FM 171 begins in Wichita Falls at an intersection with Bus. US 287 north of the Wichita River. The route travels east on Lincoln Street to SH 240. These two routes are concurrent northbound along King Boulevard before FM 171 turns back to the northeast along Jefferson Street. In the outskirts of Wichita Falls, FM 171 intersects FM 1740 and then FM 890, which provides access to Sheppard AFB. From here, the roadway is known as the Upper Charlie Road. The route crosses the Wichita–Clay county line and meanders through the farming areas of Clay County. It intersects FM 1177 and then FM 2393 near Thornberry. The highway turns to the east, crossing FM 810 south of the community of Charlie. FM 171 then enters Byers, where it has a brief concurrency with SH 79 through downtown, before it resumes its journey eastward. The roadway then turns southward, roughly paralleling the Red River and the Oklahomastate line, before FM 171 reaches its eastern terminus at FM 2332. FM 171's roadway is generally two-lane and shoulderless, except for the section in the Wichita Falls metropolitan area and during its concurrency with SH 79 in Byers.
History
FM 171 was first commissioned in Clay County on June 11, 1945. Its original designation was from Byers across SH 148 south of Charlie to Wichita Falls. The designation was extended eastward to east of Byers on October 31, 1957. On November 7, 1958, US 287 was rerouted in downtown Wichita Falls, and the FM 171 designation was extended along Lincoln Street to its current western terminus. The eastern terminus was extended to the south, first to a county road on May 2, 1962, and then to its current location at FM 2332 on June 1, 1965. On June 27, 1995, the mileage in the Wichita Falls metropolitan area, from the eastern terminus at US 287 Bus. to the intersection with FM 890, was transferred to Urban Road 171. As with other highways with the urban road designation, TxDOT continued to sign the route using the standard Farm to MarketRoad marker. On November 15, 2018, the mileage in the Wichita Falls metropolitan area, from the eastern terminus at US 287 Bus. to the intersection with FM 890, was changed back to FM 171.
