Loop 49 (also called Toll 49) is a currently circular

tollway A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented ...

that, along with

I-20 Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with I-95 in Florence, South Carolina. Between ...

, will encircle the city of

Tyler Tyler may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tyler (name), an English name; with lists of people with the surname or given name * Tyler, the Creator (born 1991), American rap artist and producer * John Tyler, 10th president of the United ...

and serve other various communities in Northeast Texas upon its completion. Routing of the loop north of I-20 bypasses Lindale to the west and passes by the west and south sides of Tyler south of I-20. The highway interconnects suburban areas and areas of potential development around Tyler with I-20 and provides local areas easier access to the

Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, officially designated Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, is a conurbated metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Texas encompassing 11 counties and anchore ...

. Currently, the route exists as an undivided two-lane highway stretching from

US 69 U.S. Route 69 (US 69) is a major north–south United States highway. When it was first created, it was only long, but it has since been expanded into a Minnesota to Texas cross-country route. The highway's southern terminus (as well as ...

near Lindale to SH 110 near

Whitehouse Whitehouse may refer to: People * Charles S. Whitehouse (1921-2001), American diplomat * Cornelius Whitehouse (1796–1883), English engineer and inventor * E. Sheldon Whitehouse (1883-1965), American diplomat * Elliott Whitehouse (born 1993), ...

. According to TxDOT, costs have exceeded $176 million, and the projected total cost for the completion of the route as a divided four-lane highway is still unknown. This proposed extension of Loop 49, the East Texas Hourglass (ETHG), planned as a divided four-lane highway between SH 110 and

US 59 U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA Corridor Highway Sy ...

near

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

, includes two additional spur highways and will run through

Smith Smith may refer to: People * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland ** List of people wi ...

, Gregg, and

Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places In Australia: * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin In Canada: * Inukjuak, Quebec, or " ...

Counties. It is designed to ease congestion and provide faster connections between the cities of

, Longview, and

. The highway will adhere to

Interstate highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

standards. Loop 49 and the East Texas Hourglass are the first major projects of the

North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority The North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NET RMA) is a Regional Mobility Authority covering several County (United States), counties in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Texas. The NET RMA was created by the Texas Transportati ...

(NET RMA).

Route description

Loop 49 begins at an intersection with

north of Lindale. Proceeding south, the highway bypasses Lindale to the west, having interchanges with FM 16 and

. Continuing south through the western side of

, Loop 49 has interchanges with

SH 64 The following highways are numbered 64: Australia * Mid-Western Highway Canada * Alberta Highway 64 * Highway 64 (Ontario) India * National Highway 64 (India), National Highway 64 Iran * Road 64 (Iran), Road 64 Korea, South *National Route 6 ...

and SH 31 near

Tyler Pounds Regional Airport Tyler Pounds Regional Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located west of Tyler, in Smith County, Texas, United States. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a "primary commercial service" airport. ...

. Traveling south, Loop 49 interchanges with SH 155 at Noonday. Turning east, Loop 49 meets

on the south side of Tyler, and proceeds to its current terminus with SH 110 near

History

The route number was originally used for Spur 49 from

SH 22 Route 22, or Highway 22, can refer to: International * European route E22 Argentina * National Route 22 Australia * Great Western Highway, Parramatta Road Austria * Donauufer Autobahn Canada * Alberta Highway 22 ** Alberta Highway 22X * B ...

in Corsicana to the Corsicana State Orphans' home but was removed from the state highway system on August 4, 1966. Plans to construct an outer loop around the city of

Tyler, Texas Tyler is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the largest city and county seat of Smith County, Texas, Smith County. It is also the largest city in Northeast Texas. With a 2020 census population of 105,995, Tyler was the List of cities in Texa ...

began in the mid-1980s. The original plans called for a freeway to be built but

Texas Department of Transportation The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT ) is a government agency in the American state of Texas. Though the public face of the agency is generally associated with the construction and maintenance of the state's immense state highway system ...

(TxDOT) determined that there was a funding shortfall and the road would not likely be built until 2033 using traditional funding. In response, the NET RMA chose to build the highway as a tollway with an electronic toll system. In August 2003, construction began on the first segment (called Segment 1) extending east from SH 155 (Frankston Hwy) in Noonday to

(Broadway Ave) in south Tyler. The road is a two-lane undivided highway, which will ultimately be expanded to a four-lane divided highway. The grand opening of Loop 49 took place on August 17, 2006. Tolling began on November 27, 2006. Construction then continued east, with Segment 2, which extends from

to FM 756 (Paluxy Dr), opening to traffic January 7, 2008. Due to a 2008 budget crisis at TxDOT, construction on additional sections of the tollway was delayed more than two years. In 2010, construction began on Segment 5, which extends from FM 756 to SH 110 in

. This section of the tollway, which was funded by Proposition 14 highway bonds, approved by Texas voters in 2003, opened to traffic June 28, 2012 after nearly 29 months of construction, bringing the total length of the loop to . Construction on the western side of Loop 49 began with Segment 3A, which extends from SH 155 (Frankston Hwy) to SH 31 (Chandler Hwy). This segment was constructed using federal funds from the

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (), nicknamed the Recovery Act, was a stimulus package enacted by the 111th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in February 2009. Developed in response to the Gr ...

, after the

Texas Transportation Commission The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT ) is a government agency in the American state of Texas. Though the public face of the agency is generally associated with the construction and maintenance of the state's immense state highway system ...

approved its status as a stimulus project on March 5, 2009. TxDOT awarded a $37.9 million construction contract three months later on June 10, and construction began in August. Segment 3A opened to traffic November 9, 2012, after approximately 39 months of construction. In an effort to speed completion of the west side of Loop 49 and connect it to Interstate 20, the NET RMA approved a plan in August 2009 to develop Segment 3B, the longest section of the toll road at , using a nontraditional " design/build" process. On October 28, 2010, the

approved up to $90 million for the construction of Segment 3B through State Infrastructure Bank loans and a toll equity loan. Construction on Segment 3B began on January 21, 2011, and the segment opened to traffic on March 28, 2013, completing the loop from

to SH 110. On February 28, 2013, the Texas Transportation Commission voted to transfer ownership and maintenance of Loop 49 from TxDOT to the NET RMA. Segment 4, also known as the Lindale Relief Route, stretches for from

south to

, bypassing the city of Lindale to the west. The environmental coordination stage of planning, with various state and federal approvals was completed, with construction beginning in 2016, and the segment opening to traffic on November 7, 2018.

Future

The future segments of the East Texas Hourglass are currently in the preliminary planning stages, with no completion timeline currently scheduled. Segment 6 is planned to complete the eastern portion of Loop 49, connecting SH 110 near

near the

- Gregg County line. Segment 6A is planned as a spur running from a junction between Loop 49 and FM 850 near New Chapel Hill to the current junction between

US 271 U.S. Route 271 (US 271, US-271) is a north–south United States highway. Never a long highway, it went from bi-state route (Arkansas and Oklahoma) to a tri-state route (Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas). Its southern terminus is in Tyler, ...

and SH 155 northeast of

. Segment 7 is planned to run northeast from I-20 to

US 259 U.S. Route 259 (US 259, US-259) is a north–south spur of U.S. Route 59 that runs for through rural areas of northeast Texas and southeast Oklahoma. The highway's southern terminus is near Nacogdoches, Texas at an interchange with it ...

north of Longview. Segment 8 is planned to run from US 259 to

north of

. Segment 8A is planned as another spur running from a point east of a junction between Loop 49 and FM 2879 northeast of Longview to I-20 southeast of Longview.

Exit list

References

External links

{{Toll Roads in Texas 049 049 Transportation in Smith County, Texas Two-lane freeways in the United States Beltways in the United States