U.S. 87 North - Lamesa to Lubbock

North West

U.S. 180 west joins U.S. 87 north for a 2.9 mile overlap along Lynn Avenue in Lamesa. Lamesa (pronounced "la-MEES-uh") is seat of Lynn County.
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Lynn County 20 connects U.S. 87 north with Los Ybanez. The small city was incorporated in 1983.
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Business U.S. 87K (Dallas Avenue) represents the former alignment of U.S. 87 through Lamesa, traveling 1.747 miles¹ one block to the west.
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Dallas Avenue (U.S. 87 Business) ties into Downtown Lamesa while U.S. 87-180 follows Lynn Avenue to the east. The city was established in 1905 when the site won the county seat election.
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U.S. 180 leaves at North 4th Street for Seminole and Hobbs, New Mexico while U.S. 87 proceeds north through Lamesa. Texas 137 runs along Bryan Avenue nine blocks to the west.
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North

FM 826 east joins U.S. 87 (Lynn Avenue) with Lamesa Municipal Airport (LUV).
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Upcoming Loop 76 forms the pre-1937 route of U.S. 87 through O'Donnell.
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U.S. 87 north enters Lynn County ahead of Loop 76 north to O'Donnell. Lynn County was established for settlement in the late 1870s and was sparsely populated into the early 20th century.
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The return of Loop 76 (Doak Street) from O'Donnell occurs ahead of FM 2053.
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U.S. 87 advances from O'Donnell northerly to Tohoka (14 miles) and Lubbock (43 miles).
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Continuing north along U.S. 87, the Permian Basin region slowly gives way to the South Plains region of Texas as the terrain begins to flatten.
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Loop 472 represents the first of three interchanges for the Lynn County seat of Tahoka. The two mile loop follows Avenue J and Main Street through the center of Tahoka.
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U.S. 87 was moved to the freeway section when it opened in 1970, with Loop 472 overtaking the former route through downtown.
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U.S. 87 enters Tahoka city limits at the Loop 472 overpass. Tahoka was founded in 1903 (incorporated 1915) specifically to be the Lynn County seat, and was the first settlement built south of Lubbock.
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U.S. 380 crosses U.S. 87 at a diamond interchange east of Downtown. Regionally, U.S. 380 connects with Brownfield and Post, and is referred to as the Cotton Highway.
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Loop 472 ties back in with U.S. 87 one mile ahead on the north side of Tahoka.
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A trumpet interchange joins U.S. 87 and FM 400 to Wilson in one mile. The Farm to Market road totals 85.417 miles, connecting Tahoka with Wilson and Slaton.
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FM 400 spokes northeast to Wilson and Slaton before it beelines north, bypassing Lubbock to the east en route to Plainview. Wilson (established 1912 by William Green of Shiner) is predominantly of German descent.
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Agriculture parcels line the ensuing stretch of U.S. 87 north, which include canola, cotton, and peanut fields.
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U.S. 87 crosses into Lubbock County north of FM 211. The county is actually one of the oldest inhabited places in Texas, with archaeological evidence of constant human habitation for the past 12,000 years.
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U.S. 87 curves to bypass the community of Woodrow to the east. Woodrow was founded in 1917 and was named after President Woodrow Wilson.
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Loop 493 overlays the former alignment of U.S. 87 through Woodrow. Direct access to Loop 493 from U.S. 87 north was severed when the interchange with Woodrow Road was completed.
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Woodrow Road (CR 7600) joins U.S. 87 north with the center of the community. A diamond interchange replaced the at-grade crossing by 2014 at a cost of $10.6 million.²
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Interstate 27 begins ahead at the upcoming departure to U.S. 84 / Loop 289. IH 27 runs concurrent with U.S. 87 for the majority of its 124 mile course to IH 40 and Amarillo.
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This reassurance marker for U.S. 87 precedes the ramp to 98th Street.
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U.S. 87 north enters Lubbock city limits beyond the 98th Street interchange.
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Several commercial centers line 82nd Street as it travels west to U.S. 62 and Wolfforth.
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Business U.S. 87G previously followed Avenue A on a 3.833 mile course between Exit 1 (U.S. 84 / Loop 289) and U.S. 82. The route was decommissioned when Avenue A was transferred to the city of Lubbock February 25, 2010.³
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References:

1. Business U.S. Highway No. 87-K TxDOT Highway Designation File.
2. Ports-to-Plains Alliance Historical Construction Expansion Projects As of May, 2018 (pdf), Ports-To-Plains Alliance website.
3. Business U.S. Highway No. 87-G TxDOT Highway Designation File.

Page Updated Saturday June 27, 2020.