Texas State Highway Loop 368

Loop 368 is a state highway loop in the U.S. state of Texas that follows a former route of US 81 in San Antonio. 8.115 miles (13.060 km) in length, the route is a major arterial in the city, providing access to Brackenridge Park, the San Antonio Zoo, and the University of the Incarnate Word.

State Highway Loop 368 marker

State Highway Loop 368

Loop 368 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by TxDOT
Length8.115 mi[1] (13.060 km)
Existed1962–present
Major junctions
South end I-35 in San Antonio
North end I-410 in Fratt
Location
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
Highway system
← Loop 367→ Loop 369

Route description

Loop 368 begins northeast of Downtown San Antonio at I-35 near that route's interchange with I-37 and US 281.[2] It heads northeast along Broadway through Midtown San Antonio, and through the cities of Alamo Heights and Terrell Hills. At an intersection with Austin Highway, Loop 368 turns onto that roadway. The highway continues to the northeast to its northern terminus at the interchange of I-35 and I-410.[3][4]

History

Loop 368 follows the original routing of US 81 on the northeast side of San Antonio.[1] US 81 was first designated along this stretch in 1927 and is the basis of the name Austin Highway, as US 81 was the primary route from San Antonio to Austin at the time.[5] On August 1, 1962, when US 81 was rerouted onto the freeway to the east, the old segment was designated as Loop 368, but signed as Business U.S. 81. The route was signed as Loop 368 after US 81 was decommissioned south of Fort Worth in 1991.

On December 18, 2014, the section from Burr Road in Alamo Heights to I-35 was planned to be removed from the state highway system as part of TxDOT's San Antonio turnback program, which gave 21.8 miles (35.1 km) of roads to the city.[6] The original proposal would have turned back over 129 miles (208 km) to the city, and would have also decommissioned the section of Loop 368 from the McNay Art Museum entrance northeast of New Braunfels Avenue to I-35, but the city rejected that proposal.[7][8] The turnback of the Burr Road to I-35 section was to have occurred upon the issuance of the project acceptance letter for the improvements along that section.[1][9] However, on January 27, 2022, TxDOT announced that it would retain jurisdiction over that portion of Loop 368, noting that the city did not provide the required acceptance letter for the project.[10][11]

Under the leadership of mayor Ron Nirenberg, the city of San Antonio tried to add Protected bike lanes and narrowing the existing lanes on Broadway along with lowering the speed limits, but the Texas Department of Transportation did not allow that. Nirenberg accused the state DoT of "1950s thinking" and having a "religious fascination" with highway expansion.[12]

Junction list

The entire route is in Bexar County.

Locationmi[4]kmDestinationsNotes
San Antonio0.00.0 I-35
Fratt8.113.0 I-410I-410 west exit 26, east exit 26A
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References
Template:Attached KML/Texas State Highway Loop 368
KML is from Wikidata
  1. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway Loop No. 368". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  2. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2018). Texas County Mapbook (PDF) (Map) (2018 ed.). 1:72,224. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 1869. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  3. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2018). Texas County Mapbook (PDF) (Map) (2018 ed.). 1:72,224. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 1830. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  4. Google (February 22, 2008). "overview map of Loop 368" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  5. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "U.S. Highway No. 81". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  6. Davila, Vianna (January 30, 2014). "San Antonio approves switch in road maintenance". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved December 23, 2022 – via MySA.com.
  7. Davila, Vianna (November 20, 2013). "City officials say no to TxDOT turnback program". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved August 10, 2020 – via MySA.com.
  8. "City of San Antonio - File #: 13-1062".
  9. "December 2014 meeting". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  10. Santana, Steven (January 27, 2022). "'This has stunned all of us': TxDOT confirms it still owns Broadway, halting road project". MySA. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  11. "Texas Transportation Commission Approves Retaining Capacity On SL 368 (Broadway) To Address Congestion And Plan For Future Growth" (Press release). Texas Department of Transportation. January 27, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  12. "'It's just more and more lanes': the Texan revolt against giant new highways". the Guardian. April 29, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
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