Texas State Highway 79

State Highway 79 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Texas that runs from Throckmorton to the Oklahoma state line near Byers.

Route description

SH 79 begins at an intersection with U.S. [Route 183 in Texas|US 183]/US 283 in Throckmorton. The highway runs in an east–west direction until FM 926, east of Elbert. The highway turns northeast, running to Olney and Archer City. The highway enters Wichita Falls and almost immediately begins an overlap with U.S. [Route 281 in Texas|US 281] on the Henry S. Grace Freeway. At the interchange with U.S. [Route 82 in Texas|US 82]/U.S. [Route 287 in Texas|US 287], US 281 travels north to downtown while SH 79 travels to the east. Shortly after joining US 82/287, SH 79 leaves the highways and runs on the eastern edge of the city as the Waurika Freeway. SH 79 runs through Dean, Petrolia and Byers before entering Oklahoma as Oklahoma [State Highway 79|OK-79].
Beginning in 1939, a multiple-span pony truss bridge carried the highway across the Red River into Oklahoma. State [Highway 79 Bridge at the Red River|This bridge] was replaced by a new bridge in 2018.

History

It was originally designated on August 21, 1923, from Wichita Falls to Olney, replacing a portion of SH 22. On October 11, 1927, it was extended southwest to Throckmorton. On April 24, 1928, it was extended northeast to the Oklahoma state line. On April 24, 1933, the section from Olney to Elbert was cancelled, but restored on December 18, 1933. This section was completed by 1938. The section north of Wichita Falls was cancelled on July 15, 1935, but restored on February 11, 1937. The route was previously proposed as the northern sections of SH 22 and SH 23. The intersection of SH 79 and SH 25, in Archer City, was the location for the filming of movie The Last Picture Show in 1971.