Farm to Market Road 171
Encyclopedia
Farm to Market Road 171 is a farm to market road
in Wichita
and Clay
counties, Texas
.
at an intersection with north of the Wichita River
. The route travels east on Lincoln Street to . These two routes are concurrent northbound along King Boulevard before FM 171 turns back to the northeast along Jefferson Street. In the outskirts of Wichita Falls, FM 171 intersects and then , which provides access to Sheppard AFB. From here, the roadway is known as the Upper Charlie Road (as opposed to FM 1740, referred to as Lower Charlie Road or simply Charlie Road). The route crosses the Wichita–Clay county line and meanders through the farming areas of Clay County. It intersects and then near Thornberry
. The highway turns to the east, crossing south of the community of Charlie. FM 171 then enters Byers
, where it has a brief concurrency with through downtown, before it resumes its journey eastward. The roadway then turns southward, roughly paralleling the Red River and the Oklahoma
state line, before FM 171 reaches its eastern terminus at .
FM 171's roadway is generally two-lane and shoulderless, except for the section in the Wichita Falls metropolitan area (from its western terminus to its junction with FM 890) and during its concurrency with SH 79 in Byers.
In 1995, the mileage in the Wichita Falls metropolitan area, from the eastern terminus at US 287 Bus. to the intersection with FM 890, was transferred to Urban Road 171 (UR 171). As with other highways with the urban road designation, TxDOT continues to sign the route using the standard Farm to Market Road marker.
Farm to Market Road
In the United States, a farm-to-market road or ranch-to-market road is a state road or county road which serves to connect rural or agricultural areas to market towns...
in Wichita
Wichita County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 131,664 people, 48,441 households, and 32,891 families residing in the county. The population density was 210 people per square mile . There were 53,304 housing units at an average density of 85 per square mile...
and Clay
Clay County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,006 people, 4,323 households, and 3,181 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 4,992 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...
counties, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Route description
FM 171 begins in Wichita FallsWichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States, United States. Wichita Falls is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay and Wichita counties. According to the U.S. Census estimate of 2010,...
at an intersection with north of the Wichita River
Wichita River
The Wichita River, part of the Red River watershed, lies in north-central Texas. Rising in northeastern Knox County at the confluence of its North and South Forks, the river flows northeast across Baylor, Archer, Wichita, and Clay counties before joining the Red River just west of Byers Bend in...
. The route travels east on Lincoln Street to . These two routes are concurrent northbound along King Boulevard before FM 171 turns back to the northeast along Jefferson Street. In the outskirts of Wichita Falls, FM 171 intersects and then , which provides access to Sheppard AFB. From here, the roadway is known as the Upper Charlie Road (as opposed to FM 1740, referred to as Lower Charlie Road or simply Charlie Road). The route crosses the Wichita–Clay county line and meanders through the farming areas of Clay County. It intersects and then near Thornberry
Thornberry, Texas
Thornberry is an unincorporated community at the intersection of Farm to Market Road 2393 and Farm to Market Road 171 in northwestern Clay County, Texas, United States, just south of the Oklahoma border. The population is approximately 60.-History:...
. The highway turns to the east, crossing south of the community of Charlie. FM 171 then enters Byers
Byers, Texas
Byers is a city in Clay County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Wichita Falls, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 517 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Byers is located at ....
, where it has a brief concurrency with through downtown, before it resumes its journey eastward. The roadway then turns southward, roughly paralleling the Red River and the Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
state line, before FM 171 reaches its eastern terminus at .
FM 171's roadway is generally two-lane and shoulderless, except for the section in the Wichita Falls metropolitan area (from its western terminus to its junction with FM 890) and during its concurrency with SH 79 in Byers.
History
FM 171 was first commissioned in Clay County in 1945. Its original designation was from south of Charlie to Wichita Falls. (SH 148 north of Petrolia would become FM 810 in 1948.)The designation was extended eastward through Byers in 1957. In 1959, US 287 was rerouted in downtown Wichita Falls, and the FM 171 designation was extended along Lincoln Street to its current western terminus. The eastern terminus was extended to the south, first to a county road in 1962, and then to its current location at FM 2332 in 1965.In 1995, the mileage in the Wichita Falls metropolitan area, from the eastern terminus at US 287 Bus. to the intersection with FM 890, was transferred to Urban Road 171 (UR 171). As with other highways with the urban road designation, TxDOT continues to sign the route using the standard Farm to Market Road marker.