Bankhead Highway in Collin County
Royse City, Collin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Known as the Broadway of America and one of the nation’s earliest transcontinental highways, the Bankhead highway was created through the federal aid road act of 1916. The roadway extended from Washington, D.C., to San Diego, California, by way of eastern and southern states. In Texas, the Bankhead highway was completed in the 1920s and is still used today. Crossing approximately 850 miles in the state, the Bankhead, also known historically as State Highway 1, provided an engineered roadway for local and regional traffic and promoted tourism. The Bankhead includes segments of roads and trails forged during Spanish colonial, Republic of Texas and statehood eras. Between Greenville and Rockwall, the Bankhead is now known as state highway 66, including the section through Collin county. The highway became main street in Royse City, and the commercial downtown area developed along the road. Commercial resources included auto repair garages, gas stations, diners and cafes, tourist camps and courts, motels and hotels, and highway markers. Many communities along the Bankhead can attribute their development to this historic highway, supporting commerce and growth through the 1950s. The exponential growth of automobile traffic led to wider, safer and faster interstate systems. As one of the most important transportation corridors in the state’s history, the Bankhead highway played a critical role in the economic vitality of the state and the region.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born from the 1916 Federal Aid Road Act and completed across Texas in the 1920s, the Bankhead Highway was one of America's first transcontinental automobile routes, running from Washington, D.C., to San Diego. Known as the "Broadway of America" and designated State Highway 1, it stitched together older Spanish colonial and Republic-era roads into an engineered corridor roughly 850 miles long in Texas alone. Through Collin County it followed the path of today's State Highway 66, becoming Main Street in Royse City and lining the downtown with garages, gas stations, diners, and tourist courts. The boom lasted until faster interstates drew traffic away after the 1950s.
Why it matters
The Bankhead Highway shows how the early automobile age remade the American landscape, turning sleepy farm towns into strung-out roadside economies decades before the Interstate System.
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Themes & tags
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