What is U.S. Route 81?
Q: What is U.S. Route 81?
A: U.S. Route 81, also known as U.S. Highway 81 (US 81), is a major north-south highway in the central United States.
Q: When was U.S. Route 81 created?
A: U.S. Route 81 was created in 1926 by the American Association of State Highway Officials as one of the original United States Numbered Highways.
Q: What is the history behind the route of US 81?
A: The route of US 81 follows that of the old Meridian Highway which dates back as early as 1911. The highway has alternately (and unofficially) been known as part of the Pan-American Highway.
Q: What is the significance of US 81 in Oklahoma?
A: In the part in the state of Oklahoma, the highway closely follows the old Chisholm Trail for cattle drives from Texas to railheads in Kansas in the 1860s and 1870s.
Q: Where is the northern endpoint of US 81?
A: As of 2004, the highway's northern endpoint is just north of Pembina, North Dakota, at the Canadian border.
Q: Where is the southern endpoint of US 81?
A: Its southern endpoint is in Fort Worth, Texas, at an intersection with I-35W and US 287. Between 1926 and 1991, US 81's southern endpoint was at the Mexican border in Laredo, Texas. In 1991, the endpoint was moved to San Antonio.
Q: How long is US 81?
A: US 81 goes for 1,220 miles (1,960 km) in the central United States.
