Highway 281 is on it’s way to bypassing the town of Falfurrias, Texas.
Back on the 4th of this month, I took these photos as I was driving through the middle of Falfurrias. I’ve been through Falfurrias many times as part of my business trips in the Texas valley, and for the longest time, only the basic groundwork was evident for what would eventually be state highway 281. But now mounds of earth have been piled much higher than the cars passing by, and you can’t miss the concrete pillars thick with wire mesh reaching skyward. Now you can actually see highway 281 coming closer.
Falfurrias Bypass 7
Falfurrias Bypass 2
Falfurrias Bypass 1
Falfurrias is not a large town by any means, but it has a decent enough selection of fast food places to stop at and an “original late 1980s size” Wal-Mart that does not have a grocery store. There are the scattering of hotels, small ramshackle garage repair shops, and the occasional business that looks like it has been around since the last century.
Falfurrias Bypass 5
There’s nothing in Falfurrias for me, but still, this highway bypass construction is a bit sad to see. On the one hand, it will save wear on the town’s roads and drastically cut down on the local traffic. On the other hand, any income that came from traffic stops and people stopping for a quick break before getting to the town of Alice going North (or McAllen going South) will be severely reduced, if not completely eliminated.
And then what?
Falfurrias Bypass 3
Falfurrias Bypass 4
This whole setup reminds me of that town in that movie Cars called “Radiator Springs”. I do sincerely hope Falfurrias winds up better than that fictional town, but from what I’ve seen, I’m honestly not so sure.
