Below are historical maps and plans of the San Antonio freeway system and of the San Antonio area in general.  These were acquired from planning documents and other sources.

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1950 Map of Bexar County
This map shows the pre-freeway system of highways and roads in Bexar County.  Click on the image for a larger version of the map.

Map showing original US 87 expressway
(ca. 1952)

Map showing original US 81 South expressway
(ca. 1952)

1964 Expressway Plan
This is a map of the freeway plan scanned from the 1964 San Antonio-Bexar County Urban Transportation Study (SABCUTS) plan.  Note the proposed Bandera Freeway and the planned St. Mary's Connection and San Pedro Connection on US 281, none of which were ever built.  The plan includes not only new freeways for the time, but also widening proposals for existing freeways, many of which were never completed as proposed.

1975 Expressway Plan
This is a map of the freeway plan scanned from the 1975 San Antonio-Bexar County Urban Transportation Study (SABCUTS) plan.  This plan is essentially the same as the 1964 plan with one major change-- the path for the proposed "Bandera Freeway" was shifted to an alignment along Culebra Road.  Of course, this freeway never built.  The St. Mary's Connection and San Pedro Connection, which also appeared in the 1964 plan, also ended-up being cancelled eventually.  This plan also shows a proposed upgrading of the northern half of Loop 1604.  The numbers on the map represent the proposed number of lanes for new and existing freeways.

Downtown Expressway Distributor Plan
The 1964 expressway study included plans for an elaborate downtown freeway distribution system.  Very few of the proposed ramps were ever built.  The east-west freeway running across the bottom of the diagram is the never-built Bandera Freeway.  Also notice the never-built St. Mary's Connection at the top.  The numbers on the map are the projected 1985 traffic volumes.

Proposed Bandera Freeway interchanges
These are conceptual diagrams of two proposed interchanges along the never-built Bandera Freeway from the 1964 plan.

Proposed US 281/Loop 410 interchange
This conceptual diagram, from the 1964 plan, shows that an interchange at Loop 410 and US 281 next to the airport was indeed planned.

Proposed St. Mary's Connector
This sketch from 1964 shows how the planned St. Mary's Connection between US 281 and I-35 would have linked with 281.