Texas State Highways 20 and 20A (1917–1951)

On June 21, 1917, the department's Office of State Highway Engineer issued a proposal for the state highway system. The proposal included SH 20 originally planned as the Austin-Houston Highway between Austin and Houston by way of Bastrop, Giddings, Brenham, and Hempstead.^[4] On July 17, 1917, the planned route was extended from Austin to Brady by way of Burnet, Llano, and Mason.^[5][6] On December 17, 1918, SH 20 was rerouted away from Bastrop, with the section from Austin to Bastrop transferred to SH 3A.^[7] The section of SH 20 from Hempstead to Houston was cancelled as it was already part of the Gulf Division Branch of SH 2.

On November 19, 1917, an intercounty highway from Austin through Johnson City to Fredericksburg was designated.^[8] On January 20, 1919, this was changed to an auxiliary route of Highway 20, Highway 20A.^[9][10] The highway routes remained unchanged in a 1922 proposal that rated both routes as "second class" under a three-tier system.^[11]

On August 21, 1923, SH 20 in the new highway system was routed over the previously proposed Highway 20A from Fredericksburg to Austin and then over the proposed Highway 20 to Hempstead as a second class highway. The old route to Leander was cancelled, and northwest of there became part of SH 43 when it was extended southwest. In 1924, the state highway department assumed responsibility to maintain all state highways which were previously maintained by the counties. The following year, state lawmakers vest the department with the authority to acquire right of way, survey, plan, and build highways.^[12] On August 10, 1925, SH 20 was given a third class extension to Kerrville.^[13] On February 20, 1928, SH 20 was given an auxiliary route SH 20A from Fredericksburg to a point on the highway between Kerrville and Junction.^[14] All of the highway from Fredericksburg to Hempstead was classified as a "secondary federal highway". The portion between Fredericksburg and Kerrville along with the new auxiliary route were classified as "state highways" eligible for state aid only.^[15]

On March 19, 1930, the SH 20 designation was dropped over the Fredericksburg to Kerrville highway (replaced by an extended SH 81) and extended instead over the auxiliary route SH 20A. In 1933 the road was described between Fredericksburg and Hempstead as paved except for the portion in Hays County around Dripping Springs and a short portion west of Elgin that were described as surfaced. The portion west of Fredericksburg toward Junction was graded earth.^[16] In 1935, US 290 was routed over SH 20 except for the portion between Austin and Paige where US 290 was routed further south through Bastrop.^[17] By 1936, the formerly surfaced portion west of Elgin had been paved, but the Hays County portion remained merely surfaced. West of Fredericksburg, the Gillespie County portion had been surfaced while the Kimble County portion remained as an improved earth road.^[18] On September 26, 1939, the SH 20 designation was dropped along all portions of the route running along US 290 as a result of that day's general redescription of the state highway system, leaving SH 20 as a greatly shortened route running from Austin to US 290 near Paige. On May 23, 1951, US 290 was relocated away from Bastrop northward along SH 20 which was then decommissioned.^[19]

Other original routings

In its original designation in the late 1920s, US 290 traveled from an intersection with US 80 northwest of Scroggins Draw to an eastern terminus in San Antonio. On March 1, 1935, US 290 was re-routed further north to terminate in Houston, and the previous alignment from Fredericksburg to San Antonio was redesignated as US 87.^[1][20] Following the 1935 re-routing, US 290 traveled through much of its present-day routing, with the exception of a designation traveling through Austin and Bastrop before following the Old San Antonio Road to Paige. On May 23, 1951, US 290 was rerouted further north to Elgin, while the original routing was transferred to SH 71 from Austin to Bastrop, and SH 21 from Bastrop to Paige.^[21][22]

Through Austin, US 290 originally followed Lamar Boulevard and Cesar Chavez Street to I-35 (then US 81). On May 30, 1951, US 290 and SH 71 were both rerouted onto their present-day designations on Ben White Boulevard, and the old designations were transferred to Loop 343.^[23]

On November 21, 1991, the US 290 designation was deleted between Scroggins Draw and its current western terminus southeast of Segovia due to being supplanted by I-10. Much of the old route near Sheffield became SH 290. Other former alignments that are part of the state highway system include the Fort Stockton and Balmorhea business routes of Interstate 10, RM 1312 between Ozona and Sonora, RM 3130 between Sonora and Roosevelt, and RM 1674 between Roosevelt and Junction.^{[1][24][25][26][27][28][29]}

Freeway upgrades

Dripping Springs

Loop 64 is a former business loop of US 290 through the town of Dripping Springs. The highway was designated in 1958 along the former route of US 290 through the town along Mercer Street when the main highway was re-routed two blocks to the south. Loop 64 was removed from the state highway system in 2003 and returned to the city of Dripping Springs for maintenance.^[37]

The Loop 64 designation was previously used for a highway in Henderson County. This Loop 64 was designated in 1939, running from SH 31 southeast to a point on the St. Louis Southwestern Railroad in Trinidad. The highway was cancelled and combined with FM 764 in 1948.^[38]

Brenham

Business U.S. Highway 290-F (Bus. US 290) is the original routing of US 290 through the town of Brenham. The route is 4.59 miles (7.39 km) in length. The route was designated as Loop 318 throughout its entire length on January 18, 1960. On February 28, 1973, the section from then-SH 90 westward became part of SH 105. It was established in 1990 when the mainline of US 290 was rerouted along with SH 36 around the western and southern sides of Brenham.^[39] The routing begins to the west of town at an intersection with SH 36. The business route continues east into downtown on Main Street. Before reaching downtown, the route splits into two parallel one-way streets: Main Street carrying westbound traffic and Alamo Street carrying eastbound traffic. It passes through downtown, meeting the business routing of State Highway 36 and the western terminus of SH 105. At this intersection, the business route turns south on Market Street, and continues out of Brenham, rejoining the mainline US 290 near an intersection with FM 577.^[40]

Hempstead–Hockley

Business U.S. Highway 290-H (Bus. US 290) is the original routing of US 290 through the towns of Hempstead, Waller, and Hockley. This route was designated between 1995 and 1998 in stages as a limited-access bypass route was constructed to the north of these towns.^[41] It begins at the interchange with US 290 and SH 6 and travels south into Hempstead along 10th Street.^[42][43] At an intersection with SH 159, the business route turns east onto Austin Street and subsequently runs parallel to the adjacent railroad after leaving Hempstead city limits. It intersects several amenities in Prairie View before serving downtown Waller while designated as Hempstead Road.^[44][45] After passing through several industrial facilities and serving downtown Hockley, the business route becomes US 290's southbound frontage road just prior to the interchange with Badtke Road.

Cypress

Business U.S. Highway 290-L (Bus. US 290) is the original routing of US 290 through the town of Cypress. The route was designated in 1993 as a limited-access bypass was built to the northeast of the original routing.^[46] At roughly 1.3 miles (2.1 km), it is US 290's shortest designated business route, serving the south side of Cypress's shopping area near the Fry Road and Spring Cypress Road interchanges.^[47]