U.S. Route 285 in Texas
 U.S. Highway 285 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US 285 in Texas highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by TxDOT | ||||
| Length | 169.372 mi[1] (272.578 km) | |||
| Existed | 1935[1]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  US 90 in Sanderson | |||
  I-10 / US 67 in Fort Stockton I-20 in Pecos | ||||
| North end |  US 285 at Texas–New Mexico state line | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Texas | |||
| Counties | Terrell, Pecos, Reeves, Culberson | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
U.S. Highway 285 (US 285) travels from Sanderson, Texas to Denver, Colorado. In Texas, US 285 begins at an intersection with US 90 in Sanderson, traveling through Fort Stockton and Pecos before exiting the state into New Mexico between Pecos and Carlsbad.
Route description
[edit]US 285 begins at an intersection with U.S. Route 90 in Sanderson, just west of the downtown area. The highway travels through highly rural areas of Terrell and Pecos County before entering Fort Stockton. In Fort Stockton, US 285 shares a short overlap with U.S. Route 385 and meets Interstate 10 before leaving the town. US 285 has an interchange with Farm to Market Road 1776, which serves the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company test track. After FM 1776, US 285 takes on a highly rural route until entering Pecos, where the highway meets with Interstate 20. US 285 briefly runs through Culberson County before crossing the state line into New Mexico.
US 285 has acquired the nickname "Death Highway" because the traffic from oil tank trucks has increased the number of road fatalities by 67% since the beginning of the 2010s oil boom.[2]
Junction list
[edit]| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terrell | Sanderson | 0.0 | 0.0 | US 90 – Marathon, Dryden | |
| Pecos | | 14.8 | 23.8 |     RM 2400 east to SH 349 | |
| Fort Stockton | 63.8 | 102.7 |     US 385 north / I-10 BL east – Ozona | South end of US 385/BL I-10 overlap | |
| 64.2 | 103.3 |  FM 1053 north (Main Street) | |||
| 64.4 | 103.6 |  US 385 south – Big Bend National Park | North end of US 385 overlap | ||
| 64.6 | 104.0 |   SH 18 north (Front Street) | Access to Pecos County Memorial Hospital | ||
| 65.2 | 104.9 |  I-10 BL west (Dickinson Boulevard) – Balmorhea, Alpine | North end of BL I-10 overlap | ||
| 66.0 | 106.2 | I-10 / US 67 – El Paso, Ozona | I-10 exit 257 | ||
| | 77.4 | 124.6 |  FM 1776 – Coyanosa | Interchange | |
| Reeves | | 99.9 | 160.8 |  FM 2007 south | |
| | 113.9 | 183.3 |  FM 1450 east | ||
| Pecos | 115.4 | 185.7 | I-20 – El Paso, Monahans | I-20 exit 42 | |
| 117.4 | 188.9 |  I-20 BL | Former US 80 | ||
| 118.1 | 190.1 |   FM 1216 north to FM 3398 | |||
| | 134.6 | 216.6 |  SH 302 east – Mentone | ||
| Orla | 155.7 | 250.6 |  RM 652 – Jal | ||
| Culberson | | 169.8 | 273.3 | US 285 north – Carlsbad | Texas–New Mexico state line |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
[edit]- ^ a b Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "U.S. Highway No. 285". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
- ^ Herrera, Anthony D. (December 16, 2019). "Both Lovers and Haters of Christmas Can Find Their Kin in This Week's Podmass—Boomtown: Highway to Hell". The A.V. Club. G/O Media. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.