Loop 343 is a state-maintained roadway located in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

History

Loop 343 was formed on May 30, 1961 along the previous routes of SH 71 and

US 290 U.S. Route 290 (US 290) is an east–west U.S. Highway located entirely within the state of Texas. Its western terminus is at Interstate 10 southeast of Segovia, and its eastern terminus is at Interstate 610 in northwest Houston. It is the m ...

as those roads were realigned. It passed through downtown Austin along 6th and 7th Streets to Lamar Boulevard. It was rerouted on February 25, 1977 to use 1st Street (now

Cesar Chavez Street Cesar Chavez Street (formerly Army Street) is an east–west street in San Francisco, California, United States. The street was renamed in 1995 in honor of American labor leader and Latino American civil rights activist, Cesar Chavez. It ...

) west of I-35. On November 10, 1986, the portion east of I-35 was removed from state maintenance, forming the current alignment. Between 1978 and 2008, a segment of Cesar Chavez Street in downtown Austin was one-way eastbound. Westbound traffic on Loop 343 was diverted to Second and Third Streets before merging back onto Cesar Chavez Street at . In 2008, as part of a larger public works project, the City of Austin converted Cesar Chavez Street back to two-way traffic along its entire length.

Route description

Loop 343 begins in south Austin at the intersection of

/ SH 71 and the southern terminus of

Loop 360 Loop 360 is a loop route in Austin in the U.S. state of Texas. Loop 360 is a scenic highway winding through the hills of West Austin. The road is described by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) as "a 4-lane depressed median arteri ...

. It proceeds north along Lamar Boulevard for towards downtown Austin. Here, it crosses Lady Bird Lake on the

Lamar Boulevard Bridge The Lamar Boulevard Bridge is a historic arch bridge carrying Texas State Highway Loop 343 (Lamar Boulevard) over Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin, Texas, United States. The bridge features six open-spandrel concrete arches spanning and carries ...

. This segment of Loop 343 is a four-lane heavily-developed urban road. At this point, Loop 343 heads east along

Cesar Chavez Cesar Chavez (born Cesario Estrada Chavez ; ; March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was an American labor leader and civil rights activist. Along with Dolores Huerta, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), which later merged ...

Street for , past Austin City Hall and the Austin Convention Center, to its terminus at

I-35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

. This segment of Loop 343 is a four-lane downtown road.

Junction list

Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...

References

{{Austin Streets

343 __NOTOC__ Year 343 ( CCCXLIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Memmius and Romulus (or, less frequently, year 1096 ' ...

Transportation in Austin, Texas Transportation in Travis County, Texas