Loop 322 is a
loop route
In road transportation in the United States, a special route is a road in a numbered highway system that diverts a specific segment of related traffic away from another road. They are featured in many highway systems; most are found in the Int ...
in the city of
Abilene in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
. It is located in
Taylor County.
Until the late 1990s, virtually all of Loop 322 was a
two-lane freeway
A two-lane expressway or two-lane freeway is an expressway or freeway with only one lane in each direction, and usually no median barrier. It may be built that way because of constraints, or may be intended for expansion once traffic volumes ris ...
. Today, virtually all of the road has been upgraded to typical freeway standards, except its northern terminus, which is an at-grade intersection with the
service roads of
Interstate 20.
Route description
Loop 322 starts at its junction with the Winters Freeway (US 83 and US 84) and Treadaway Blvd about 1 mile north of
Abilene Regional Medical Center and continues north towards Interstate 20. Loop 322 passes through one of the fastest growing areas of
Abilene right before
Abilene Regional Airport
Abilene Regional Airport is a public airport 3 miles (5 km) southeast of Abilene, in Taylor County, Texas. It is within the Abilene city limits and owned and operated by the city.
Most operations at the airport are general aviation and m ...
. After the airport, Loop 322 continues about 2.4 miles to its northern terminus at Interstate 20. Loop 322 mainly traverses rural parts of eastern Abilene.
History
Loop 322 was designated on July 16, 1957, running from
US 80
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
(now Business I-20) to
SH 36. On June 26, 1962, it was extended north to Interstate 20. On June 28, 1963, it was extended south to US 83 and US 84, completing its current routing.
Junction list
References
{{reflist
322
Freeways in Texas
Transportation in Taylor County, Texas