Ranch to Market Road 187 (RM 187) is an 81.9-mile (131.8 km) Ranch to Market Road located in Zavala, Uvalde, Bandera, and Kerr counties in the US state of Texas. The route passes through the cities of Sabinal, Utopia, and Vanderpool. The road helps connect several small south Texas ranches to major highways. RM 187 was first designated in 1945, and was extended three times during the 1940s. As of 2012[update], it is the longest Ranch to Market Road in the state of Texas.[2]
 Ranch to Market Road 187 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 RM 187 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by TxDOT | ||||
| Length | 81.93 mi[1] (131.85 km) | |||
| Existed | June 11, 1945[1]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  US 57 near Batesville | |||
| North end |  SH 39 near Ingram | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Texas | |||
| Counties | Zavala, Uvalde, Bandera, Kerr | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Route description
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RM 187 begins at its southern terminus with US Highway 57 (US 57), near Batesville,[3][4] as a paved, two-lane, asphalt road. RM 187 winds through several miles of Southern Texas grassland. The highway passes several large ranches and farms along this course and intersects with several county routes and private roads. For this stretch of the route, RM 187 is heading in a northeast direction. The highway turns north about two miles (3 km) south of an intersection with FM 140.[5] The two highways run concurrently for nearly one mile (1.6 km) before FM 140 turns westward.[4] RM 187 continues north through rolling grasslands for almost 3.5 miles (5.6 km) before turning in a northeast direction. The route continues in this direction for about two miles before returning to a northerly direction. After about 15 miles (24 km), RM 187 intersects with US 90 and State Highway 127 (SH 127) in the small town of Sabinal.[6] The highway continues through more hilly, rolling grasslands. A few miles later, the highway crosses the Sabinal River and proceeds past the Waresville cemetery, the Links of Utopia Golf Course, and the Utopia on the River Airport[7] before passing through the "downtown" area[8] of the village of Utopia.[9][10]
RM 187 winds through nearly seven miles (11 km) of brushland, passing several large ranches and farms alongside the Sabinal River. The highway heads through the unincorporated community of Vanderpool[7] and runs concurrently with RM 337 for a length of 1.1 miles (1.8 km). Separating and running northward,[11] RM 187 continues along the southwestern edge of the Lost Maples State Natural Area.[12] The highway turns northeasterly through a long stretch of brushland before reaching its northern terminus at SH 39.[3][9][13]
History
editRM 187 was designated as Farm to Market Road 187 (FM 187) in Uvalde County on June 11, 1945, from Sabinal to the Bandera County line. On June 25 of that year, it was extended from the Uvalde County line to Vanderpool. The highway was extended from an intersection with US 90 to Garner Field on April 1, 1948, adding approximately 1.8 miles (2.9 km). On November 23, 1948, it was extended to a point 4.3 miles (6.9 km) south of Sabinal, while the previous extension was cancelled and redesignated FM 1023. The route was lengthened southward by 6.7 miles (10.8 km) to a dead end on July 15, 1949. The road was changed to RM 187 in 1953, but was reverted when the road again extended south on March 24, 1954, to an intersection with FM 140, adding approximately 6 miles (9.7 km). On May 2, 1962, FM 187 was extended 4.5 miles (7.2 km) northward, and it was extended to its present northern terminus at SH 39 on June 26, 1963, which added about 12.9 miles (20.8 km) and resulted in the road being changed back to RM 187. On June 21, 1967, FM 2557 was redesignated as part of RM 187, adding approximately 13.5 miles (22 km) and extending it to its current southern terminus at US 57, although this did not take effect until construction on the 8.5-mile (13.7 km) segment from FM 140 to FM 2557 was completed.[1]
Major junctions
edit| County | Location | mi[14] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zavala | | 0.0 | 0.0 | US 57 – La Pryor, Batesville | Southern terminus |
| | 12.6 | 20.3 |   FM 140 east – Pearsall | South end of FM 140 concurrency | |
| | 13.5 | 21.7 |  FM 140 west – Uvalde | North end of FM 140 concurrency | |
| Uvalde | Sabinal | 32.9 | 52.9 |   US 90 / SH 127 – Uvalde, Hondo | South end of concurrency with SH 127 |
| | 34.1 | 54.9 |  SH 127 north – Concan, Garner State Park | North end of concurrency with SH 127 | |
| | 42.8 | 68.9 |  FM 1796 east – D'Hanis | Western terminus of FM 1796 | |
| Utopia | 54.4 | 87.5 |  RM 1050 west – Leakey, Garner State Park | Eastern terminus of RM 1050 | |
| | 56.8 | 91.4 |  FM 470 east – Bandera | Western terminus of FM 470 | |
| Bandera | Vanderpool | 65.0 | 104.6 |  RM 337 east – Medina | Southern end of RM 337 concurrency |
| | 66.1 | 106.4 | RM 337 west – Leakey | Northern end of RM 337 concurrency | |
| Kerr | | 81.9 | 131.8 |   SH 39 to US 83 – Hunt | Northern terminus |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
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References
edit- ^ a b c Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Ranch to Market Road No. 187". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
- ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division. "Farm/Ranch to Market Facts". Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
- ^ a b The Road Atlas (Map) (2008 ed.). 1 in:31 mi. Rand McNally. 2008. p. 101. § EK2–EM2. ISBN 0-528-93981-5.
- ^ a b Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2012). Texas County Mapbook (PDF) (Map) (2012 ed.). 1:120,000. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 347. OCLC 867856197. Retrieved April 7, 2012.[dead link]
- ^ The Roads of Texas (Map). 1 in:3.6 mi. Cartography by Mapsco. Mapsco. 2008. p. 131. ISBN 1-56966-421-8.
- ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2012). Texas County Mapbook (PDF) (Map) (2012 ed.). 1:120,000. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 346. OCLC 867856197. Retrieved April 7, 2012.[dead link]
- ^ a b Naylor, p. 87.
- ^ Valby, p. 43.
- ^ a b Official Travel Map (Map). 1 in:20 mi. Texas Department of Transportation. 2010. § Q13–S13.
- ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2012). Texas County Mapbook (PDF) (Map) (2012 ed.). 1:120,000. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 345. OCLC 867856197. Retrieved April 7, 2012.[dead link]
- ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2012). Texas County Mapbook (PDF) (Map) (2012 ed.). 1:120,000. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 344. OCLC 867856197. Retrieved April 7, 2012.[dead link]
- ^ Discovery Channel Road Atlas (Map). 1 in:143.5 mi. Cartography by Mapquest.com, Inc. American Map. 2004. p. 107. ISBN 0-8416-1787-2.
- ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2012). Texas County Mapbook (PDF) (Map) (2012 ed.). 1:120,000. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 343. OCLC 867856197. Retrieved April 7, 2012.[dead link]
- ^ "Overview map of Ranch to Market Road 187" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
Bibliography
edit- Naylor, June (2009). Texas Off the Beaten Path: A Guide to Unique Places (8th ed.). Guilford: Globe Pequot Press. ISBN 978-0-7627-4879-2.
- Valby, Karen (2010). Welcome to Utopia: Notes from a Small Town. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-385-52286-1.
External links
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Media related to Ranch to Market Road 187 at Wikimedia Commons