U.S. Route 79 in Texas

This article is about the section of U.S. Route 79 in Texas. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 79.

U.S. Highway 79
US 79 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by TxDOT
Length	271.788 mi (437.400 km)
Existed	1935–present
Major junctions
South end	I-35 in Round Rock
Major intersections	I-45 in Buffalo Future I-369/US 59 in Carthage
North end	US 79 at Louisiana state line
Location
Country	United States
State	Texas
Counties	Williamson, Milam, Robertson, Leon, Freestone, Anderson, Cherokee, Rusk, Panola
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided Highways in Texas Interstate US State Toll Loops Spurs FM/RM Park Rec
← SH 78 → SH 79

U.S. Route 79 (US 79) is a U.S. highway that begins in the state of Texas at Interstate 35 in Round Rock. The highway travels northeast–southwest through the state, crossing into Louisiana approximately 23 miles northeast of Carthage. US 79 is entwined with two tragedies of country music: Johnny Horton was killed by a drunk driver on the highway near Milano in 1960 and Jim Reeves, killed in a plane crash in 1964, is buried and memorialized on US 79 in his hometown of Carthage.

Route description

U.S. 79 is the main street of Rockdale in Milam County, Texas.

US 79 begins at an interchange with Interstate 35 in the Austin suburb of Round Rock. The highway travels through the town as Palm Valley Boulevard, entering into the town of Hutto just before an interchange with State Highway 130. Leaving Hutto, US 79 takes a more rural route, bypassing the town of Taylor and enters Milam County right before entering the small community of Thorndale. US 79 runs through the town of Rockdale before entering Milano, where it begins an overlap with U.S. Route 190 and a brief concurrency with State Highway 36. The overlap with US 190 ends in Hearne, where an overlap with State Highway 6 begins. US 79 leaves State Highway 6, resuming its northeast–southwest run. The highway runs through several smaller towns, including Franklin and Buffalo, and begins an overlap with US 84 approximately 9 miles southwest of Palestine. Running through the city, the highway intersects US Route 287 and shares a brief overlap with State Highway 19. Leaving Palestine, US 79 travels through a heavily forested area of east Texas serving the towns of Jacksonville and Henderson. Leaving Henderson, the highway runs in an east–west direction before arriving at Carthage, turning back into a more northeast–southwest direction. About 23 miles northeast of Carthage US 79 leaves Texas and enters into Louisiana, running towards Shreveport.

Junction list

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Williamson	Round Rock			I-35 – Waco, Austin	I-35 exit 253; continuation past I-35 via Sam Bass Road
				Spur 376 north (Mays Street) – Austin, Georgetown
				FM 1460 north (A. W. Grimes Boulevard) – Georgetown
	Hutto			SH 130 Toll – Waco, Lockhart, San Antonio	Interchange; SH 130 exit 423
				FM 685 south – Pflugerville
				FM 1660 north – Jonah	South end of FM 1660 overlap
				FM 1660 south – Norman's Crossing, Coupland	North end of FM 1660 overlap
	​			FM 3349 south – Norman's Crossing
	Taylor			Bus. US 79 north / FM 397 north – Bartlett, Temple, Thorndale	Interchange
				FM 973 south – Manor
				SH 95 – Bartlett, Temple, Coupland, Elgin	Interchange
				FM 112 to FM 619 – Lexington
				Bus. US 79 south – Round Rock	Interchange
				FM 619
	Thrall			FM 1063 north
Milam	Thorndale			FM 486 – San Gabriel, Buckholts
	​			FM 1768 south
	Rockdale			FM 487 south to FM 2116 – Lexington	South end of FM 487 overlap
				FM 908 – Caldwell, San Gabriel
				FM 487 north – Bartlett, Jarrell, Florence	North end of FM 487 overlap
				US 77 – Cameron, Waco, Lexington, Giddings	Interchange
	Milano			US 190 west / SH 36 north – Cameron, Temple, Waco	South end of US 190/SH 36 overlap
				FM 3242 north – Hanover
				SH 36 south – Caldwell, Brenham	North end of SH 36 overlap
	Gause			FM 2095 west – Cameron
Robertson	​			FM 1644 east – Calvert
	Hearne			FM 50 south – Mumford, Brenham
				US 190 east / SH 6 south / FM 391 east – Bryan, College Station, Wheelock	Interchange; northbound exit and southbound entrance; north end of US 190 overlap; south end of SH 6 overlap
				FM 485 west – Branchville, Temple
	​			SH 6 north – Marlin, Waco, Mexia, Dallas	Interchange; north end of SH 6 overlap
	Elliott			FM 2549 south
	Franklin			FM 1644 west – Calvert
				FM 46 – Bremond, Wheelock
				FM 2446 east
	New Baden			FM 1940 south
	Easterly			FM 2098 north – Bald Prairie
Leon	​			FM 3 south – Hilltop Lakes, Normangee
	Marquez			Loop 208 north – Centerville, Crockett
				SH 7 – Kosse, Centerville
				FM 1146 north
	​			FM 1512 north – Lake Limestone
	Jewett			FM 39 – Mexia, Flynn	Interchange
	Buffalo			I-45 – Dallas, Houston	I-45 exit 178
				SH 75 – Fairfield, Centerville	Former US 75
				SH 164 west – Groesbeck, Waco
				FM 1848 north
	​			FM 832 south – Keechi
	Oakwood			FM 542 south to FM 831 – Malvern, Flo
Freestone	​			US 84 west – Fairfield, Teague	Interchange; no northbound exit; south end of US 84 overlap
Anderson	​			SH 294 east – Elkhart, Alto
	Tucker			FM 645 north – Tennessee Colony
	Palestine			FM 1990 south (Knox Street)
				Loop 256 – Corsicana, Athens, Crockett
				FM 2394 west (Court Drive)
				US 287 / US 84 east / SH 19 north – Corsicana, Athens, Crockett, Rusk	North end of US 84 overlap; south end of SH 19 overlap
				SH 155 north – Frankston, Tyler
				SH 19 south – Elkhart, Crockett	North end of SH 19 overlap
				Loop 256 – Tyler, Rusk
	Neches			FM 2574 east to FM 19 north / FM 321 west / FM 2267 north / FM 3372 north – Frankston, Montalba, Pert
				FM 2574 west to FM 19 north / FM 321 west / FM 2267 north – Frankston, Montalba, Pert
Cherokee	​			FM 921 north
	​			FM 747 west
	​			FM 747 south
	Jacksonville			FM 347 south to FM 2138 south – Maydelle, Dialville
				US 69 – Tyler, Rusk, Lufkin
				SH 204 east to Loop 456 west – Reklaw, Nacogdoches, Rusk
	New Summerfield			SH 110 to FM 235 – Tyler, Troup, Rusk, Ponta
	​			FM 856 north
	​			FM 2274 north
	​			FM 2274 south – Ponta
Rusk	​			SH 42 north / FM 1798 east – Kilgore, Laneville, Minden
	​			FM 839 south – Reklaw
	Henderson			Loop 571 north – Tyler, Overton, Kilgore
				FM 225 south – Cushing
				FM 3310 south – Mount Enterprise
				US 259 south – Mount Enterprise, Nacogdoches	South end of US 259 overlap
				FM 840 to FM 13 – Troup
				US 259 north / SH 64 west / SH 43 north – Kilgore, Tyler, Tatum, Marshall	North end of US 259 overlap
				FM 3135 east – Church Hill
	​			FM 348 south – Pine Hill
	​			FM 1798 west / FM 3231 north – Pine Hill, Minden, Tatum	at the Rusk/Panola County Line
Panola	​			FM 124 east / FM 1251 west – Beckville, Church Hill
	​			FM 1970 south – Clayton, Timpson
	​			FM 959 north – Beckville
	Carthage			Bus. US 79 north / Loop 436 south – Mount Enterprise, Tenaha	Interchange; south end of Loop 436 overlap
				SH 149 west / Spur 572 east – Tatum, Longview	Interchange
				Future I-369 north / US 59 north / Bus. US 59 south – Marshall, Texarkana	Interchange; north end of future I-369/US 59 overlap
				Future I-369 south / US 59 south / Bus. US 79 south / Loop 436 south – Nacogdoches, Lufkin, Houston, Beaumont	Interchange; north end of future I-369/US 59/Loop 436 overlap
	​			FM 123 east
	​			FM 1186 north
	DeBerry			FM 31 to FM 1794 – Elysian Fields, Grand Bluff, Marshall, Logansport
	Panola			FM 9 north – Waskom
	​			US 79 north – Greenwood, Shreveport	Continuation into Louisiana
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

External links

• Media related to U.S. Route 79 in Texas at Wikimedia Commons