Texas State Highway 242

State Highway 242 (SH 242) is a Texas state highway connecting The Woodlands and Patton Village in southeast Texas.

State Highway 242
Route information
Maintained by TxDOT
Length21.633 mi[1] (34.815 km)
Existed1985–present
Major junctions
West end FM 1488 in The Woodlands
  I-45 in Conroe
East end I-69 / US 59 in Patton Village
Location
CountiesMontgomery
Highway system
← SH 241→ SH 243

Route description

SH 242 begins at FM 1488 in The Woodlands.[2] The roadway, also known locally as College Park Drive, curves to the southeast and passes to the south of W. G. Jones State Forest. It then turns to the east and crosses I-45 in the southern outskirts of Conroe. The route continues to the east, crossing FM 1314 and FM 1485, before reaching its eastern terminus at I-69 / US 59 in Patton Village.[3]

History

SH 242 was originally designated on December 22, 1936 as a route from SH 6 at or near Hempstead to SH 38 (now SH 6) at or near Sugar Land.[4] This route was deleted on September 26, 1939, as it became part of SH 6. SH 242 was designated between I-45 and US 59 (now dual-signed as I-69/US 59) on May 22, 1985. The westward extension to FM 1488 was designated on May 29, 1986.[1]

A pair of flyover ramps connecting SH 242 westbound to southbound I-45 and northbound I-45 to westbound SH 242 were constructed in 2015 by the Montgomery County Transportation Program (MCTP). The flyovers were both tolled, utilizing solely electronic toll collection and were opened to the public on May 11, 2015, initially toll-free. Between July 6, 2015, and May 28, 2019, the flyovers were tolled, with the Montgomery County Toll Road Authority (MCTRA) owning and maintaining the ramps while the Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) collected the toll fees. After a unanimous vote by the Montgomery County Commissioners Court, the tolls on the flyovers were lifted, with ownership and maintenance being transferred to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).[5]

Major intersections

The entire route is in Montgomery County.

Locationmi[6]kmDestinationsNotes
The Woodlands0.00.0 FM 1488 – Magnolia, ConroeWestern terminus
Conroe4.47.1 I-45 – Houston, DallasI-45 exit 79 southbound; 79A & 79B northbound.
4.77.6South Trade Center ParkwayInterchange[7]
​10.516.9 FM 1314 – Conroe, PorterInterchange[8][9]
​15.224.5 FM 1485 – New Caney
Patton Village21.634.8 I-69 / US 59 – Houston, ClevelandI-69/US 59 exit 161; eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References
  1. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway No. 242". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
  2. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2012). Texas County Mapbook (PDF) (Map) (2012 ed.). 1:120,000. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 560. OCLC 867856197. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  3. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2012). Texas County Mapbook (PDF) (Map) (2012 ed.). 1:120,000. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 580. OCLC 867856197. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  4. "Minutes of the December 21, 1936 State Highway Commission meeting" (PDF).
  5. Jules Rogers (May 28, 2019), "Montgomery County Commissioners unanimously remove tolls along Hwy. 242 flyovers", Community Impact Newspaper, retrieved May 30, 2019
  6. Google (2011-11-25). "State Highway 242" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  7. Google (2020-08-03) TX-242 Conroe, Texas (Street View) Google Maps Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  8. SH 242 Schematic from East of San Jacinto River to FM 1314 Texas Department of Transportation 2016-12-26 (Retrieved 2020-08-03)
  9. SH 242 at FM 1314 Google Maps. Retrieved 8 January 2021
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