State Highway 73 or SH 73 is a Texas state highway that runs 42 miles (67.6 km) from Winnie

Winnie, Texas

Winnie is a census-designated place in Chambers County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,914 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Winnie is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land.-Historical development:The town plat was filed in...

 through Port Arthur

Port Arthur, Texas

-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 57,755 people, 21,839 households, and 14,675 families residing in the city. The population density was 696.5 people per square mile . There were 24,713 housing units at an average density of 298.0 per square mile...

 to near Orange

Orange, Texas

Orange is a city in Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 18,643. It is the county seat of Orange County, and is the easternmost city in Texas. Located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, it is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur...

.

In September 2008, Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...

 forced the closure of SH 73. Among other road debris

Road debris

Road debris, a form of road hazard, is debris on or off a road. Road debris includes substances, materials, and objects that are foreign to the normal roadway environment...

 left by the storm were two 200 ton barges. The storm surge pushed the barges almost 10 miles (16.1 km) before they came to rest on the highway.

Previous routes

The original SH 73 was designated in 1926 from Oldenburg

Oldenburg, Texas

Oldenburg is a settlement in unincorporated northeastern Fayette County, Texas, United States.The community was named after the Oldenburg state in Germany.-External links:* Handbook of Texas Online....

 to Houston

Houston, Texas

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

. By 1933, it was rerouted southwest to Columbus

Columbus, Texas

Columbus is a city in Colorado County, Texas, United States, west of Houston along Interstate 10, on the Colorado River. In 1890, 2,199 people lived in Columbus, Texas; in 1900, there were 1,824 residents. The population was 3,916 as of the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Colorado County...

. By 1941, the route was adjusted so that, instead of extending west from Houston, it was now designated east from Houston to Port Arthur

Port Arthur, Texas

-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 57,755 people, 21,839 households, and 14,675 families residing in the city. The population density was 696.5 people per square mile . There were 24,713 housing units at an average density of 298.0 per square mile...

. Construction was slow, with only small portions outside Houston, Port Arthur, and the stretch from Winnie to Anahuac (signed as 73-T) completed by 1954. In 1961, the route was shortened from Port Arthur to Winnie, with the western portions having been replaced by Interstate 10. SH 73-T was transferred to SH 65

State Highway 65 (Texas)

State Highway 65 or SH 65 is a Texas state route that runs from Anahuac to Stowell entirely in Chambers County. This route was designated in 1961, replacing a portion of SH 73 identified as SH 73-T.-Previous routes:...

. In 1982, the route was extended along its current route to Orange, along a concurrent route with SH 87

State Highway 87 (Texas)

State Highway 87 or SH 87 runs for between Galveston, Texas to U.S. Highway 59 and U.S. Highway 84 in Timpson, Texas....

 and SH 62

State Highway 62 (Texas)

-Route description:Highway 62 begins at SH 73 and SH 87 between Orange and Bridge City. SH 73 is concurrent with SH 62 from the southern terminus to the intersection with Interstate 10 and U.S. Highway 90, where SH 73 ends. SH 62 continues its northward journey past this point...

.

In popular culture

Texas State Highway 73 is shown as a road sign in the opening 10 seconds of the 1941 movie Moon Over Miami

Moon Over Miami (film)

Moon Over Miami is a 1941 Technicolor musical film directed by Walter Lang, with Betty Grable and Don Ameche in leading roles and co-starring Robert Cummings, Carole Landis, Jack Haley, and Charlotte Greenwood. It was one of Haley's last appearances in a major, large-budgeted film; after 1943 he...

immediately following the opening credits. There is no mention of the city in that film. A similar road sign of Highway 73 is also depicted on the set of The Partridge Family

The Partridge Family

The Partridge Family is an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children who embark on a music career. The series originally ran from September 25, 1970 until August 31, 1974, the last new episode airing on March 23, 1974, on the ABC network, as part of a Friday-night lineup...

.

Junction list

County	Location	Junction	Notes
Chambers	Winnie Winnie, Texas Winnie is a census-designated place in Chambers County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,914 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Winnie is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land.-Historical development:The town plat was filed in...
			begin concurrency with SH 124
Jefferson Jefferson County, Texas Jefferson County is a county located in the state of Texas, United States. As of 2000, the population was 252,051. Its county seat is Beaumont, and it is named for the former U.S...			end concurrency with SH 124
	Port Arthur Port Arthur, Texas -Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 57,755 people, 21,839 households, and 14,675 families residing in the city. The population density was 696.5 people per square mile . There were 24,713 housing units at an average density of 298.0 per square mile...
			begin concurrency with SH 87
Orange Orange County, Texas Orange County is one of 254 counties of the State of Texas and its county seat is the city of Orange, Texas. In the year 2000, the population of Orange County was about 85,000. Orange County is the county in the very southeastern corner of Texas, with a boundary with Louisiana and a seacoast on the...	Rainbow Bridge (westbound) and Veterans Memorial Bridge (eastbound) Rainbow Bridge (Texas) The Rainbow Bridge is a cantilever bridge crossing the Neches River in Southeast Texas just upstream from Sabine Lake. It allows State Highway 87 and State Highway 73 to connect Port Arthur in Jefferson County on the southwest bank of the river with Bridge City in Orange County on the northeast...  over the Neches River Neches River The Neches River flows for through east Texas to its mouth on Sabine Lake near the Rainbow Bridge. Two major reservoirs, Lake Palestine and B. A. Steinhagen Reservoir are located on the Neches. Several cities are located along the Neches River Basin, including Evadale, Tyler, Lufkin, Silsbee,...
	Bridge City Bridge City, Texas Bridge City is a city in Orange County, Texas, United States. The population was 8,651 at the 2000 census. The town borders the Neches River and Cow Bayou. It is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area....
			end concurrency with SH 87, begin concurrency with SH 62
			eastern end of SH 73; SH 62 continues past this point