U.S. Route 190

Texas

The western terminus is at a point where US 190 intersects with I-10, a few miles east of Bakersfield and 20 mi (32 km) west of the town of Iraan, in the middle of Pecos County.

It runs east through Texas Hill Country speckled with sage brush, intersecting with State Highway 305 (SH 305), crossing into Schleicher County, and intersecting with US 277 in Eldorado. Just outside Eldorado was where the raid of the Yearning for Zion Ranch gained national attention. US 190 continues east into Menard County, intersecting State Highway 864, and passing a few miles north of Fort McKavett State Historic Site, entering Menard and intersecting with US 83 north a short distance.

Continuing on a northeastward route US 190 enters McCulloch County and into Brady. As the closest city to the geographical center of Texas, the city proclaims itself the "True Heart of Texas", "where five major highways meet, making it a major gateway to all regions of the state".^[2] US 190 enters Brady from the south merging and running concurrently with north US 377 and US 87 through town, intersecting Farm to Market Road 2028 (FM 2028), FM 2309, then splitting with US 87 and US 377, before exiting the city heading east. US 190 goes through Rochelle, enters San Saba County, through Richland Springs where it intersects FM 45, the communities Algerita, and Harkeyville, and into San Saba, the birthplace of actor Tommy Lee Jones, and an intersection with SH 16. Continuing east US 190 enters Lampasas County, entering Lometa, merging and running concurrently with US 183 south into the city of Lampasas. Splitting from US 183 and continuing east, US 190 runs through Kempner and into the extreme southern corner of Coryell County and Copperas Cove, which is located on the southwestern edge of Fort Hood. On the east side of Copperas Cove, a concurrency with I-14 begins. US 190 then traverses through part of Fort Hood, into Bell County and Killeen. Being directly adjacent to the main cantonment of Fort Hood, both Killeen and Copperas Cove depend on the fort and those stationed there.

US 190 next intersects and merges with I-35 through Belton and enters Temple, where I-14 ends. The highway then merges and runs concurrently with SH 36 south. Continuing east and south, US 190 passes through Rogers and enters Milam County then Cameron and merges with US 77 south for a distance. A few miles south of Cameron, US 190 merges and runs concurrently with US 79 north. In Hearne, US 190 splits with US 79 and merges to run concurrently with SH 6 south, entering Brazos County, through Benchley, and into Bryan, that is considered the heart of the Brazos Valley (Southeast Central Texas), and is part of the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area.

US 190 splits with SH 6, turning northeast and merging with SH 21 north, entering Kurten, entering Madison County also passing through North Zulch, Cottonwood and into Madisonville, before merging with I-45 south and into Walker County, then entering Huntsville, where US 190 splits heading into Eastern Texas.

Continuing east, US 190 enters San Jacinto County, Texas, passing north of Oakhurst and Point Blank, crossing Lake Livingston, entering Polk County and into Onalaska. US 190 from the west makes a semi-loop up over Lake Livingston and down to Livingston, intersecting US 59 and Business US 59 (Bus. US 59) and through Alabama-Coushatta Indian Reservation, entering Tyler County, merging with FM 256 and into Woodville. East of Woodville, FM 256 splits north and US 190 crosses BA Steinhagen Lake, into Jasper County, intersecting with SH 63 east, and in the center of Jasper intersecting with US 96. Continuing east, US 190 travels through Holly Springs and enters Newton County, proceeding into Newton. In Newton, US 190 turns south through Bon Wier, and then crosses the Louisiana line. In Newton County, US 190 has been designated one of the routes on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail.

Louisiana

US 190 crosses the Sabine River and enters the western portion of Louisiana in swampy bayou terrain three miles (4.8 km) west of Merryville, Louisiana. Merryville is the location of the old Coushatta Indian village.

From Merryville the highway heads north by northeast to the community of Junction, Louisiana, also referred to as "The Junction".^[3] Junction is where Louisiana Highway 111 (LA 111) and US 190 intersect and is the site of a roadside marker and the joining of two Indian trails.

From Junction, US 190 heads east to DeRidder, where it runs concurrently with US 171 south and passes several sites on the National Register of Historic Places, such as the Beauregard Parish Jail, Beauregard Parish Courthouse, and the DeRidder Commercial Historic District. US 190 runs concurrently with US 171 to Ragley, where US 190 parts with US 171 heading east. From Ragley, the two-lane highway heads nearly due east almost parallel to I-10 until Opelousas. US 190 crosses the northern reach of the Atchafalaya Basin near the Morganza Spillway en route to Baton Rouge. From Baton Rouge, US 190 passes, in places divided, through Denham Springs, Albany, Hammond, Robert, Goodbee, Covington,^{[lower-alpha 1]} Mandeville, before reaching the eastern terminus at Slidell.

The stretch between I-12 south of Covington and the intersection with LA 22 at Mandeville is multilane divided with controlled access. The highway's eastern terminus is in the bayous near Slidell, at an intersection with US 90. This junction was once known as the "White Kitchen" after a restaurant that was once located there.^[4][5]

Other designations

• Acadiana Trail / Evangeline Highway — US 190 in Louisiana
• Earl Rudder Freeway and Central Texas Expressway — US 190 in Texas (part of future I-14)

Louisiana

The original 1926 route followed the Jefferson Highway through downtown Baton Rouge, then LA 426 (Old Hammond Highway) to the Amite River. East of Baton Rouge, significant differences from the current alignment are as follows: LA 1032 through Denham Springs; LA 1027 into Walker; LA 43 and 1040 (Old Baton Rouge Highway) between Albany and Hammond; South Range Road and LA 1067 (Old Covington Highway) between Hammond and the Tangipahoa River; and Bus. US 190 through Covington.

West of Baton Rouge, the current alignment generally follows the same route since its extension into Texas in 1935. The only major re-routing was between Deridder and Elton, where the original route followed LA 26. The portion between Oberlin and Elton was re-routed in 1937 to follow US 165 to Kinder before assuming the current alignment between Deridder and Kinder the following year. Other differences from the current route are as follows: LA 110 through Merryville; LA 3099 into DeRidder; LA 3253, 1244, 31, and 742 between Opelousas and Port Barre; Old U.S. 190 between Bayou Courtableau and Krotz Springs and between East Krotz Springs, Louisiana Krotz Springs and Lottie; LA 77 between Livonia and Rosedale; and LA 76 between Rosedale and Port Allen.

In 1937, US 190 took over the original route of US 90 from Slidell to the Rigolets Bridge (along current US 11 and LA 433) when that highway assumed its current routing into Mississippi. US 190 was given its current eastern terminus at US 90 in the 1940s, following what is now Bus. US 190 (Fremaux Avenue) through Slidell until the 1970s when it was shifted onto Gause Boulevard.

In 1951, US 190 was re-routed along Bus. US 51 (mainline US 51 at the time) and LA 22 between Hammond and Mandeville. The new route passed through Ponchatoula and Madisonville and bypassed Covington. The former route through Covington was restored in 1956.

The current US 190 near Krotz Springs is an elevated highway. The road was built as a bypass around the road called Old 190 which continues across the Morganza Spillway to the western edge of Lottie. US 190 crosses the Atchafalaya River on two cantilever bridges known as the Krotz Springs Bridge. It crosses the Mississippi River on the 1940-era Huey Long Bridge north of Baton Rouge.

The route is now used as an alternate route for I-10, across the Atchafalaya Expressway. Traffic can be diverted along LA 975 to Krotz Springs, and LA 76 to US 190/LA 1.