Texas State Highway Spur 77
Encyclopedia
Texas State Highway Spur 77 or Spur 77 is a spur road maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)
connecting the University of Texas at Austin's
McDonald Observatory
complex atop Mt. Fowlkes to Spur 78
16.3 miles (26.2 km) from Fort Davis
. The road is 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) long and is located within Jeff Davis County
.
Previously, the route designation belonged to a loop road in the Texas Panhandle
.
in Swisher County
. This original route was in place by the time the state's Highway Designation Files were established in 1939. The Tulia loop began at the intersection of U.S. Route 87
and State Highway 86 and continued east along SH 86 to the present day Farm to Market Road 146. The loop then followed north over the route of FM 146 to the intersection with present day FM 1318. The loop then continued west back to US 87.
In 1951, the loop designation was dropped along the portions following SH 46 and FM 146, and the designation of the remaining portion was eliminated in 1963 with that stretch reassigned to FM 1318.
Laser Ranging System and the Hobby-Eberly Telescope
. The spur then follows 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) along the saddle of a ridge joining Mt. Fowlkes to Mt. Locke until it terminates at Spur 78 1 miles (1.6 km) from SH 118 and 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) from the observatory's facilities atop Mt. Locke.
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...
connecting the University of Texas at Austin's
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
McDonald Observatory
McDonald Observatory
The McDonald Observatory is an astronomical observatory located near the unincorporated community of Fort Davis in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The facility is located on Mount Fowlkes and Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains of West Texas...
complex atop Mt. Fowlkes to Spur 78
Texas State Highway Spur 78
Texas State Highway Spur 78 or Spur 78 is a spur road maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation connecting the University of Texas at Austin's McDonald Observatory complex atop Mt. Locke to State Highway 118 from Fort Davis...
16.3 miles (26.2 km) from Fort Davis
Fort Davis, Texas
Fort Davis is a census-designated place in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,050 at the 2000 census and 1,041 according to a 2007 estimate. It is the county seat of Jeff Davis County...
. The road is 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) long and is located within Jeff Davis County
Jeff Davis County, Texas
Jeff Davis County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is named for Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. In 2000, its population was 2,207, and 2,258 by 2009...
.
Previously, the route designation belonged to a loop road in the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
.
Swisher County
The numerical designation originally belonged to Texas State Highway Loop 77 in the town of TuliaTulia, Texas
Tulia is a city in, and county seat of, Swisher County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,117 at the 2000 census; in the 2005 census estimate, it had fallen to 4,714. The city is at the junction of U.S. Route 87 and Texas State Highway 86, approximately two miles east Interstate 27...
in Swisher County
Swisher County, Texas
Swisher County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 8,378. Its seat is Tulia. The county is named for James G. Swisher, a soldier of the Texas Revolution and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence...
. This original route was in place by the time the state's Highway Designation Files were established in 1939. The Tulia loop began at the intersection of U.S. Route 87
U.S. Route 87 in Texas
In the U.S. state of Texas, U.S. Highway 87 is a north–south U.S. Highway that begins near the Gulf Coast in Port Lavaca, Texas and heads north through San Antonio, Lubbock, and Amarillo to the New Mexico border near Texline....
and State Highway 86 and continued east along SH 86 to the present day Farm to Market Road 146. The loop then followed north over the route of FM 146 to the intersection with present day FM 1318. The loop then continued west back to US 87.
In 1951, the loop designation was dropped along the portions following SH 46 and FM 146, and the designation of the remaining portion was eliminated in 1963 with that stretch reassigned to FM 1318.
Jeff Davis County
The current spur was established in 1991 to provide state highway access to McDonald's growing cluster of observational facilities at the summit of Mt. Fowlkes.Route description
The spur begins at McDonald Observatory's complex of facilities at the summit of Mt. Fowlkes including NASA'sNASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Laser Ranging System and the Hobby-Eberly Telescope
Hobby-Eberly Telescope
The Hobby-Eberly Telescope is a 9.2-meter aperture telescope located at the McDonald Observatory. It combines a number of features that differentiate it from most telescope designs, resulting in greatly lowered construction costs...
. The spur then follows 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) along the saddle of a ridge joining Mt. Fowlkes to Mt. Locke until it terminates at Spur 78 1 miles (1.6 km) from SH 118 and 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) from the observatory's facilities atop Mt. Locke.
Major intersections
See also
- List of highways in Jeff Davis County
- List of state highway spurs in Texas
- McDonald ObservatoryMcDonald ObservatoryThe McDonald Observatory is an astronomical observatory located near the unincorporated community of Fort Davis in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The facility is located on Mount Fowlkes and Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains of West Texas...