U.S. Route 281 in South Dakota
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| Route information | |
| Auxiliary route of US 81 | |
| Length: | 1,872 mi (3,013 km) |
| Existed: | 1931 – present |
| Major junctions | |
| South end: |
    Bus. US 77 / SH 48 at Brownsville, TX
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| North end: |
  ND 3 / PTH 10 at the U.S.–Canada border |
| Location | |
| States: | Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota |
| Highway system | |
| 281 Bypass | |
|---|---|
| Location: | Great Bend, Kansas |
| Length: | 1.4 mi (2.3 km) |
U.S. Route 281 is a north–south United States highway. At 1,872 miles (3,013 km) long it is the longest continuous three-digit U.S. Route.
The highway's northern terminus is at the International Peace Garden, north of Dunseith, North Dakota, at the Canadian border, where it continues as Highway 10. The route between Dunseith and the border is shared with North Dakota Highway 3. US 281 has two southern termini. The western terminus is at Periférico Luis Echeverría at International Blvd in Hidalgo. The southern eastern terminus of US 281 is in Brownsville, Texas, just short of the Mexican border. The two spurs come together at Cage Blvd just north of Hidalgo. Thus, US 281 is the only continuous three-digit US route to extend from the Canadian border to the Mexican border.
U.S. 281 is a "child" of U.S. Route 81. As a result of decommissioning portions of the parent route that have been displaced by concurrent Interstate highways, the length of U.S. 281 is 672 miles greater than that of its parent.
US 281 begins at an intersection with Business US 77 and SH 48 about 2 miles (3.2 km) from the Mexico border. It travels along the border through the Rio Grande Valley, turning north at Hidalgo, travelling through many small towns, alternating as a divided highway and main street, until joining I-37. It splits with I-37 and travels through Pleasanton, travelling north to San Antonio. In San Antonio, US 281 overlaps I-410 on the south side of the city until the 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 a freeway, intersecting I-410 again on the north side of the city, with access to the San Antonio International Airport. A project to construct a stack interchange at I-410 (the "San Antonio Web") was completed June 9, 2008; formerly there was no direct access between the two freeways and surface streets were required travel between the freeways. North of San Antonio, US 281 is not a freeway and forms the Main Street of Blanco. It overlaps US 290 south of Johnson City. US 290 continues toward Austin, so US 281 and US 290 between San Antonio and Austin are available as a scenic and less congested alternate to I-35.
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