SH 71 was originally designated on August 21, 1923 from
Austin to
Columbus, replacing
SH 3D and the western half of
SH 3A. On June 8, 1925, SH 71 was extended to
Midfield, though this was not effective until 1926. On March 19, 1928, it was extended south to its current end. On June 21, 1938,
SH 71 Spur was designated in Columbus. In 1935,
U.S. Highway 290 was codesignated along the stretch from Austin to
Bastrop, dropping SH 71 from this section completely on September 26, 1939. SH 71 Spur was renumbered as
Spur 52. On May 23, 1951, this section was restored when US 290 was rerouted farther north. On October 24, 1955, SH 71 was signed, but not designated along Ranch to Market Road 93 to Llano. On October 31, 1965, the highway was extended to its current designation over the cancelled Ranch to Market Road 93 and
Ranch to Market Road 734. On February 16, 1982, SH 71 was relocated in Columbus.
Austin and Bastrop Through
Austin, SH 71 is known as Ben White Boulevard and is one of Austin's newest freeways. Sections have opened regularly since 1996, when the first section west of Interstate 35 was opened. A five-level stack was completed at Interstate 35 in December 2011, and the freeway east of Interstate 35 to
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was completed in 2014. Construction commenced in 2015 east of US 183 (Bastrop Freeway) where a section of SH 71 to the SH 130 tollway has been converted into a tollway with a two lane bridge crossing SH 130. Major displacements of commercial properties were required to build the Austin expansions. Most of the freeway had a wide right-of-way which was expanded to over , and the western segment, which opened in 1998, was built on an right-of-way. The section at the western end required many more business displacements. The new freeway features depressed sections, elevated sections, and partial
stack interchanges. An interchange over Ross Road and Kellam Road southeast of Austin was completed circa mid-2024. ==Business routes==