Texas State Highway 97

This article is about the Texas State Highway running from Cotulla to Waelder. For the road numbered 97 serving the DFW Airport, see International Parkway.

State Highway 97 (SH 97) is a state highway running 143 miles (230 km) from Cotulla to Waelder in the U.S. state of Texas.

State Highway 97
SH 97 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by TxDOT
Length	143.746 mi[1] (231.337 km)
Existed	1924–present
Major junctions
West end	I-35 BL in Cotulla
Major intersections	US 281 in Pleasanton I-37 near Pleasanton US 181 in Floresville US 87 near Stockdale US 87 in Nixon US 183 in Gonzales US 90 Alt. in Gonzales I-10 near Waelder
East end	US 90 in Waelder
Location
Country	United States
State	Texas
Highway system
Highways in Texas Interstate US State Former Toll Loops Spurs FM/RM Park Rec
← SH 96 → SH 98

History

Texas Highway 97 in Jourdanton, the seat of Atascosa County, with the county annex building on the right

SH 97 was designated on July 18, 1924, as a route from Pleasanton to Jourdanton.^[2] On September 19, 1928, SH 97 was extended south to Rio Grande City via Hebbronville and Tilden;^[3] this extension was cancelled on June 25, 1929,^[4] and SH 97 was instead extended to Fowlerton; On November 30, 1932, a second section of SH 97 was added from Rio Grande City to Hebbronville, with the possibility of these sections being connected in the future.^[5]

On February 12, 1934, the northern section extended along a new route to Floresville.^[6] (causing the cancellation of SH 168 south of there). On March 13, 1934, the northern section extended to Stockdale, replacing SH 168.^[7] The southern stretch from Hebbronville to Rio Grande City and the section from Pleasanton to Floresville were cancelled on July 15, 1935.^[8] The section from Pleasanton to Floresville was restored on September 22, 1936.^[9]

On December 22, 1937, SH 97 was truncated to Jourdanton, and the section south of there became SH 93, but this change was reverted by April 1, 1938.^[10][11] The highway was slowly constructed, initially between Stockdale and Fowlerton by 1939.

On July 31, 1942, a section of SH 72 between Fowlerton and Cotulla was added. It was extended to its current terminus in Waelder on March 28, 1952, replacing the western portions of SH 200 and SH 3. On April 27, 1995, SH 97 was relocated in Gonzales.

Junction list

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
La Salle	Cotulla	0.000	0.000	I-35 BL – Laredo, Dilley	Western terminus
				FM 624 east
	Los Angeles			FM 469
McMullen	​			SH 72 east – Tilden
	​			FM 1582 west – Pearsall
Atascosa	Charlotte			SH 85 west – Dilley
				FM 140 – Pearsall, Campbellton
				FM 1333 north
	​			Spur 162 east
	Jourdanton			SH 16 – Poteet, Tilden
	Pleasanton			FM 3510 north
				US 281 south – George West	West end of US 281 overlap
				US 281 north – San Antonio	East end of US 281 overlap
	​			I-37 – San Antonio, Corpus Christi	I-37 exit 109
	​			FM 1784 north
Wilson	​			FM 478 south
	​			FM 2505
	​			FM 3161 south
	​			FM 1344 south
	Floresville			Loop 181
				US 181 south – Karnes City	West end of US 181 overlap
				US 181 north – San Antonio	East end of US 181 overlap
	​			FM 539 north – Sutherland Springs
	​			FM 1922 south
	​			US 87 north – San Antonio	West end of US 87 overlap
	Stockdale			Bus. US 87 south – Stockdale
				SH 123 – Seguin, Karnes City	Interchange
				SH 119 south – Gillett
	​			Bus. US 87 north – Stockdale
	​			FM 538 east
	​			FM 1347 south
	Pandora			FM 1107 west
Gonzales	Nixon			US 87 south / SH 80 south – Cuero, Gillett	East end of US 87 overlap; West end of SH 80 overlap
				FM 1681 north
	Leesville			FM 1117 north – Seguin
				SH 80 north – Luling	East end of SH 80 overlap
	​			FM 2922 south
	Bebe			FM 1682 west – Leesville
	Cost			FM 466 west	West end of FM 466 overlap
				FM 466 east	East end of FM 466 overlap
				Spur 95 north – Gonzales Battlefield Monument
	​			FM 108 south – Smiley
	​			FM 1116 south
	​			US 183 south / SH 111 south – Cuero, Yoakum	West end of US 183 overlap
	Gonzales			Bus. US 183 north
				Spur 146 east
				US 183 north / US 90 Alt. west – Luling, Seguin	East end of US 183 overlap; West end of US 90 Alt. overlap
				Bus. US 183
				FM 794 north
				Spur 131 north
				US 90 Alt. east – Shiner	East end of US 90 Alt. overlap
				Spur 131 south
	​			SH 304 north
	​			FM 2814 south
	​			I-10 – San Antonio, Houston	I-10 exit 649
	Waelder	143.746	231.337	US 90 / FM 1115 north – Luling, Flatonia	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus