Farm to Market Road 973

Farm to Market Road 973
Route information
Length:	34.50 mi[1][nb 1] (55.52 km)
Existed:	1948 – present
Major junctions
South end:	US 183
	SH 71 near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport SH 130 Toll US 290 in Manor
North end:	US 79 in Taylor
Location
Counties:	Travis, Williamson
Highway system
Highways in Texas Interstate US State Toll Loops Spurs FM/RM Park Rec ← FM 972 FM 974 →

Farm to Market Road 973 (FM 973) is a paved rural road that connects agricultural areas to market towns in Travis and Williamson counties, Texas.^[1]

Route description

FM 973 begins at US 183 southeast of Austin, near Mustang Ridge.^[2] The route travels generally to the northeast and enters Austin, where it intersects SH 71 near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.^[3][4] It continues to skirt the eastern city limits of Austin, crossing the SH 130 toll road before entering Manor, where it intersects US 290. FM 973 continues north into Williamson County before reaching its northern terminus at US 79 in Taylor.^[1][5]

History

FM 973 was first designated in Williamson County in 1948; its original routing was from SH 95 north of Coupland to the Travis County line. It was extended southward into Travis County in 1951, to an intersection with the former SH 20 (present-day US 290) in Manor, replacing FM 1326 from New Sweden to SH 20.^[6] In 1957, the route was extended northward to SH 95 in Taylor, and the eastern leg from Rice's Crossing to SH 95 was redesignated as FM 1660.^[7] The same year also saw a southern extension, from Manor to SH 71. Two further extensions, to FM 812 in 1962 and US 183 in 1968, brought the route's southern terminus to its current location. In 1987, the northern terminus in Taylor was shifted to a point along US 79; this change took effect in 1992, when the new alignment was opened to traffic.^[1]

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[8][nb 1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Travis	​	0.0	0.0	US 183	Southern terminus
	​	2.5	4.0	FM 812 east	South end of FM 812 concurrency
	​	3.1	5.0	FM 812 west	North end of FM 812 concurrency
	Austin	7.3	11.7	SH 71 east (Bastrop Highway) – Bastrop	South end of SH 71 concurrency
		7.4	11.9	SH 71 west (Bastrop Highway) – Austin-Bergstrom International Airport	South end of SH 71 concurrency
	​	11.6	18.7	FM 969 (Webberville Road) – Webberville
	​	15.0	24.1	SH 130 Toll – Pflugerville, Georgetown
	Manor	19.0	30.6	Loop 212 west (Old Highway 20)	South end of Loop 212 concurrency
		20.4	32.8	US 290 – Austin, Elgin	North end of Loop 212 concurrency
Williamson	Rice's Crossing	31.1	50.1	FM 1660
	Taylor	36.6	58.9	US 79 – Round Rock	Northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Notes

1. The certified length given is shorter than the actual mileage, as the TxDOT description of FM 973 considers it to be discontinuous at rather than concurrent with FM 812, SH 71, and Loop 212.

References

1. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Farm to Market Road No. 973". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
2. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2012). Texas County Map Book (PDF) (Map) (2012 ed.). 1:120,000. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 432. OCLC 867856197. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
3. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2012). Texas County Map Book (PDF) (Map) (2012 ed.). 1:120,000. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 462. OCLC 867856197. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
4. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2012). Texas County Map Book (PDF) (Map) (2012 ed.). 1:120,000. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 461. OCLC 867856197. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
5. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2012). Texas County Map Book (PDF) (Map) (2012 ed.). 1:120,000. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 460. OCLC 867856197. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
6. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway No. 20". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
7. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Farm to Market Road No. 1660". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
8. Google (2011-01-07). "Overview map of Farm to Market Road 973 Distances Between Interchanges" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2011-01-07.