State Highway 342, abbreviated SH 342, is a 15.373 miles (24.74 km) state highway

State highway

State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...

 in the U.S. state

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...

. The highway begins at a junction with U.S. Highway 77 (US 77) in Red Oak

Red Oak, Texas

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 and heads north through Lancaster

Lancaster, Texas

Lancaster is a city in Dallas County, Texas, United States. The population was 25,894 at the 2000 census.Lancaster is a suburb of Dallas, Texas and is part of the Best Southwest area, which includes Lancaster, Cedar Hill, DeSoto, and Duncanville. Most of the city is in Dallas County. But a...

 to a junction with Loop 12

State Highway Loop 12 (Texas)

Loop 12 is a state highway that runs mostly within the city limits of Dallas, Texas. During the 1950s and 60s, Loop 12 was the outer beltway in the Dallas area, having since been supplanted by Interstate 635, which is itself being supplanted by the President George Bush Turnpike...

 (Loop 12) in Dallas

Dallas, Texas

Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

.

History

SH 342 was designated in 1941 over a former alignment of US 77 from the current alignment of US 77 in Red Oak

Red Oak, Texas

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 to Spur 260 (Commerce Street) in Dallas

Dallas, Texas

Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

. In 1991, the northern terminus was changed to I-30 with the removal of the portion north of I-30 from the State Highway System and returned to the city of Dallas. In 1992, the highway was further truncated to Loop 12. The section from I-30 to Corinth Street in Dallas was removed from the State Highway System and returned to the city of Dallas. The section from Downtown Dallas

Downtown Dallas

Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District...

 to Loop 12 was redesignated as a principal arterial street known as Lancaster Road, Corinth Street Road, Corinth Street Viaduct, then finally as Industrial Boulevard at its terminus.

Route description

SH 342 begins at a junction with US 77 in Red Oak

Red Oak, Texas

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. It heads north from this junction to two other intersections in Red Oak

Red Oak, Texas

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, FM 2377 (locally known as Louise Ritter Boulevard) and FM 664 (locally known as Ovilla Road). Heading towards the north, the highway continues to an intersection with Interstate 20 in Dallas

Dallas, Texas

Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

. SH 342 reaches its northern terminus at Loop 12

State Highway Loop 12 (Texas)

Loop 12 is a state highway that runs mostly within the city limits of Dallas, Texas. During the 1950s and 60s, Loop 12 was the outer beltway in the Dallas area, having since been supplanted by Interstate 635, which is itself being supplanted by the President George Bush Turnpike...

 in Dallas

Dallas, Texas

Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

.

Junction list

County	Location	Junction	Notes
Ellis Ellis County, Texas As of the census of 2000, there were 111,360 people, 37,020 households, and 29,653 families residing in the county. The population density was 118 people per square mile . There were 39,071 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile...	Red Oak Red Oak, Texas -External links:* * * * * *...		Interchange
Dallas Dallas County, Texas As of the census of 2000, there were 2,218,899 people, 807,621 households, and 533,837 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,523 people per square mile . There were 854,119 housing units at an average density of 971/sq mi...	Lancaster Lancaster, Texas Lancaster is a city in Dallas County, Texas, United States. The population was 25,894 at the 2000 census.Lancaster is a suburb of Dallas, Texas and is part of the Best Southwest area, which includes Lancaster, Cedar Hill, DeSoto, and Duncanville. Most of the city is in Dallas County. But a...	Belt Line Road Belt Line Road (Texas) Belt Line Road is a loop road that traverses through 16 cities in Dallas County, Texas. Belt Line Road is the outer complete loop which encircles Dallas, in contrast with Interstate 635 which forms an inner loop....
	Dallas