Recreational Roads (RE) are a secondary state highway system located in the U.S. state of Texas, maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). In contrast to routes of the state's Park Road system, which provide access to state-maintained parks, routes on the Recreational Road system provide access to recreation areas such as those operated by the National Park Service. Recreational Roads currently make up approximately of Texas's highway system. The longest route in the system is the Recreational Road 255 (RE 255), while the shortest route in the system is RE 6 at . Recreational Roads are signed with route markers that are similar to those for the Farm to Market Road system, with the background color changed to brown and the letter "R" in the upper right corner.
The system was created on April 1, 1970, when a portion of Farm to Market Road 255 (FM 255) was redesignated as RE 255. Except for RE 255, TxDOT numbers recreational roads sequentially: RE 2 is the system's second oldest route, and is numbered accordingly, while RE 11 is the system's most recent addition to the system. Only a few highways on the system were created from preexisting routes. One route on the system, RE 5, has been canceled. TxDOT has previously designated one type of auxiliary route within the system; however, no such route currently exists.
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Overview History
The Recreational Road System began on April 1, 1970, when TxDOT Minute Order 63535 was passed, designating RE 255 and RE 2. Two weeks later, on April 15, TxDOT approved the route of RE 255, and authorized its creation. On May 7, 1970, TxDOT designated RE 3, and on June 1 of the same year, both RE 2 and RE 3 were approved for creation. On September 1, RE 4 was designated, and was approved on October 15, 1970. On April 3, 1972, RE 5 was designated, and was approved less than two weeks later. In October of the same year, RE 6 was designated and approved. On April 3, 1981, RE 7 was designated and approved. On the same day, RE 8, was designated, and in June of that year, it was approved. On October 31, 1996, RE 9 and RE 10, were designated, and these routes were approved on December 20. RE 11, was the last route to be created; it was approved on December 20, 1996. On July 10, 2012, RE 5 was canceled from the system, and turned over to the control of Polk County. It is currently the only Recreational Road to have been completely canceled. RE 255 and RE 8 are the only routes in the system that have been edited.
System description
The system is maintained and overseen by TxDOT. The department defines a route on the system as a "roadway to a recognized recreational area, so designated by the Texas Transportation Commission"; routes on the system are very similar to those on the Park Road system, except that a Park Road is defined as "Roadway to a recognized state or national park". Currently, RE 8 is the only route which deviates from the system, as it serves Choke Canyon State Park. The system makes up of Texas' state highway system; the longest Recreational Road is RE 255, at approximately , while the shortest route in the system is RE 6 at just .
Recreational Roads are signed with a reassurance marker, or highway shield, that is very similar to the one used for the Farm to Market Road System. The Recreational Road marker, like the Farm to Market Road shield, is rectangular, with the shape of the state of Texas located in the center, with the route number in the center of that. While the FM shield has the word "FARM" located in the top right corner, and the word "ROAD" located in the bottom right corner, the RE shield has the letter "R" located in the top right corner instead. The base color for the FM shield is black, while the base color for the RE shield is brown. The shields are square in shape, with the dimensions of .
Auxiliary routes Recreational Road Spurs (RPs) are a type of auxiliary route for the Recreational Road System. TxDOT defines a Recreational Road Spur as a "roadway which usually begins on an on-system roadway and ends on an off-system roadway". There are currently no Recreational Road Spurs in existence. RE 255 is the only Recreational Road to have had a spur route. The route was originally designated on February 15, 1970, as FM 255 Spur; it connected FM 255 to the community of Beans through a short, heavily wooded area. The spur was redesignated as RP 255 on March 15, 1974, and was canceled on December 18, 1979.
Highways Recreational Road 2
Recreational Road 2 connects U.S. Routes 277 and 377 to the Rough Canyon Recreational Area portion of Amistad National Recreation Area. The road begins at boat-launch ramp on Devils River at the northern end of the Amistad Reservoir. The roadway runs northeasterly past the Rough Canyon Campground, past a small mobile home park, still inside the national recreation area. RE 2 turns directly east at an intersection with Cam Real Road, which connects the route to the community of Devils Shores. The highway exits the park, and continues through the South Texas shrubland, passing a few small roads and homes as well as traveling over several dry creek beds. The highway runs through several miles of shrubland before it reaches its western terminus, an at-grade intersection with US 277/US 377. A primitive dirt road first appeared in the location of RE 2 by 1940. Between 1956 and 1961, the road's surface was improved from gravel to metal and its course had been gradually straightened. RE 2 was designated on June 1, 1970, making it the second route in the system.
Recreational Road 3
Recreational Road 3 connects FM 273 to Fannin County Road 2610 (CR 2610) and serves Lake Bonham Park. The highway begins at an intersection with FM 273, north of Bonham. From there, the highway travels eastward for approximately , passing rural areas, before bending northward. The road travels north for about , passing more rural areas. The highway bends eastward afterward. It passes several small neighborhoods, and parts of Lake Bonham, before turning in a northeast direction. The roadway intersects several county roads before it passes the small Lake Bonham Park and reaches its eastern terminus, an intersection with the Old Bonham Road (CR 2610). RE 3 was designated on June 1, 1970, from an intersection with FM 898 to an intersection with Old Lake Bonham Road, in Fannin County, along its current route. The road was approximately in length at the time of designation, but has since been shortened by about . FM 898 was redesignated as FM 273 on April 1, 2004.
Recreational Road 4
Recreational Road 4 links Somerville Lake's Big Creek Park to FM 60. The roadway begins at an at-grade intersection with FM 60, northwest of Somerville. The highway proceeds southwest, passing a few small fields before intersecting Burleson County Road 472 (CR 472). The road continues, bending southeastward and passing a few small houses and fields. It proceeds southeast past a few small ranches and it intersects a small road. The roadway continues, passing several houses, on the edge of a small, unnamed community. The roadway continues past a few more small houses and ranches, before intersecting CR 415. The road proceeds southeast, passing a few more ranches, before it intersects CR 416 and continues past a small residential area. The route passes a few more ranches before reaching its southern terminus, the entrance gate to Big Creek Park. A small park road continues from the route. The site provides access to camping and picnic facilities and boat access to Somerville Lake. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction of Somerville Dam in 1962 and the reservoir was completed in 1968. In addition, the Corps built multiple recreational facilities on the lake, including Big Creek Park and its access road. In 1970, Burleson County officials requested that the state take over the maintenance responsibilities for the route. On September 1, 1970, the State Highway Commission approved the request and on October 15, 1970, RE 4 was officially designated. The highway was approximately long when it was originally commissioned; it has since been shortened by slightly more than .
Junction list The entire route is in Burleson County.
Recreational Road 5
Recreational Road 5 functioned as the main roadway for Southland Park. The route began at an intersection with FM 1988, south of Lake Livingston, as a two-lane, paved road. Traveling westward, the highway immediately intersected a short dirt track and proceeded to bend to the southwest. On the road's southern shoulder is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark marker commemorating Indian trails in Polk County. One of those paths, Long King Trace, is believed to have crossed the Trinity River at approximately the location of what was RE 5. The highway passed a few small houses and a small field, while traveling parallel to a small dirt road. RE 5 entered the small Southland Park, where it proceeded southeastward. The road formed a small loop inside the park, passing park facilities, hiking trails, the Trinity River and several parking spaces. The highway continued to its southern terminus, an at-grade intersection with itself at the end of the loop.
The development of Southland Park commenced in late 1969, the same year work on Lake Livingston was completed. In August 1970, Polk County officials requested that the State Highway Commission construct a 1.1-mile (1.8 km) long road to serve the park at a cost of $50,000 (equivalent to $ in ). It was not until April 3, 1972, that the Commission approved the proposal; they estimated the construction costs would be about $10,000 more than the original request. RE 5 was officially designated a few days later, on April 15, 1972. By the time of its cancellation, the highway had been shortened by approximately from its original length. On July 10, 2012, after an earlier request by Polk County officials, RE 5 was decommissioned and the roadway's jurisdiction was transferred; most of the highway, excluding the loop portion, is currently designated Polk County Road 4320.
Recreational Road 6
Recreational Road 6 connects FM 1476 to Sowell Creek Park. The park is operated by the Corps of Engineers and contains camping and picnic areas and a public-access boat ramp. RE 6 begins at the entrance to the recreation area, at an at-grade intersection with the main park road, as a two-lane, paved route. It runs in a straight line northeastward from this point, while Comanche County Road 5132 proceeds southward from the highway's terminus as an unpaved dirt roadway. Traveling from the intersection, RE 6 passes a small house to the east. The route continues through lightly wooded fields on both side, while functioning as the eastern border for Sowell Creek Park. The roadway continues to its northern terminus, an at-grade intersection with FM 1476. At in length, the highway is currently the shortest route in the Recreational Road System. The Corps of Engineers began developing Proctor Lake in 1960, and constructed several parks, including Sowell Creek, in the following years. The state highway commission designated RE 6 at its present location on October 5, 1972, and the highway was officially approved on October 15, 1972; the route was expected to cost approximately $10,000 (equivalent to $ in ). The road has not since been significantly extended or rerouted.
Junction list The entire route is in Comanche County.
Recreational Road 7