U.S. Route 175

It comes very close to meeting its parent route, US 75, but decommissioning and rerouting in Downtown Dallas leaves it short a couple of miles.

Much of the US 175 corridor (from I-20 in Balch Springs to US 69 in Jacksonville) is part of TxDOT's network of evacuation routes in the event of a hurricane.

[2] TxDOT also considers the highway an alternative to using I-20 to travel to and from Dallas-Fort Worth, and feels the corridor is an important connection for students to get to Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, as well.

After the bypass makes its way past a freeway-style exit at State Highway 274 (which also forms the east end of Business US 175), US 175 leaves the main part of Kemp.

The highway continues as a divided four-lane road past two multi-bridge spans of Cedar Creek Reservoir.

FM 316's overlap concludes after four short blocks by turning left at another signal-lighted intersection to go north out of Eustace.

US 175, SH 19, and Loop 7 continue their overlap around to the east edge of Athens, past a grade-separated exit of Farm to Market Road 2495.

The divided four-lane arrangement continues past rural, rolling terrain, then after several miles is an intersection with Loop 60 in the community of Larue.

For less than a mile along the north side of the highway, a service road can be found along the frontage of the school, which provides a safe connection and access for faculty and students.

About a mile past the school campus, at a county road crossing, is the city limits for the town of Poynor.

Just before reaching the center of town, a left turn accesses the west end of Business US 175-H, which connects US 175 with Poynor's main crossroad, Farm to Market Road 315.

After another half mile, US 175 reaches the east end of Business US 175-H. At this point, US 175 becomes part of the Texas Forest Trail,[9] one of several posted regional byways across the state.

This intersection marks the end of US 175's segment of the Texas Forest Trail; from here, it turns north to follow SH 155.

After SH 155, and over a hill, US 175 leaves the urban portion of Frankston and, for the first time along the road, the four-lane section narrows to two lanes.

After a gradual downward slope and at the bottom of a hill, the bridge crossing of the Neches River is reached; this is the point where US 175 leaves Anderson County.

After the bridge span over the Neches River and into Cherokee County, and a short distance later, US 175 reaches the west city limit border of Cuney.

There is not much of a town center besides a city hall and post office, mainly scattered stores, modest homes, and a church along the way.

Upon leaving Reese, there is a curve in the road to the right, then a slight ascent up a long hillside, with a climbing lane eastbound.

A signal light after three blocks marks an intersection with Farm to Market Road 347 (North Bolton Street).

The route was created in 2004 when US 175 was rerouted to go to the north and east of Athens on Loop 7. Business US 175-G is 4.871 miles (7.839 km) long.

[17][18] An early figure in the formation of what would become US 175 was William Richardson, who settled with his family on land just northwest of Athens in late 1855.

The other parts of SH 40 became parts of other US highways (US 77 north of Dallas by 1926;[23] US 271 south of Jacksonville from 1930 to 1934,[24] when the designation transitioned to US 69[25]) as well (Map sources into at least the mid-1930s show a co-signing of US 175 and SH 40 along US 175's entire route; it is unclear whether these were mapping mistakes of some kind or if the two designations were allowed as an orientative transition, if so, it is unclear as to for how long.[26][27][28]).

A petition with over 1000 signatures favoring the extension of US 77 along SH 40 between Dallas and Jacksonville was brought to a September 1930 meeting of the Texas Highway Commission.

At the meeting, the Commission went on to pass an order requesting the executive committee of AASHO (the American Association of State Highway Officials; now called AASHTO) to consider the US 77 extension.

[32][33][34] On April 25, 2013, a minute order was issued by the state Transportation Commission authorizing the change of designation for US 175 to a new direct routing west to I-45.

[35] At a meeting of the Texas Transportation Commission in January 2015, a minute order was issued authorizing the increase of US 175 speed limits in Kaufman County.

Previously, the part of US 175 between the Dallas County-Kaufman County line and the east side of Crandall had a 60 mile per hour speed limit; while the part from Crandall to the Kaufman County-Henderson County line in Mabank had a 65 mile per hour limit beforehand.

[37] Along US 175's path, several cities have been bypassed that previously had been served with through-town routings, including Seagoville, Crandall, Kaufman, Kemp, Mabank, and Athens.

The bypassed sections in Seagoville and Crandall came in conjunction with a new alignment between the two cities and a higher bridge over the East Fork of the Trinity River.

It appears that LaRue may have been first to be bypassed, but it is unclear as to whether it was formulated in the early years of US 175's time, or if it was done while the path was signed as SH 40.

Marker for US 175 east of Kaufman
Westbound lane of US 175 near Eustace (January 2010)
Just northwest of Athens, a picnic area west of the RM 2329 intersection
Sign assembly in Athens illustrating the four concurrent routes sharing this part of the city's loop. This is the most routes that overlap with US 175 on any part of the highway.
Texas Forest Trail sign along US 175 in Frankston
This roadside spring just west of the Neches River has been a favorite stop for locals for many years.
Old Neches Saline Road state Historical Marker at this spot northwest of Jacksonville
Sign display for Business US 175-G at its southeast terminus in Athens
Hobby Highway logo, which marked the auto trail's path at various roadside points.
Early style of signage used on State Highway 40 prior to when US 175 was commissioned.
Workers install signals in August 2017 at the US 175/FM 1895 intersection in Kemp. The ones facing FM 1895 will blink red, while US 175 traffic will see yellow flashing signals. This work is likely an interim solution until funding is made available to better improve the intersection.