Texas State Highway 79

State Highway 79 (SH 79) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Texas that runs 96.203 miles (154.824 km) from Throckmorton to the Oklahoma state line near Byers.

State Highway 79
SH 79 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by TxDOT
Length	96.203 mi (154.824 km)
Existed	1923–present
Major junctions
South end	US 183 / US 283 in Throckmorton
Major intersections	US 281 in Wichita Falls US 82 / US 287 in Wichita Falls
North end	SH-79 at Oklahoma state line
Location
Country	United States
State	Texas
Highway system
Highways in Texas Interstate US State Toll Loops Spurs FM/RM Park Rec
← SH 78 → US 80

Route description

SH 79 begins at an intersection with 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 US 281 on the Henry S. Grace Freeway. At the interchange with US 82/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 OK-79.

Beginning in 1939, a multiple-span pony truss bridge carried the highway across the Red River into Oklahoma. 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.

Junction list

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Throckmorton	Throckmorton			US 183 / US 283 – Seymour, Breckenridge, Albany
	​			FM 2356 north
	​			FM 2459 north
	Elbert			FM 1711 south	South end of FM 1711 overlap
				FM 1711 north	North end of FM 1711 overlap
Young	​			FM 578 south
	​			FM 926 east – Newcastle
	​			FM 2898 north – Megargel
	​			FM 3366 north – Olney Municipal Airport
	​			Loop 132 north
	Olney			SH 251 south – Newcastle
				FM 210 west – Megargel
				SH 114 – Megargel, Loving
	​			FM 1768 east – Markley
Archer	Archer City			SH 25 – Mankins, Windthorst
	​			FM 2224 north
	​			FM 1954 – Holliday
	Lakeside City			FM 2380 north (Kemp Boulevard)
Wichita	Wichita Falls			FM 369 west (Southwest Parkway) / Loop 473 (Old Jacksboro Highway)	Interchange
				US 281 south (Henry S. Grace Freeway) – Jacksboro	South end of US 281 overlap/freeway
				Hatton Road – Kickapoo Downtown Airport
				Midwestern Parkway
				US 82 west / US 281 north / US 287 north to I-44 – Seymour, Amarillo, Lawton	North end of US 281 overlap; south end of US 82/287 overlap
				Old Windthorst Road
				US 82 east / US 287 south – Henrietta, Fort Worth	North end of US 82/287 overlap
				Hammon Road	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
				Bus. US 287 (Old Henrietta Highway)	Southbound exit via the Petrolia Road exit
				Petrolia Road	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; north end of freeway
Clay	​			FM 3393 west (Old Petrolia Road)	South end of FM 3393 overlap
	Dean			FM 3393 east (Tammen Road)	North end of FM 3393 overlap
				FM 2393 – Thornberry, Jolly
	Petrolia			SH 148 south / FM 810 north – Henrietta, Charlie
	Byers			FM 171 east	South end of FM 171 overlap
				FM 171 west – Charlie	North end of FM 171 overlap
	​			SH-79 north – Waurika	Continuation into Oklahoma
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access