[2] SH 96 begins in League City at I-45, just south of the Harris County line.

The route then crosses FM 270 before turning to the northeast, passing the site of the former Houston Gulf Airport.

[1] The SH 96 designation was previously used on a route from Raymondville to Harlingen, mainly along the Gulf Coast, beginning on June 16, 1924.

[6] The connecting section was finally added to the state highway log on November 30, 1932.

[8] The route was truncated to Robstown on September 26, 1939, with an already-constructed section between Corpus Christi and Chapman Ranch transferred to SH 286.