeast until it reaches a stop sign at Boca Chica Beach and Brazos Island State Park.
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|Gateway International Bridge
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|Boca Chica State Park
|Eastern terminus
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
to the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
at Boca Chica State Park
Boca Chica State Park
Boca Chica State Park is a Texas state park located in the Boca Chica Subdelta of the Rio Grande near Brownsville in southeastern Cameron County, Texas in the United States. The park was acquired and opened in May 1994.- History :...
. Outside of Brownsville, it parallels the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
river. It is the southernmost Texas state highway.
History
SH 4 was one of the original twenty-six state highways proposed in 1917, overlaid on top of the Del Rio – Canadian Highway. From 1919 the routing mostly followed present-day U.S. Highway 83U.S. Route 83 in Texas
In the U.S. state of Texas, U.S. Highway 83, dedicated as the Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway, is a U.S. Highway that begins at US 77 in Brownsville and follows the Rio Grande to Laredo, then heads north through Abilene to the Oklahoma border north of Perryton, the seat of Ochiltree County...
from Perryton
Perryton, Texas
Perryton is a city in Ochiltree County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,774 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ochiltree County.-Geography:Perryton is located at ....
, Childress
Childress, Texas
Childress is a city in Childress County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,778 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Childress County. Like the county, the city is named for George Campbell Childress, a native of Nashville, Tennessee, who was the principal author of the Texas...
, to Aspermont
Aspermont, Texas
Aspermont is a town in and the county seat of Stonewall County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,021 at the 2000 census. Aspermont means "rough mountain" in Latin....
. From there, it followed present-day FM 610 and SH 70
State Highway 70 (Texas)
State Highway 70 is a state highway in Texas. The route runs approximately from near Blackwell to south of Perryton.-Route description:...
to Blackwell
Blackwell, Texas
Blackwell is a city in Coke and Nolan counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 360 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Blackwell is located at ....
. It then continued down U.S. Highway 277 into Sweetwater
Sweetwater, Texas
Sweetwater is the county seat of Nolan County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,415 at the 2000 census.-History:Sweetwater received a U.S. post office in 1879. The Texas and Pacific Railway started service in 1881, with the first train arriving on March 12 of that year, beginning...
, San Angelo and Sonora
Sonora, Texas
Sonora is the county seat of Sutton County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,924 at the 2000 census.Former State Senator and Lieutenant Governor Bill Ratliff of Mount Pleasant was reared in Sonora and graduated from high school there.-Geography and climate:Sonora is located at ...
. From there, it split into two routes. The western branch terminated in Del Rio
Del Rio, Texas
Del Rio is a border city in and the county seat of Val Verde County, Texas, United States.. Del Rio is connected with Ciudad Acuña via the Lake Amistad Dam International Crossing and Del Río-Ciudad Acuña International Bridge...
and the eastern terminated at Uvalde
Uvalde, Texas
Uvalde is a city in and the county seat of Uvalde County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,929 at the 2000 census.Uvalde was founded by Reading Wood Black in 1853 as the town of Encina. In 1856, when the county was organized, the town was renamed Uvalde for Spanish governor Juan de...
. The road at this time also had numerous alternate routes simultaneously marked as SH 4, along with occasionally signed SH 4A routes (although most of those routes were given their own numbers by the 1930s).
In 1926, U.S. Highway 83 was routed over SH 4 from Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
to Del Rio. The eastern branch from Sonora to Del Rio was then given the designation State Highway 55
State Highway 55 (Texas)
State Highway 55 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Texas. It runs from Uvalde northwestward through the western Hill Country onto the Edwards Plateau, ending south of Sonora.-History:...
. Both SH 4 and US 83 were marked concurrently at the time. Unable to create the proposed road, by 1928, a new route was under construction southeast from Aspermont, taking SH 4 through Abilene
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
and Coleman
Coleman, Texas
Coleman is a city in Coleman County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,127 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Coleman County.-Geography:Coleman is located at ....
to end at Brady
Brady, Texas
Brady is a city in McCulloch County, Texas, United States. Brady refers to itself as "The Heart of Texas", as it is the closest city to the geographical center of the state. The population was 5,523 at the 2000 census...
By 1933, SH 4 and US 83 extended through Junction
Junction, Texas
Junction is a city in and the county seat of Kimble County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,618 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, Uvalde, Carrizo Springs, Laredo
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
and finally, Brownsville
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
, taking over the proposed Del Rio–Laredo
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
segment of the now severely reworked SH 12
State Highway 12 (Texas)
State Highway 12 is an east–west state highway that runs from I-10 in Vidor to Deweyville on the Texas-Louisiana boundary in east Texas. The route was designated in 1959 as a renumbering of SH 235 to smooth the travel transition with Louisiana Highway 12, with which it connects.-Route...
. By 1936, this route was swapped with SH 48. By 1939, the route was turned over to U.S. Route 83, with the only remaining portion of SH 4 being the current routing from Brownsville eastward.
Route description
SH 4 begins at the Gateway International BridgeGateway International Bridge
Gateway International Bridge is one of three international bridges that cross the U.S.-Mexico border between the cities of Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Tamaulipas. It is owned and operated by Cameron County. Over the past century, it has developed the nickname of "The New Bridge" when the...
in downtown Brownsville, travelling northeast on International Blvd. A mile later, it reaches the US 77/83 expressway. This first one mile (1.6 km) section was previously the final stretch of US 77 and 83 before they were rerouted to the southeast around downtown to the Veteran's International Bridge
Veteran's International Bridge
The Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates is one of three international bridges that span the Mexico – United States border between the cities of Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Tamaulipas. It is also known as simply as the Veterans Bridge, the Los Tomates Bridge, or on the Mexico side as...
. SH 4 continues northeast, passing the intersection with Farm to Market Road 1418, until it reaches an intersection with SH 48 at Boca Chica Blvd. SH 4 turns east onto Boca Chica Blvd. About a mile to the east is the cutoff for Farm to Market Road 2519, which leads to the Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport
Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport
-Cargo:The airport is the largest air cargo handling airport in the Rio Grande Valley.Pan American Airways and World-Wide Consolidated Logistics, Inc. will open cargo service to Latin America in 2011. A TSA Certified Cargo Screening Facility is being established by World-Wide Consolidated...
. SH 4 continues east, passing along the north side of the airport grounds and meeting intersections with Farm to Market Roads 313 and 511. SH 4 exits Brownsville continuing east near the southern side of the Port of Brownsville. This section passes a few historical landmarks, including the site of the Battle of Palmito Ranch
Battle of Palmito Ranch
The Battle of Palmito Ranch, also known as the Battle of Palmito Hill and the Battle of Palmetto Ranch, was fought on May 12–13, 1865, during the American Civil War. It was the last major clash of arms in the war...
, site of the final battle of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The highway continues east-northeast until it reaches a stop sign at Boca Chica Beach and Brazos Island State Park.
Junction list
|-|rowspan=7|Brownsville
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
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|Gateway International Bridge
Gateway International Bridge
Gateway International Bridge is one of three international bridges that cross the U.S.-Mexico border between the cities of Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Tamaulipas. It is owned and operated by Cameron County. Over the past century, it has developed the nickname of "The New Bridge" when the...
|Western terminus
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|Boca Chica State Park
Boca Chica State Park
Boca Chica State Park is a Texas state park located in the Boca Chica Subdelta of the Rio Grande near Brownsville in southeastern Cameron County, Texas in the United States. The park was acquired and opened in May 1994.- History :...
|Eastern terminus