US 281 has two signed segments near its southern terminus in the Rio Grande Valley, both of which are signed west–east. The eastern segment, considered mainline US 281 by TxDOT, begins in Brownsville at an intersection with Business US 77 and SH 48 about 2 miles (3.2km) from the Mexico border, and travels west through several communities along the border to Pharr.[1][2] The western segment, officially listed as a spur connection by TxDOT and often labeled on maps as US 281 Spur, begins just north of the McAllen–Hidalgo–Reynosa International Bridge in Hidalgo and travels north along International Boulevard before turning east onto Coma Avenue and entering Pharr.[1][3] The two segments (along with Spur 600, which provides access to the Pharr–Reynosa International Bridge) meet at Cage Boulevard, where signage changes to south–north, and the highway turns to the north.[4] North of the interchange with I-2, US 281 is concurrent with I-69C to that route's northern terminus (as of December2015[update]) in Edinburg.[5] US 281 travels through small towns and sparsely populated areas, alternating between a divided highway and a main street and passing through a Border Patrol checkpoint south of Falfurrias,[6] until joining I-37 north of Three Rivers. The two routes split south of Pleasanton and separately travel northward to San Antonio.
In San Antonio, US 281 overlaps I-410 on the south side of the city until another interchange with I-37. US 281 and I-37 then overlap north into Downtown San Antonio until I-37 ends at I-35. US 281 continues north from Downtown San Antonio as the McAllister Freeway, intersecting I-410 again at a stack interchange in Uptown San Antonio, with access to the San Antonio International Airport. The freeway ends several miles north of Loop 1604. In Central Texas, it serves as the main street of Blanco before beginning a concurrency with US 290 south of Johnson City. As US 290 continues toward Austin, US 281 and US 290 provide a scenic and less congested alternative to I-35 between San Antonio and Austin. The two routes split in the city, with US 281 continuing toward Marble Falls, Burnet, and Lampasas.
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A project to construct a stack interchange at I-410 (the "San Antonio Web"[7]) was completed June 9, 2008;[8] formerly there was no direct access between the two freeways and surface streets were required to travel between the freeways. The reason for this initial lack of direct interchange was due to litigation filed in the late 1960s against the Texas Highway Department over the highway's original construction alignment through portions of Brackenridge Park and Olmos Park that were alleged to be in violation of several Federal laws, ultimately including NEPA. As a result of the Supreme Court decision[9] in a more advanced and very similar case involving the proposed construction of I-40 through Overton Park in Memphis, Tennessee which upheld and affirmed the plaintiffs in that circumstance and precluded that highway's construction through the parkland with Federal funding, the Texas Highway Department chose instead to construct the McAlister Freeway entirely with State funding using a modified design that would increase curvature but limit encroachment into and noise impact on the Sunken Gardens area within Brackenridge Park. Funding of various highway projects from around Texas was re-allocated to the McAlister Freeway project, which was initially completed with only the indirect interchange via existing surface streets to Loop 410 since it required no Federal funding or approval and the Loop 410 overpass of that location where the McAlister Freeway main lanes would pass beneath had already been completed many years earlier.
In 2010, US 281 from Loop 1604 to Bulverde Road in north San Antonio was re-constructed as a superstreet.[10] Groundbreaking was held on March 11, 2010 with construction finishing later that year in September.[11] The re-construction slightly increased travel times but this section of US 281 was still the most congested highway in Bexar County.[12] After nearly two decades of planning an delays, TxDOT upgraded this section of highway from a superstreet to a limited–access freeway, with construction beginning in 2017 and concluding in 2022. Section 1, from Loop 1604 to Stone Oak Parkway, was constructed from 2017 to 2020. Section 2, from Stone Oak Parkway to Borgfeld Drive, was constructed from 2019 to 2022.[13] The estimated cost for the project was $532 million.[14] Ground breaking for the project was held on March 31, 2017 with construction officially beginning on July 17.[15][16]
The highway was expanded from a two-lane highway to a four-lane divided highway from River Crossing to the Comal-Blanco county line at a cost of $30.5 million.[17]
Bus. US 281-W is a business route of US 281 that serves the central business district of Edinburg where it is known locally as Closner Boulevard. The highway was created in 1990 as a re-designation of Loop 113.
Bus. US 281-R is from the new location of US 281, approximately 1.0 mile north of FM 3376, southward to US 281 at FM 625, a distance of approximately 7.8 miles.
Bus. US 281-J is from a segment of US 281 was redesignated on the state highway system as Bus. US 281-J from the intersection of US 183 southwestward to the intersection of US 190, a distance of approximately 0.4 miles.
Alternate U.S. Route 281 is an alternate routing of US 281 that serves the small communities of Whitsett and Campbellton. The highway was designated in 1982 when the main highway was re-routed east along I-37.
Truck U.S. Route 281 is a truck route of US 281 located in Lampasas.
Truck US 281 begins at the intersection of US 281 and E. E. Ohnmeiss Drive near Hancock Springs Park. The highway travels for 0.2 miles (0.32km) east along E. E. Ohnmeiss Drive before reaching an intersection with US 183 (Key Avenue) / US 190 (Central Texas Expressway). Truck US 281 then turns north onto Key Avenue, running concurrent with US 183 and US 190. After running for 0.4 miles (0.64km) along Key Avenue, the highways then intersect the main route of US 281, which is the northern terminus of Truck US 281.
The truck route provides a more direct routing to US 183 south and US 190 east over the main US 281. Truck US 281 also provides a wider crossing over the Sulphur Creek, with the Key Avenue bridge having five lanes (two travel lanes in each direction plus a bi-directional center lane), whereas the older crossing on the original US 281 is only two lanes.
1 2 Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2018). Texas County Mapbook(PDF) (Map) (2018ed.). 1:72,224. Texas Department of Transportation. p.2258. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
↑ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Business U.S. Highway No.281-W". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
↑ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Business U.S. Highway No.281-U". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
↑ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Business U.S. Highway No.281-T". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
↑ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Business U.S. Highway No.281-R". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
↑ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Business U.S. Highway No.281-J". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
↑ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "U.S. Highway No.281Alternate". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
↑ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway Loop No.473". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
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I-44 / US 277 / US 281 at Texas-Oklahoma state line in Burkburnett 
