Ranch to Market Road 473

Ranch to Market Road 473
Route information
Length:	39.733 mi[1] (63.944 km)
Existed:	1945 – present
Major junctions
West end:	SH 27 in Comfort
	US 87 in Comfort RM 1376 in Sisterdale RM 474 FM 3351 in Kendalia US 281
East end:	RM 32
Location
Counties:	Kendall, Blanco
Highway system
Highways in Texas Interstate US State Toll Loops Spurs Park Rec FM ← FM 472 RM 474 →

Ranch to Market Road 473 (RM 473) is a 39.733 mi (63.944 km) ranch to market road in Kendall and Blanco counties, Texas.^[1]

Route description

RM 473 begins in Comfort, at an intersection with SH 27.^[2] The route travels through the business district of Comfort, intersecting US 87. While RM 473 does cross I-10, it does not have a direct junction with the freeway. Outside of Comfort, RM 473 continues eastward to Sisterdale, where it has a brief concurrency with RM 1376. It continues eastward through Kendalia and intersects US 281 south of Twin Sisters. The two routes stay merged for about two miles; US 281 continues north while RM 473 resumes a generally eastbound direction. RM 473 ends at an intersection with RM 32.^[1][3]

History

The route was originally designated as FM 473 in 1945, as a short route connecting US 87 in Comfort to Nichols Ranch 4.7 miles to the east. This route was extended several times: to 4.7 miles east of Nichols Ranch in 1949, to Sisterdale later that year, to RM 474 in 1951, and to US 281 in 1953 (replacing FM 1622 from Kendalia to US 281). The designation was changed from a FM to RM route in 1956. The addition of the section between US 281 and RM 32 occurred in 1970. Also, while the official designation has not been amended, signage does indicate that the route begins at SH 27, and not at US 87 (or its successor business route).^[1]

Major intersections

The total mileage in the table below is greater than that given by TxDOT, because the concurrency with US 281 is not included in its official description or mileage; however, the route is signed as concurrent.

County	Location	mi[4]	km	Destinations	Notes
Kendall	Comfort	0.0	0.0	SH 27 – Center Point	Western terminus
		0.4	0.6	US 87 – Boerne, Fredericksburg
	Sisterdale	12.4	20.0	RM 1376 north – Luckenbach	Western end of RM 1376 concurrency
		13.2	21.2	RM 1376 south – Boerne	Eastern end of RM 1376 concurrency
		19.2	30.9	RM 474 – Boerne
	Kendalia	26.4	42.5	FM 3351 – Bergheim
Blanco		33.9	54.6	US 281 south – San Antonio	Western end of US 281 concurrency
	Twin Sisters	35.8	57.6	US 281 north – Blanco	Eastern end of US 281 concurrency
		41.5	66.8	RM 32 – Fischer	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

References

1. Transportation Planning and Programming Division. "Ranch to Market Road No. 473". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation.
2. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2012). Texas County Map Book (PDF) (Map) (2012 ed.). 1:120,000. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 372. OCLC 867856197.
3. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2012). Texas County Map Book (PDF) (Map) (2012 ed.). 1:120,000. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 402. OCLC 867856197.
4. Google (2011-01-05). "Overview map of Farm to Market Road 473 Distances Between Interchanges" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2011-01-05.