Texas State Highway 21

State Highway 21
Route information
Maintained by TxDOT
Length:	272.7 mi[1] (438.9 km)
Existed:	before 1917 – present
Major junctions
West end:	I-35 at San Marcos
	SH 130 Toll / US 183 in Mustang Ridge US 290 near Paige US 77 near Lincoln SH 6 / US 190 in Bryan I-45 / US 190 in Madisonville US 287 in Crockett US 69 in Alto I-69 / US 59 in Nacogdoches US 96 in San Augustine
East end:	LA 6 near Milam
Location
Counties:	Hays, Caldwell, Bastrop, Lee, Burleson, Brazos, Madison, Houston, Cherokee, Nacogdoches, San Augustine, Sabine
Highway system
Highways in Texas Interstate US State Toll Loops Spurs FM/RM Park Rec ← SH 20 SH 22 →

Southbound Highway 21 through the "Lost Pines" north of Bastrop.

State Highway 21, or SH 21, runs from the Texas-Louisiana boundary east of San Augustine to San Marcos in east and central Texas. SH 21 mostly follows the alignment of the Old San Antonio Road and the El Camino Real, except for the portion between Midway and Bryan, where the Old San Antonio Road took a more northerly route, and SH 21 follows a more direct route. That section of the Old San Antonio Road is served by Texas State Highway OSR.

History

SH 21 was one of the original 26 routes proposed in Texas in 1917 along a route from St. Augustine to Gonzales. There was proposed extension southward to Karnes City by 1922, but most of it was transferred to SH 80 instead. In 1926, the terminus was shortened to Giddings. By 1943, the western terminus had been rerouted through Paige to end in San Marcos, along its current route.

In 2010, the SH 21 designation was extended along SH 80 and SH 142 to end at I-35.^[2][3]

Business routes

SH 21 has one business route.

Business State Highway 21-H is a Business Loop that runs through Kurten in central Texas. The road was bypassed in 2002 by SH 21.^[4]

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Hays	San Marcos			I-35 / SH 80 north – Wimberley, San Antonio, Austin	I-35 exit 205; west end of SH 80 / SH 142 overlap
				SH 80 south / SH 142 east – Lockhart, Luling, Martindale	Interchange; east end of SH 80 / SH 142 overlap
Caldwell–Hays county line	​			FM 1966 east – Maxwell
	​			RM 150 west – Kyle
Hays	Uhland			FM 2720 south to SH 142
Caldwell	Niederwald			FM 2001 east – Lockhart	West end of FM 2001 overlap
Caldwell–Hays county line				FM 2001 west – Buda	East end of FM 2001 overlap
Caldwell	Mustang Ridge			SH 130 Toll / US 183 – Austin, Lockhart	Interchange; SH 130 exit 461/463
	​			FM 1854 south – Lytton Springs
Bastrop	​			FM 812 – Elroy, Red Rock	Interchange
	Cedar Creek			FM 535 – Rosanky, Rockne
	​			FM 1209 north
	​			SH 71 west – Austin	Interchange; west end of SH 71 overlap
	​			FM 20 south – Lockhart	interchange; west end of freeway
	Bastrop			SH 304 south (Ed Burleson Lane)
				Loop 150 east / Hasler Boulevard / Childers Street	Interchange; east end of freeway
				SH 71 east / SH 95 south – Smithville	East end of SH 71 overlap; west end of SH 95 overlap
				SH 95 north / Loop 150 west – Elgin	east end of SH 95 overlap; west end of Loop 150 overlap
				Loop 150 east – Smithville	East end of Loop 150 overlap
				PR 1A – Bastrop State Park
	Circle D-KC Estates			FM 1441 west – Lake Bastrop, Lost Pines Scout Reservation
	​			US 290 – Austin, Paige, Giddings	Interchange
Lee	​			FM 2440 east – Giddings
	​			FM 1624 – Fedor, Giddings
	​			US 77 – Giddings, Lexington, Rockdale	Interchange
	​			FM 3403 west
	​			FM 141 south – Dime Box, Nails Creek State Park
Burleson	​			FM 696 north – Lexington
	​			FM 60 south – Deanville, Lake Somerville State Park
	​			FM 908 north – Rockdale
	Caldwell			FM 975 (Banks Street)
				Loop 83 (Main Street) – Business District
				SH 36 – Cameron, Brenham
	​			FM 2000
	​			FM 1362 north	West end of FM 1362 overlap
	Cooks Point			FM 1362 south	East end of FM 1362 overlap
	​			FM 50 south – Independence	West end of FM 50 overlap
Brazos	​			FM 50 north – Mumford	East end of FM 50 overlap
	​			SH OSR east
	​			SH 47 south – College Station, Texas A&M University	Interchange
	Bryan			FM 2818 (North Harvey Mitchell Parkway) – College Station	Interchange
				FM 158 east (West William J. Bryan Parkway) / FM 1687 west (Sandy Point Road) – Huntsville, Lake Bryan, Hamilton Unit, Downtown Bryan
				Bus. SH 6 (Texas Avenue) – Hearne, College Station, Downtown Bryan
				FM 974 east (Tabor Road) – Tabor
				US 190 west / SH 6 – Waco, Houston	Interchange; west end of US 190 overlap
	Wixon Valley			FM 2776 north
	​			Bus. SH 21 east – Kurten
	Kurten			FM 2038 – Kurten
	​			Bus. SH 21 west
	​			FM 974 west – Edge
Madison	​			FM 2865 north
	North Zulch			FM 39 – Normangee, Iola	Interchange
				Loop 160 east (Trinity Avenue)
				Loop 160 west (Fifth Street)
	​			FM 1372 west
	​			FM 1452 west	West end of FM 1452 overlap
	​			FM 1452 east	East end of FM 1452 overlap
	Madisonville			FM 978 west (Woodrow Street)
				Spur 174 south (Madison Street)
				SH 75 (May Street) to I-45 north / SH 90 – Buffalo, Huntsville, Navasota
				I-45 / US 190 east – Dallas, Houston	I-45 exit 142; east end of US 190 overlap
	Jenkins			FM 2346 north
	​			FM 1428 east
	​			FM 2158 south
	Midway			SH OSR west – Normangee
				FM 247 south – Ferguson Unit
				FM 2548 east / FM 3060 north
	​			FM 2548 west
Houston	​			FM 2498 north
	Mapleton			FM 3275 south
	Austonio			FM 1280 west	west end of FM 1280 overlap
				FM 1280 east	east end of FM 1280 overlap
	​			FM 2967 north – Porter Springs
	​			SH 7 west – Centerville	West end of SH 7 overlap
	Crockett			Loop 304 (truck route)
				FM 229 to FM 2076
				US 287 / SH 7 east / SH 19	East end of SH 7 overlap; traffic circle around Houston County Courthouse
				FM 2022 north (North Sixth Street)
				Loop 304 (truck route)
	​			FM 3187 south
	​			FM 1733
	​			FM 227 east – Ratcliff	West end of FM 227 overlap
	​			FM 227 west – Grapeland, Augusta	East end of FM 227 overlap
	Weches			PR 44 – Mission Tejas State Park
Cherokee	​			FM 220 south – Cold Springs
	Alto			SH 294 west (Elkhart Street) – Elkhart
				US 69 (Marcus Street) – Rusk, Lufkin
	Linwood			FM 241 north – Salem
				FM 2708 south
Nacogdoches	Douglass			FM 225 south	West end of FM 225 overlap
				FM 225 north – Cushing	East end of FM 225 overlap
	Nacogdoches			US 59 / Loop 224 to SH 7 east / SH 21 east	Interchange
				FM 225 west (Durst Street)
				Bus. US 59 / SH 7 west (North Street / South Street) – Stephen F. Austin State University	West end of SH 7 overlap
				FM 1275 (University Drive)
				FM 2259 south (Shawnee Street)
				SH 7 east (Center Road)	East end of SH 7 overlap
				Loop 224 to SH 7 / SH 21 west / US 59 / US 259	Interchange
	Oak Ridge			FM 226 south – Woden, Etoile
	Melrose			FM 3276 north
	Chireno			FM 95 / Loop 34 south – Martinsville, Chireno
				Loop 34 south – Chireno
San Augustine	​			FM 1196 south
	Denning			FM 354 north
	​			FM 3409 south
	​			Spur 85 south
	San Augustine			US 96 – Center, Jasper
				Loop 547 east (West Columbia Street)
				SH 147 south (South Broadway Street) – El Camino Real Tourist Center (Mission Dolores)	West end of SH 147 overlap; west end of Loop 547 east overlap (eastbound only)
				FM 3230 north (South Harrison Street) / Loop 547	east end of Loop 547 east overlap (eastbound only)
				FM 2213 south (South Liberty Street)
				SH 147 north (South Clark Street)	East end of SH 147 overlap
				Loop 547 west (East Columbia Street) to SH 147 north
				FM 3483 south
	​			FM 3153 east
	Fords Corner			FM 1 south – Hemphill, Pineland, Bronson
Sabine	​			Spur 35 south – McMahan Chapel
	​			FM 3448 north
	Geneva			FM 330 north (Geneva Sexton Road)
	​			SH 103 west – Lufkin
	Milam			SH 87 – Red Hill Lake, Center, Hemphill, Patricia Huffman Smith NASA Museum
	​			FM 3121 south – Indian Mounds Wilderness
	​			LA 6 east – Many	Louisiana state line (bridge over Sabine River (Toledo Bend Reservoir))
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway No. 21". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
2. "Texas Transportation Commission Meeting Minutes, June 24, 2010" (PDF). Texas Transportation Commission. pp. 226–227. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
3. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2014). Texas County Map Book (PDF) (Map) (2014 ed.). 1:120,000. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 368. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
4. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Business State Highway No. 21-H". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 25, 2010.