Texas State Highway Loop 293

State Highway Loop 293 or Loop 293 is a highway in the U.S. state of Texas maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The 3.2-mile (5.1 km) route is a remnant of the former U.S. Route 290 through the ghost town of Bakersfield in eastern Pecos County east of Fort Stockton before the construction of Interstate 10. Both ends of the route terminate at service roads of I-10, and the loop has one major intersection with Farm to Market Road 11 in Bakersfield. The route has been included in the state highway system under various designations since the original formation of the state system.

State Highway Loop 293 marker

State Highway Loop 293

Loop 293 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by TxDOT
Length3.196 mi[1] (5.143 km)
Existed1981[1]–present
Major junctions
West end I-10 north service road
Major intersections FM 11 in Bakersfield
East end I-10 north service road
Location
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
CountiesPecos
Highway system
← SH 293→ FM 293

Route description

Loop 293 begins along the north service road of I-10 just south of Squawteat Peak west of Bakersfield. After 1.5 miles (2.4 km) the route intersects FM 11 in the center of Bakersfield. The route proceeds for another 1.7 miles (2.7 km) before returning to the I-10 north service road. The road passes through the Taylor-Link Oil and Gas Field, and follows a generally straight path through gentle terrain with little physical relief.[2][3]

There is no direct connection between Loop 293 and the main roadways of I-10. The north service road at the west end of Loop 293 ends abruptly a short distance away with no entrance or exit ramps.[4] Access to the loop from I-10 is by way of FM 11 at Exit 294, and westbound motorists on I-10 can also reach the east end by following the north service road from Exit 298 at Ranch to Market Road 2886.[5]

History

Loop 293 was originally designated as a 7.7-mile (12.4 km) Travis County route along the south side of the city of Austin on August 24, 1955.[1] That route began at the current intersection of US 290 and Loop 343,[6] then proceeded along the present SH 71[1] ending at the current intersection of US 183 with SH 71.[1] The route of the original loop now carries US 290 west of I-35. The original route designation was replaced by US 290 and SH 71 on May 30, 1961, with the old route becoming Loop 343.[1]

The present Loop 293, despite its short distance and the small size of the community it serves, overlays a roadway that has been part of several significant highway routes since the beginning of the state's highway system. Soon after the Texas State Highway Department, a predecessor to TxDOT, was established in 1917,[7] the agency proposed State Highway 10 that included the present loop.[8] That proposal came to fruition locally by 1919,[9] and the road became part of the seven percent of the state's highway network receiving 50% federal funding under the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921.[10][11]

SH 10 was locally reassigned as part of SH 27 by 1926.[12] That same year the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) adopted the network of United States Numbered Highways[10] which was published in 1927.[13] At that time the road became part of US 290[14][15] while maintaining its SH 27 designation.[16] The redundant state designation was removed by the 1939 general redescription of the state highway system.[17]

The I-10 bypass around Bakersfield was constructed in 1976.[18] US 290 was rerouted along the I-10 bypass, and the original roadway was designated Loop 293 on March 19, 1981.[1] After the completion of I-10 in western Texas, US 290 was decommissioned west of its intersection with I-10 southeast of Junction in 1992.[15]

Major intersections

The entire route is in Pecos County. [2]

Location[2]mi[19]kmDestinationsNotes
​00.0 I-10 north service roadWestern terminus
Bakersfield1.52.4 FM 11 – Imperial
​3.25.1 I-10 north service roadEastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References
  1. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway Loop No. 293". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  2. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2018). Texas County Mapbook (PDF) (Map) (2018 ed.). 1:72,224. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 1361. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  3. Bakersfield Quadrangle, Texas-Pecos Co (Map). 1:24 000. 7.5 Minute Series (Topographic). United States Geological Survey. 1969. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 8, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  4. Google (April 4, 2012). "Satellite view of I-10 north service road at western terminus of Loop 293" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  5. Google (April 4, 2012). "Satellite view of I-10 north service road from east end of Loop 293 to RM 2886 exit" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  6. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway Loop No. 343". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  7. "TxDOT History: 1917–1930". Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  8. Texas State Highway Commission, Office of State Highway Engineer (July 1917). Map Showing Proposed System of State Highways (Map) (June 1917 ed.). 1:2,112,200. Austin: Texas State Highway Commission. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  9. Texas State Highway Commission (October 1, 1919). Highway Map, State of Texas (Map) (1919 ed.). 1:1,584,00. Austin: Texas State Highway Commission. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  10. Weingroff, Richard F. (January 9, 2009). "From Names to Numbers: The Origins of the U.S. Numbered Highway System". Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on May 26, 2009. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  11. Texas State Highway Commission (December 1, 1922). Highway Map of the State of Texas (Map) (1922 ed.). 1:1,267,200. Austin: Texas State Highway Commission. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  12. Texas State Highway Commission (1926). Official Highway Map of Texas (Map) (1926 ed.). 1:1,900,800. Austin: Texas State Highway Commission. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  13. "Complete U.S. Highway System Now Designated and Approved". U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Information, Press Service. January 22, 1927. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  14. United States Numbered Highways (1927 ed.), American Association of State Highway Officials, p. 44
  15. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "U.S. Highway No. 290". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  16. Texas State Highway Commission (March 1, 1936). Official Map of the Highway System of Texas (Map) (Centennial ed.). 1:1,837,440. Austin: Texas State Highway Commission. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  17. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway No. 27". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  18. "FM 11 bridge over I-10 in Pecos County (FIPS code 371), Texas". National Bridge Inventory. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  19. Google (April 4, 2012). "Route of Loop 293" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
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