Texas State Highway 40

Infobox TX State Highway
type=State
route=40

---

length_mi=3.2Texas Department of Transportation, [http://www.dot.state.tx.us/tpp/hwy/sh/sh0040.htm] ]
length_km=5.1
formed=1994
dir1=West
dir2=East
from=
to= in College Station
previous_type=State
previous_route=39
next_type=State
next_route=41

State Highway 40, or William D. Fitch Parkway, runs from FM 2154 (Wellborn Road) at South Graham Road to SH 6 in College Station. The current SH 40 was authorized in 1994. Signage for the highway went up March 2006 and the road was officially opened June 23, 2006.

History

A previous highway, also called SH 40, existed from before 1920 until the mid 1930s, and ran from the Texas-Oklahoma boundary north of Gainesville down through Denton, Dallas and Beaumont before ending in Port Arthur. There was also a spur route that went from Denton and ended in Fort Worth. All parts of this route were supplanted by highways in the U.S. Highway system by 1935.

The Gainesville to Dallas portion became US 77 in 1929. In 1932, the Dallas to Jacksonville stretch had become part of US 175, while the Denton to Fort Worth spur had become part of US 377. The last remaining portion of old SH 40, Jacksonville to Port Arthur, became part of US 69 in 1935.

Interstates 35E and 35W roughly follow the old SH 40 routes from Dallas and Fort Worth, respectively, to Denton, and the old route from Denton north is approximated by I-35.

References