U.S. Route 277 (US 277, US-277) is a north–south

United States Highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...

that is a spur route of

U.S. Route 77 U.S. Route 77 (US 77) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway which extends for in the central United States. As of 2005, Its southern terminus is in Brownsville, Texas, at Veteran's International Bridge on the U.S.-Mexico borde ...

. It no longer connects to its parent route, US 77, although it does intersect another one of its spurs ( U.S. Route 377). It runs for 633 miles (1,019 km) across

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. US 277's northern terminus is in

Newcastle, Oklahoma Newcastle is a city in McClain County, Oklahoma, United States, and part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. The population was 10,984 at the 2020 census and an estimated 13,055 in 2022. History Newcastle became a dot on the map with the ...

Interstate 44 Interstate 44 (I-44) is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Although it is nominally an east–west road as it is even-numbered, it follows a more southwest–northeast alignment. Its western terminus is in Wichita Falls, T ...

, which is also the northern terminus of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike. Its southern terminus is in Carrizo Springs, Texas at U.S. Route 83. It passes through the states of Oklahoma and Texas. Most of U.S. 277's route through the two states overlaps other U.S. highways. Those include U.S. 62 from

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

to Chickasha, Oklahoma, U.S. 62 and U.S. 281 from five miles (8 km) west of

Elgin Elgin may refer to: Places Canada * Elgin County, Ontario * Elgin Settlement, a 19th-century community for freed slaves located in present-day North Buxton and South Buxton, Ontario * Elgin, a village in Rideau Lakes, Ontario * Elgin, Manit ...

, Oklahoma, to Lawton, U.S. 281 from Lawton to

Wichita Falls Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita Counties. According to ...

, Texas, U.S. 82 from Wichita Falls to Seymour, Texas, and U.S. 83 from Anson, Texas to Abilene, Texas. Through the Lawton area and again from Randlett, Oklahoma, to near downtown Wichita Falls, U.S. 277 is also co-signed with

I-44 Interstate 44 (I-44) is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Although it is nominally an east–west road as it is even-numbered, it follows a more southwest–northeast alignment. Its western terminus is in Wichita Falls, T ...

Route description

, - , TX , 508.9 , 819.0 , - , OK , 124.1 , 199.7

Texas

The highway begins at an intersection with US 83 in Carrizo Springs, about 60 miles northwest of Laredo. The highway runs in an east-west direction, until reaching Eagle Pass. From here to Del Rio, the highway parallels the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...

at the U.S.-Mexico border. The highway overlaps

US 377 U.S. Route 377 (US 377) is a north–south United States highway. Originally formed as a short spur to connect Denton and Fort Worth, Texas, it has since been extended northward into Oklahoma and southward to Del Rio, Texas, near the ...

for about 26 miles, with the highways passing the Amistad National Recreation Area. US 277 crosses

I-10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the originall ...

near

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

, before traveling to Eldorado and eventually

San Angelo San Angelo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tom Green County, Texas, United States. Its location is in the Concho Valley, a region of West Texas between the Permian Basin (North America), Permian Basin to the northwest, Chihuahuan Desert ...

. The highway overlaps both

US 67 U.S. Route 67 is a major north–south U.S. highway which extends for 1,560 miles (2,511 km) in the Central United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in Presidio, Texas Presidio is a c ...

and

US 87 U.S. Highway 87 (US 87) is a north–south United States highway (though it is signed east–west in New Mexico) that runs for from northern Montana to southern Texas, making it the longest north–south road to not have a "1" in ...

in the city. In Abilene, the highway overlaps with US 83 and

US 84 U.S. Route 84 (US 84) is an east–westUS 84 was signed north-south in parts of Colorado and New Mexico. United States Numbered Highway that started as a short Georgia–Alabama route in the original 1926 scheme. Later, in 1941, it ha ...

, with the latter leaving shortly after. US 83 leaves in Anson, traveling to Aspermont, while US 277 travels to Stamford. In Seymour,

US 82 U.S. Route 82 (US 82) is an east–west United States Numbered Highways, United States highway in the Southern United States. Created on July 1, 1931 across central Mississippi and southern Arkansas, US 82 eventually became a route extend ...

begins an overlap with US 277. The two highways enter the city of

, with US 82 leaving the highway at US 281/

US 287 U.S. Route 287 (US 287) is a north–south (physically northwest–southeast) United States highway. At long, it is the second longest three-digit U.S. Route, behind U.S. Route 281, US 281. The highway is broken into two segments by Ye ...

. US 277 joins US 281/287 and the three highways travel into the downtown area of the city, where

begins. US 287 leaves the freeway, while I-44/US 277/US 281 travel to Burkburnett, before crossing the Red River into

Oklahoma

U.S 277 and 281 enter into Oklahoma with Interstate 44 from Texas by crossing the Red River. After six miles, U.S. 277-281 leave the H.E. Bailey Turnpike and run concurrently for three miles eastward with U.S. 70. On the outskirts of Randlett, this ends as U.S. 277-281 turn northward and pass under I-44 (with no interchange there) before entering Cookietown. North of Cookietown, U.S. 277-281 travel along SH 5. Near the town of

Geronimo Gerónimo (, ; June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a military leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apache people. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Central Apache bands the Tchihen ...

, U.S. 277-281 join I-44 at Exit 30 to bypass Lawton, but separate once again along with U.S. 62 north of the city at Exit 46. After a distance just under four miles, U.S. 277 separates from U.S. 62-281 and heads east for the town of

. The route proceeds from there to serve several other towns bypassed by I-44, such as Fletcher,

Cyril Cyril (also Cyrillus or Cyryl) is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Greek language, Greek name (''Kýrillos''), meaning 'lordly, masterful', which in turn derives from Greek (''kýrios'') 'lord'. There are various variant forms of t ...

, and

Cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...

, crossing the turnpike twice without direct access. Entering the town of Chickasha with U.S. 81, U.S. 277 turns east along U.S. 62 and follows it all the way to its northern terminus at I-44 near Newcastle. From Newcastle to the Red River north of Wichita Falls, Texas, U.S. 277 (and concurrent sections of U.S. 62, U.S. 81 and U.S. 281) serves as an alternate free route to the two sections of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike between Oklahoma City and the Red River from Newcastle southwest of Oklahoma to near Medicine Park north of Lawton and from near Geronimo south of Lawton to Randlett just north of the Red River near Burkburnett, Texas.

History

When US 277 was commissioned in 1930, it ended at the

Mexico–United States border The international border separating Mexico and the United States extends from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from urban areas to deserts. It is the List of ...

in Del Rio, Texas. It was extended southeast to its present terminus in 1952. The original northern terminus was in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

at its intersection with parent route US 77 and US 62. The northern terminus remained there until 1964. when it was truncated to its present terminus following the completion of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike and the connecting US 62 freeway into Oklahoma City, which would become

in the 1980s. The section of highway through

was recently upgraded to a freeway. Known as Kell Boulevard, the freeway opened in late-2009/early-2010. As of February 2010, US 277 allows a speed limit of only in Dimmit County, Texas.

Future

On March 15, 2022, a bill was signed by President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

that added the extension of I-27 north to

Raton, New Mexico Raton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Colfax County, New Mexico, Colfax County in northeastern New Mexico, United States. The city is located just south of Raton Pass. The city is also located about 6.5 miles south of the New Mexico–Col ...

, and south to Laredo to the Interstate Highway System. The extension would utilize the US 277 corridor between

and Carrizo Springs, Texas.

Major intersections

Business routes

Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls metropolitan area, Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Archer County, Tex ...

(Bus. US 277-A) * Holliday, Texas (Bus. US 277-B) * Seymour, Texas (Bus. US 277-C) *

Munday, Texas Munday ( ) is a city in Knox County, Texas, Knox County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,246 at the 2010 United States Census, 2020 census. Geography Munday is located at the junction of U.S. Route 277#Texas, U.S. Highway 277, Texas S ...

(Bus. US 277-E) * Weinert, Texas (Bus. US 277-F) * Haskell, Texas (Bus. US 277-G) * Stamford, Texas (Bus. US 277-N) *

Eagle Pass, Texas Eagle Pass is a city in and the county seat of Maverick County, Texas, United States. Its population was 28,130 as of the 2020 census. Eagle Pass borders the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, which is to the southwest and across the ...

(Bus. US 277-P)

Former Lawton business route

The former route of U.S. 277 (and 281) through the City of Lawton via 2nd Street and 11th Street (and a diagonal street connecting those two streets) has been designated as U.S. 281 Business since the completion of Lawton's Pioneer Expressway (now I-44) in 1964 from present I-44 Exit 39-B to Exit 33. Present U.S. 281 Business and former U.S. 277-281 follows 2nd Street south of I-44 (Exit 39B) into the downtown area and south of Lee Boulevard (Oklahoma 7), curves into the diagonal route to 11th Street and still locally designated by the City of Lawton as Highway 277 even though it is officially designated as U.S. 281 Business. From the end of the diagonal route at 11th and Tennessee Avenue south past the Lawton-Fort Sill Regional Airport to Exit 33 of Interstate 44, the former U.S. 277-281 and current U.S. Business 281 route follows 11th Street. South of this point, U.S. 281 Business ends/begins and current U.S. 277-281 continues to run concurrent with I-44 for another 3 miles to Exit 30 (the starting/ending point for the southern section of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike), bypassing 3 miles of the former U.S. 277-281 concurrency that followed 11th Street south of Lawton until the completion of the present I-44 route south of Lawton in 1964, when the former highway reverted to local jurisdiction. At Exit 31, Oklahoma 36 begins its route to Chattanooga and Grandfield west of I-44 while U.S. 277-281 uses the same route east of the interstate for a half-mile and turning south toward Geronimo, over the continuation of Lawton's 11th Street.

References

External links