Ranch to Market Road 187

RM 187 begins at its southern terminus with US Highway 57 (US 57), near Batesville,[3][4] as a paved, two-lane, asphalt road. RM 187 winds through several miles of Southern Texas grassland dotted with trees. The highway passes several large ranches and farms along this course and intersects with several county routes and private roads. For this stretch of the route, RM 187 is heading in a northeast direction. The highway turns north about two miles (3 km) south of an intersection with FM 140.[5] The two highways run concurrently for nearly one mile (1.6 km) before FM 140 turns westward.[4] RM 187 continues north through rolling grasslands for almost 3.5 miles (5.6 km) before turning in a northeast direction. The route continues in this direction for about two miles before returning to a northerly direction. After about 15 miles (24 km), RM 187 intersects with US 90 and State Highway 127 (SH 127) in the small town of Sabinal.[6] The highway continues through more hilly, rolling grasslands. A few miles later, the highway crosses the Sabinal River and proceeds past the Waresville cemetery, the Links of Utopia Golf Course, and the Utopia on the River Airport[7] before passing through the "downtown" area[8] of the village of Utopia.[9][10]

Lost Maples State Natural Area, located off RM 187

RM 187 winds through nearly seven miles (11 km) of brushland, passing several large ranches and farms alongside the Sabinal River. The highway heads through the unincorporated community of Vanderpool[7] and runs concurrently with RM 337 for a length of 1.1 miles (1.8 km). Separating and running northward,[11] RM 187 continues along the southwestern edge of the Lost Maples State Natural Area.[12] The highway turns northeasterly through a long stretch of brushland before reaching its northern terminus at SH 39.[3][9][13]

RM 187 was first designated as Farm to Market Road 187, a stretch of road going from Sabinal to the Bandera County line on June 11, 1945. Just 14 days later, on June 25, 1945, it was extended from the Bandera County line up to Vanderpool. The highway was extended from an intersection with US 90 to Garner Field on April 1, 1948, which added approximately 1.8 miles (2.9 km) to the route. The highway was lengthened on November 23, 1948 to a point 4.3 miles (6.9 km) south of Sabinal, while the previous extension was cancelled and redesignated to FM 1023. The highway was again lengthened southward by 6.7 miles (10.8 km) to a dead end point on July 15, 1949. FM 187 was redesignated as RM 187 some time later. RM 187 was again extended south on March 24, 1954 to an intersection with FM 140. This added approximately 6 miles (9.7 km), giving the route an overall length of 48 miles. On May 2, 1962, the road was extended 4.5 miles (7.2 km) northward, totaling 52.5 miles (84.5 km) long. The road was extended to its modern-day northern terminus at SH 39 on June 26, 1963, which added about 12.9 miles (20.8 km) to the route. On June 21, 1967, FM 2557 was redesignated to RM 187, bringing the route to its southern terminus at US 57, though this did not take effect until construction on the 8.5 miles (13.7 km) from FM 140 to FM 2557 was completed. This added approximately 13.5 miles (22 km), totaling the road length to 81.9 miles (131.8 km).[1]

• List of Farm to Market Roads in South Texas

• Media related to Ranch to Market Road 187 at Wikimedia Commons