U.S. Route 277

U.S. Route 277 (US 277, US-277) is a north–south United States Highway that is a spur route of U.S. Route 77. It no longer connects to its parent route, US 77, although it does intersect another one of its spur (U.S. Route 377). It runs for 633 miles (1,019 km) across Oklahoma and Texas. US 277's northern terminus is in Newcastle, Oklahoma at Interstate 44, which is also the northern terminus of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike. Its southern terminus is in Carrizo Springs, Texas at U.S. Route 83. It passes through the states of Oklahoma and Texas.

Most of U.S. 277's route through the two states overlaps other U.S. highways. Those include U.S. 62 from Newcastle to Chickasha, Oklahoma, U.S. 62 and U.S. 281 from five miles (8 km) west of Elgin, Oklahoma, to Lawton, U.S. 281 from Lawton to Wichita Falls, Texas, U.S. 82 from Wichita Falls to Seymour, Texas, and U.S. 83 from Anson, Texas to Abilene, Texas. Through the Lawton area and again from Randlett, Oklahoma, to near downtown Wichita Falls, U.S. 277 is also co-signed with I-44.

Route description

 * TX
 * 508.9
 * 819.0
 * OK
 * 124.1
 * 199.7
 * }
 * 199.7
 * }

Texas
The highway begins at an intersection with US 83 in Carrizo Springs, about 60 miles northwest of Laredo. The highway runs in an east-west direction, until reaching Eagle Pass. From here to Del Rio, the highway parallels the Rio Grande at the U.S.-Mexico border. The highway overlaps US 377 for about 26 miles, with the highways passing the Amistad National Recreation Area.

US 277 crosses I-10 near Sonora, before traveling to Eldorado and eventually San Angelo. The highway overlaps both US 67 and US 87 in the city. In Abilene, the highway overlaps with US 83 and US 84, with the latter leaving shortly after. US 83 leaves in Anson, traveling to Aspermont, while US 277 travels to Stamford. In Seymour, US 82 begins an overlap with US 277. The two highways enter the city of Wichita Falls, with US 82 leaving the highway at US 281/US 287. US 277 joins US 281/287 and the three highways travel into the downtown area of the city, where I-44 begins. US 287 leaves the freeway, while I-44/US 277/US 281 travel to Burkburnett, before crossing the Red River into Oklahoma.

Oklahoma
U.S 277 and 281 enter into Oklahoma with Interstate 44 from Texas by crossing the Red River. After six miles, U.S. 277-281 leave the H.E. Bailey Turnpike and run concurrently for three miles eastward with U.S. 70. On the outskirts of Randlett, this ends as U.S. 277-281 turn northward and pass under I-44 (with no interchange there) before entering Cookietown. North of Cookietown, U.S. 277-281 travel along SH 5. Near the town of Geronimo, U.S. 277-281 join I-44 at Exit 30 to bypass Lawton, but separate once again along with U.S. 62 north of the city at Exit 46. After a distance just under four miles, U.S. 277 separates from U.S. 62-281 and heads east for the town of Elgin. The route proceeds from there to serve several other towns bypassed by I-44, such as Fletcher, Cyril, and Cement, crossing the turnpike twice without direct access. Entering the town of Chickasha with U.S. 81, U.S. 277 turns east along U.S. 62 and follows it all the way to its northern terminus at I-44 near Newcastle.

Free road alternative to the H.E. Bailey Turnpike
From Newcastle to the Red River north of Wichita Falls, Texas, U.S. 277 (and concurrent sections of U.S. 62, U.S. 81 and U.S. 281) serves as an alternate free route to the two sections of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike between Oklahoma City and the Red River from Newcastle southwest of Oklahoma to near Medicine Park north of Lawton and from near Geronimo south of Lawton to Randlett just north of the Red River near Burkburnett, Texas.

Former U.S. 277 route in Lawton now U.S. 281 Business
The former route of U.S. 277 (and 281) through the City of Lawton via 2nd Street and 11th Street (and a diagonal street connecting those two streets) has been designated as U.S. 281 Business since the completion of Lawton's Pioneer Expressway (now I-44) in 1964 from present I-44 Exit 39-B to Exit 33. Present U.S. 281 Business and former U.S. 277-281 follows 2nd Street south of I-44 (Exit 39B) into the downtown area and south of Lee Boulevard (Oklahoma 7), curves into the diagonal route to 11th Street and still locally designated by the City of Lawton as Highway 277 even though it is officially designated as U.S. 281 Business. From the end of the diagonal route at 11th and Tennessee Avenue south past the Lawton-Fort Sill Regional Airport to Exit 33 of Interstate 44, the former U.S. 277-281 and current U.S. Business 281 route follows 11th Street. South of this point, U.S. 281 Business ends/begins and current U.S. 277-281 continues to run concurrent with I-44 for another 3 miles to Exit 30 (the starting/ending point for the southern section of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike), bypassing 3 miles of the former U.S. 277-281 concurrency that followed 11th Street south of Lawton until the completion of the present I-44 route south of Lawton in 1964, when the former highway reverted to local jurisdiction. At Exit 31, Oklahoma 36 begins its route to Chattanooga and Grandfield west of I-44 while U.S. 277-281 uses the same route east of the interstate for a half-mile and turning south toward Geronimo, over the continuation of Lawton's 11th Street.

History
When US 277 was commissioned in 1930, it ended at the Mexico–United States border in Del Rio, Texas. It was extended southeast to its present terminus in 1952. The original northern terminus was in Oklahoma City at its intersection with parent route US 77 and US 62. The northern terminus remained there until 1964. when it was truncated to its present terminus following the completion of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike and the connecting US 62 freeway into Oklahoma City, which would become I-44 in the 1980s. The section of highway through Wichita Falls was recently upgraded to a freeway. Known as Kell Boulevard, the freeway opened in late-2009/early-2010.

As of February 2010, US 277 allows a speed limit of 75 mph only in Dimmit County, Texas.

Future
On March 15, 2022, a bill was signed by President Joe Biden that added the extension of I-27 north to Raton, New Mexico, and south to Laredo to the Interstate Highway System. The extension would utilize the US 277 corridor between San Angelo and Carrizo Springs, Texas.

Business U.S. Route 277

 * Wichita Falls, Texas
 * Holliday, Texas
 * Seymour, Texas
 * Munday, Texas
 * Weinert, Texas
 * Haskell, Texas
 * Stamford, Texas
 * Eagle Pass, Texas

Related routes

 * U.S. Route 77
 * U.S. Route 177
 * U.S. Route 377